New northern manufacturing site complements Oxfordshire tech base
The announcement earlier this year by Saietta – an Oxfordshire-based eDrive solutions specialist – about its new manufacturing plant in Sunderland is great news for the UK economy as well as for the company.
Saietta specialises in providing flexible eDrive solutions for manufacturers of light and heavy duty vehicles from scooters to trucks. The company has developed a range of proprietary technologies including electric motors, power electronics, powertrain controls, modular transmissions and complete eAxles, all of which can be integrated into a vehicle’s final drivetrain design. Saietta’s ambition is to do its part in cleaning up the air in large cities around the globe.
One of Saietta’s UK bases is at Upper Heyford near Bicester. This is where, supported with funding secured by OxLEP, it began developing and prototyping its Axial Flux Technology (AFT) motors, tapping into the area’s highly skilled automotive engineering workforce as well as the business centre’s 20 miles of nearby test tracks.
Recently, the company established a complementary high-tech facility in Silverstone that expands Saietta’s engineering, design and commercial functions.
At the very beginning, OxLEP awarded Saietta a £150,000 loan from the Government’s Growing Places Fund to help the company redevelop and bring buildings at Heyford Park back into active use, as well as to develop the prototype and production facility on site for high performance advanced electric motorcycles and eDrive technologies, initially bringing in 40 new full-time jobs.
In 2020, Saietta announced that it would expand the site and create further new jobs. It now employs over 200 people across five divisions in seven locations in the UK and the Netherlands where the commercial vehicle and marine divisions are based.
“Accessing the talent and the innovation ecosystem here in Oxfordshire has enabled our growth, which in turn has led to the development of our new manufacturing site in Sunderland,” says Wicher (Vic) Kist, Saietta Group’s Chief Executive.
Nigel Tipple, Chief Executive of OxLEP: “Our considerable capabilities and assets across a number of key sectors not only benefits Oxfordshire, but also the desire to ‘level up’ the wider UK economy and bring opportunities to other areas."
Green jobs
Saietta’s growth plans have continued to accelerate rapidly and it is now moving to large-scale manufacturing nearly two years ahead of schedule. Its new factory in the North East of England is ramping up to an annual capacity of 100,000 motors per year, creating more UK green manufacturing jobs.
The new 86,000 square feet Sunderland-based facility will be used by Saietta to scale up the production of its proprietary AFT motors for multiple applications. Saietta has purchased a total of four motor production lines and an electronic circuit board production line from the previous inhabitant, and a considerable amount of this equipment is being re-purposed to meet the needs of Saietta’s customers. Saietta will also base production of its eDrive solutions for European commercial vehicle manufacturers in Sunderland.
Growth trajectory
In July 2021, Saietta was floated on the London Stock Exchange’s AIM market, raising gross proceeds of £37.5 million with a market capitalisation of £102.1 million at the issue price. A number of blue-chip funds invested in the company, and the injection of capital has enabled it to fast track its growth plans. The company recently announced strong first full year performance results for the 12 months to 31 March 2022, increasing turnover fourfold. In August 2022, Saietta raised another £23 million in an oversubscribed investment round.
In November 2021, Saietta acquired e-Traction, a leading designer and supplier of electric drivetrains for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) such as trucks and buses. Since rebranded as Saietta Heavy Duty eDrive, the move brings additional product variants into Saietta’s portfolio – encompassing complementary power electronics and heavy-vehicle drivetrains.
In the same month, Saietta also launched Propel, a new high-tech electric propulsion brand for marine applications. In just eight months, the company launched two electric propulsion technologies using the brand’s Axial Flux technology – Propel S1 and Propel D1 – both of which aim to make marine travel cleaner.
Further afield, Saietta signed a joint-venture partnership with Padmini VNA, a leading Indian-based Tier 1 automotive supplier, to develop new opportunities in India’s fast-growing electric vehicle market.
UK at the centre
“The UK is a hotspot for electric powertrain innovation,” adds Wicher (Vic) Kist. “We are committed to building up the engineering and manufacturing of our technology in the UK and exporting to mainland Europe and beyond. Our UK production facility – which we aim to make carbon neutral – is a landmark achievement, speeding up our capability to supply our global clients with high volume eDrive solutions.”
Investment in Oxfordshire supporting levelling-up across the UK
Nigel Tipple, OxLEP Chief Executive, says: “Having supported Saietta at a critical early stage, we are delighted to witness its rapid growth and to see the further spread of green technology, jobs and prosperity throughout the UK. It shows how companies can use the full range of capabilities available in the UK, from advanced automotive engineering in our area to skilled manufacturing in the North East, to grow and prosper.
“Saietta’s investment in the North East of England is another example of the importance of the Oxfordshire economy to the UK in a post-pandemic economy”.
“Our considerable capabilities and assets across a number of key sectors not only benefits Oxfordshire, but also the desire to ‘level up’ the wider UK economy and bring opportunities to other areas. With that in mind, continued investment and focus on Oxfordshire can only be a positive thing for the rest of the country.”
