Sertec Group Ltd, the global automotive components manufacturer, has invested £1.7million into its research and development (R&D) programmes, to enable the UK’s first mass production assembly line for electric vehicle batteries.
The new assembly line will be fully operational in September 2021 and when in place will have the capability to produce in excess of 40 million electric vehicle battery Busbar assemblies per year. As the first mass production Busbar assembly line, it marks a vital step forward in electric vehicle technology for both the Midlands region and the UK.
Alongside the Busbar assemble line and at the heart of Sertec’s R&D investment is the fully equipped pre-production facility and testing lab. The Lab, built at a cost of £500,000 alone, has been invaluable in developing the Group’s abilities to design and test Busbars in modular battery production. The £1m pre-production facility has enabled Sertec to build protoypes and complete low volume orders for its customers. The production cell is currently being used to prove design concepts for assemblies requiring welding of dissimilar Busbar materials.
As well as developing new technologies essential for electric vehicle production, Sertec Group has also invested in similar technological innovation to support its customers in the consumer goods (FMCG) and distribution sectors.
Sertec’s investment extends to the recruitment of various highly skilled, specialist roles to support the technological innovation required within the EV sector.
Grant Adams, Group CEO at Sertec, said: “The investment we have made in new technology facilities are vital to the automotive industry’s ever evolving requirements for lightweight material production, which is set to become critical in future vehicle structures.
“As a UK first, the Busbar assembly line is integral to taking electric vehicle production forward both in the region and across the UK.
“It will help establish Sertec as one of the sector leading companies for this type of battery technology and put us at the heart of a regional manufacturing hub renowned for meeting the new technologic challenges of the future.”
With expansion into the electric vehicle sector key to Sertec’s future business vision, the Group is also preparing to build a larger footprint in mainland Europe, including bringing new leadership into the organisation. As a result, various senior staff have been recruited including a new European Sales Director, Chief Finance Officer, Vice President of Quality and Environmental Affairs, Vice president of Human Resource and a new Managing Director to run Sertec’s Hungarian facility.
Sertec are also looking to set up a technical centre in Germany, similar to the one they have in China.
The plan going forward is to repurpose the German plant as an electric vehicle component site using the know-how that’s been developed in the UK.
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