1 minute read - 22nd February 2023
UBC to open £28m battery factory in Rotherham
Ultimate Battery Company (UBC) has chosen Rotherham as the location for its first manufacturing plant and innovation centre, creating 200 jobs in the Thurcroft-based facility by early 2025.
The site will manufacture the next generation of starting, lighting and ignition (SLI) batteries for vehicles. UBC’s pioneering technology makes these drop-in replacement batteries much lighter than traditional products, thereby reducing weight and CO2 emissions by up to 15kg.
The innovation hub team of scientists and engineers will focus on bringing the advantages of UBC’s technology to developing the next generation of power trains for electric vehicles.
Operations will begin early in 2023 and will move to full production by the end of the year. Recruitment of staff will also begin in early 2023. As well as the 200 jobs being created on site, an additional 600 jobs could be created in the supply chain. The company said the estimated investment in the site would initially be in the region of £28m.
Maurizio Cunningham Brown, founder and global CEO of UBC, said: “The site at Thurcroft is the ideal location for our first facility. It combines the benefits of local industry knowledge, good transport links and a strong workforce ethic. It is close to our research partnership with the AMRC and strongly supports the commitment from SYMCA [South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority] to net zero manufacturing. It is a quantum leap for the company and will support the government’s objectives to achieve net zero and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.”