The project is expected to create 65 jobs at Magtec and a further 165 across South Yorkshire and the wider region as the company strengthens its UK supply chain.
It will collaborate with leading transport sector OEMs Paneltex, Volta Trucks and Dennis Eagle, strategic partner Angel Trains and research partners the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) and the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) to ensure Magtec accelerates production rates to meet the growing demand for the next generation of electric commercial vehicles.
The MTC and AMRC, both part of the Catapult network of world-leading technology centres, will provide knowledge in processes, systems and materials science and best practice from the automotive and aerospace sectors.
The OEM partners will provide input on manufacturing and testing requirements during the project as well as the route to market for Magtec’s products.
Managing director Andrew Gilligan said: “We are delighted to be working with our OEM, strategic and research partners to industrialise our manufacturing operations and satisfy demand for our class-leading electric vehicle drive systems.”
Last year, the company won funding from Innovate UK to develop its capabilities for testing power controllers, representing another step in the scaling up of its manufacturing operations.
Magtec programmes include: electric refuse collection vehicles, the UK’s first electric 7.5 tonne commercial vehicles for the urban daily deliveries market, the drive system for a fully electric, safe-by-design urban truck, the electric drivetrain for the world’s first autonomous 26t truck, drive systems for demanding defence applications.