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2 minute read

Sevcon to create 200 new jobs in next 3 years

Low-Carbon innovator Sevcon is set to write the next chapter of its history by trebling the size of its workforce to almost 300 – as it prepares to move to larger premises.

Following three years of rapid growth which has seen headcount rise over 70% – and on the back of a £320m order book – the Gateshead company is planning to create over 200 skilled new jobs in the next three years, with the vast majority of these being in the North East.

Having been based on the Team Valley for over 50 years, since its creation by North East industrialist Herbert Loebl, it is in talks over moves to larger 55,000 sq ft premises, also on the Team Valley.

Sevcon president and chief executive Matt Boyle said: “The worldwide electrification movement is prompting our ambitious growth agenda and our product roadmap has the potential to put us in the sweet spot for this transition.

“The switch from the internal combustion engine to hybrid and electric vehicles is happening now. All the major motor manufacturers are involved and Sevcon’s skills are proving vital to this global shift.

“These are exciting times for the company and we will need some 200 additional members of staff to support our growth. The future has never been brighter for Sevcon.”

Matt Boyle with some of Sevcon’s apprentices / Picture: Sevcon

Sevcon currently employs over 80 engineers and software developers in its Team Valley headquarters on Kingsway.

Last year the company opened a base in the Thames Valley near Oxford, where it also plans to increase staff numbers in the next few years.

Mr Boyle added: “We are keen to attract skilled engineers from, and to the North East, and can offer excellent career opportunities across all ages and skills group from engineering apprentices, to technicians, graduates and experienced engineers.

“While it had been a struggle getting the right staff, we have made progress in the last 18 months in attracting the quality of staff we need to match our ambition.”

Sevcon is a world-leader in developing the controllers for the motors of electric and hybrid vehicles. These act as the brains of the transmission system controlling speed and overall fuel consumption and efficiency.

In January last year it bought Italian firm Bassi and now supplies a range of battery chargers. Consequently, it is leading the technological race to integrate the components of the electric drivetrain – the motor, the controller, inverter and wireless charger – into a single compact unit.

The Gateshead-based company posted record sales in 2016, of £40m up from £33m in 2015.

Earlier this month revealed it had signed a deal for the development of an electric drivetrain for a Chinese/European car maker worth up to £160m, taking its current pipeline to £320m.

The latest deal is the sixth major project in Sevcon’s development pipeline.

Two of the projects, worth over £56m, are with a British supercar company and were announced last year, while a second is with a South East Asian tier one supplier, and could be worth up to £40m.

Matt Boyle, President & CEO / Picture: Sevcon