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The New Mclaren Automotive Composites Technology Centre

200 new jobs will be coming to Sheffield. McLaren Automotive has decided to in-source their carbon fibre Monocell and Monocage chassis. Now, a new composites centre will be built near the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) at the University of Sheffield.

Mclaren Automotive Composites Technology Centre

McLaren’s new centre will house the development and production of the Monocage carbon fibre & Monocell chassis. They’re slotted for use in future McLaren vehicles.

Construction begins in early 2017, with the first pre-production, carbon fibre chassis due in the second half of the year. Full production is estimated for 2020. Thus, the Composites Technology Centre will be the first purpose built building erected outside of the McLaren campus. Situated close to the AMRC campus, the centre will be 7,000m2 and seated on four acres.

200 Jobs: Mclaren’s Partnership With The Amrc

By and large, the centre’s construction produces an epic alliance between McLaren, the AMRC and the Sheffield City Council. It’s estimated that 200 new jobs will come to the city through a “combined investment of nearly £50 million.” They will consist of 150 production staff and 50 for manufacturing support. Accordingly, the centre is expected to save £10 million. They also estimate £100 million to be saved by 2028.

 

Mclaren Automotive Composites Technology Centre

Epic Beginnings

The AMRC was established in 2001 through a partnership with Boeing to use the city’s “expertise” in materials and machining. In 2004 and 2008, they had some great success in moving to an advanced manufacturing park and opening Rolls Royce Plc factory respectively. In 2015, they opened the first “fully reconfigurable assembly and component manufacturing facility for collaborative research” that switches between “high value components and one-off parts”. Hence, there’s no doubt the AMRC is the perfect partner for McLaren.

A Bright Future

Overall, McLaren, the AMRC and Sheffield City Council have a bright future ahead. We can’t wait to see what they have in store. 

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