WORK is under way on a new purpose-built Technical Centre for a fast-expanding engineering business.
Integral Powertrain expects to move from its current headquarters at Denbigh West to the new centre at Shenley Wood early next year. It is also upgrading its vehicle Emission & Driveline Test Facility at Kiln Farm.
The Technical Centre will house the company’s e-Drive business, which is growing rapidly due to Integral Powertrain’s success in developing world-leading power dense electric motors and inverters. Integral e-Drive has been part of projects including the integrated dual motor/inverter systems that powered the world record breaking Volkswagen Motorsport I.D. R Pikes Peak race car.
The company has also launched an e-Axle developed with McLaren Applied Technologies and Hewland Engineering and has developed the electric motors of the Aston Martin hybrid hypercar the Valkyrie and the marque’s first all-electric sports car the Rapide E.
“The new Technical Centre represents a major milestone for Integral Powertrain,” said director John McLean. The new site is more than three times the floor area of the existing Engineering Centre and will house Integral Powertrain’s growing workforce, conference areas, greater stores and build capacity, a larger e-Drive test centre, new materials and R&D facilities and larger machining / fabrication areas.
“As well as providing an excellent environment for staff and clients alike, it will allow most of our engineering and support teams to be located on one site, bringing efficiency that will enable us to develop innovative products to meet growing customer demand in the e-Drive sector,” Mr McLean said.
The Mayor of Milton Keynes, Cllr Sam Crooks, officiated at the official ground breaking ceremony for the Technical Centre. He was joined by representatives of Integral Powertrain’s executive management team, q2 Architects, quantity surveyors Osbornes and Warwick Burt Construction, which will build the new centre.
Investment at Integral Powertrain’s premises on Kiln Farm will create enhanced RDE Real Driving Emissions services and testing to the latest Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure standards.