The Mayor of South Yorkshire Dan Jarvis has officially opened Magtec’s new facility for the design, manufacture and installation of drive systems for electric and hybrid vehicles. The Labour MP for Barnsley Central and former British Army officer met with directors, engineers, apprentices and ex-services personnel employed by the high-growth company and toured the high-tech production facilities.

Magtec is creating at least 50 new high-skilled engineering and support function jobs to help meet growing demand for its world-leading drive systems. The privately-owned company is targeting sales of £30m next year, more than double the turnover of 2021. It currently employs 145 people at its 65,000 sq ft facility in Rotherham and is recruiting across all engineering and operations disciplines.

Magtec is increasing production for existing and new customers in the commercial vehicle, rail, defence and special project sectors. Orders include drive systems for electric refuse collection vehicles, autonomous and connected electric trucks and the rail industry’s first conversion of diesel multiple units. Magtec is also supporting the British Army TD6 programme to assess the benefits that hybrid military vehicles can bring to the battlefield of the future.

Dan Jarvis, Mayor of South Yorkshire, said:

“I was very impressed by Magtec’s new facility and it was a real privilege to meet their highly talented team and learn more about the hugely innovative and highly skilled work they are doing to bring forward technical solutions to the challenges we face in delivering decarbonisation.

“Forward-thinking companies such as Magtec are at the absolute cutting-edge of the next industrial revolution, of which our region can be a driving force. I am looking forward to seeing Magtec grow further over the coming years and I am certain that their pioneering technology will help to shape our region’s electrical transport infrastructure, contribute massively towards our net-zero carbon targets and continue to create skilled jobs for South Yorkshire. They are a massive asset for the region.”

Andrew Gilligan, Magtec’s Managing Director, added:

“We were delighted to welcome Mayor Dan Jarvis to our state-of-the-art facility, introduce him to our growing team and share details of our future expansion plans” said Andrew Gilligan, Magtec’s Managing Director. “Magtec is investing in new plant and people to help us scale up and fulfil our potential. Our market-leading technology, which is designed and manufactured by highly skilled engineers here in South Yorkshire, can drive the decarbonisation of the global transportation sector.”