Advanced Propulsion Center UK (APC) highlights Ford UK’s transition to electric vehicles through innovative initiatives supported by government funding and partnerships, highlighting the continued importance of the UK’s automobile sector. Masu.
A US brand with over 100 years of manufacturing history in the UK, Ford has become an integrated part of our culture, and its vehicles have an instantly recognizable name like Mondeo and Transit. It is synonymous with.
Ford UK: A story of growth through funding and expertise
In 1911, the company opened its first factory outside of North America in Manchester. This plant produced the iconic Model T and quickly became a bestseller.
In 1929, Ford began construction of a new factory in Dagenham, Essex, becoming Europe’s largest automobile factory. For decades, Ford’s Dagenham plant produced millions of vehicles, including the popular Cortina, Escorts and Fiesta models. Founded in 1963, Merseyside’s Ford Halewood site originally produced Ford Anglia. Over the years, he produced a variety of models, including escorts and capris.
Today, Ford, England, still operates major manufacturing sites in Dagenham and Hollewood, along with key research and development facilities in Dunton, Essex. Ford is a key player in the UK automotive industry as it moves to electric vehicles. With targeted support from government grants to enable the development of new technologies, the Halewood facility recently launched a £380 million transition from internal combustion engine transmission to EDRIVES for the latest electrical models. Finished.
It is this latest history that deserves to be told that story. Facing the great headwinds affecting the UK and the automotive sector, the little engineers and visionaries operating at Ford Dunton were able to shape the country’s iconic blue oval future.
Government and Industry Collaboration
Since the launch of the Advanced Promotion Centre UK funding round in 2013, Ford has played an important role in several joint research and development projects. We were able to leverage government grants to promote innovation and development in Dunton. The journey of technological advancements at Ford Dunton, driven by the APC project, was an astonishing move from traditional engine development to cutting-edge virtual engineering, weight reduction and advanced manufacturing techniques.
The early APC-funded projects at Ford Dunton focused primarily on engine development and efficiency. However, as the automotive industry evolved, so did the nature of the project.
The focus will be expanded to include virtual engineering, which is simulation and testing of vehicle components in digital environments, significantly reducing development time and costs.
Additionally, weight reduction initiatives (and subsequently battery ranges) aimed at reducing vehicle weight and improving fuel efficiency and performance have become an important area of development. Advanced manufacturing techniques have also been introduced, improving the overall production process and product quality.
E: Prime Project: Ford’s first European
One of the most notable projects supported by APC fundraising is the 2018 E: Prime Project. The initiative has marked a major change for Ford Dunton, expanding innovation from traditional R&D engineering teams to the manufacturing engineering area of the business.
E: Prime Project has built a pilot manufacturing facility to develop processes and equipment for producing ultra-high volume next generation electrified powertrain systems, including motors, power electronics, and batteries. The total project value of Ford’s APC project was £24.2 million, which included £12.1 million in government funding.
The pilot facility developed under the E:Prime project was the first for the Ford Group in Europe. This achievement would not have been possible without additional funding and investment through the APC.
The facility may have been developed in other parts of the Ford Group. The establishment of the facility in Essex highlights the importance of APC funding in maintaining the country’s high manufacturing capacity.
Joint efforts
This was not a solo effort. E: The success of the Prime project can be attributed to a consortium of involved partners. This includes Siemens, JW Froehlich, and National Instruments Corporation, responsible for facility control, measurement, testing, and developing new machine tools.
HSSMI played a key role in creating digital twins to optimize manufacturing layout and flow. SkillNet has developed a training course to prepare the skills and training needs of future workers, but signals and noise specialized for data handling and visualization. This skill set width did not naturally form a consortium to tackle the multifaceted challenges of pilot facilities without the support of APCs.
The results of the E:Prime project were the cutting-edge pilot EDRIVE production facility that enables manufacturing processes to be optimized, new manufacturing methods tested, and development of fully electric powered manufacturing processes. This not only enhances Ford’s capabilities in producing next-generation electrified powertrain systems, it also sets a benchmark for innovation and collaboration in the automotive industry.
Participating in joint research and development projects is crucial in driving the evolution of Ford Dunton’s technical capabilities. From traditional engine development to sophisticated manufacturing and electrification, the UK government-supported projects through APC have contributed significantly to the growth and success of Ford’s R&D programme.
The collaborative approach fostered by APCs also strengthens the UK’s automotive R&D ecosystem, ensuring you are at the forefront of automotive innovation.
Ultimately, this laid the foundation for Ford to build next-generation vehicle production and demonstrate the capabilities of his UK business. When looking for a site to deploy electric car manufacturing in Europe, and many locations are under consideration – Ford can be confident in his UK expertise, leading to the decision to choose Halewood as his main facility It has sex.
Landing Investment in the UK
Ford has made the transformation here, increasing its total investment to £380 million, protecting or creating jobs for up to 800 people.
Ford Program Manager Stuart Byrne said: “Around 2020, Ford had to decide where to place the European electronic motor manufacturing site. And it was very competitive. Many facilities were considered in detail. Fortunately, we’re at the fortunate level. In e:prime, we were able to secure an investment in Halewood for some of the work done in APC.
“It’s an iconic site. Ford Dagenham, Ford Hollewood. You know their names. This is Halewood’s 60th anniversary this year, and this very impressive new from the manual transmission gearbox plant It has been transformed into a power unit facility. Production began literally a few months ago [November 2024]. ”
Halewood’s choice marked Ford’s first in-house investment in the manufacture of all-electric vehicle components in Europe, made possible by capital grants and support from the government’s Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF). Prime Project.
Ben Harrison, senior project delivery lead at APC, said: This is undoubtedly the seed for the Ford Harlewood plant to become the European manufacturing center of Excellence, producing Ford Edlib Units for both Ford Puma En and Ford E-Transit. and has the ability to build 420,000 units a year. ”
e-steel
This is certainly a success for the UK, but Danton’s team has not stopped innovating and is working on improvements.
Ben Harrison continues. “Ford is now taking this journey further, with Project E-Steel set to offer the UK’s first prototype line for mass electronic motor core production. Combined with digital twin and simulation capabilities, Project E-Steel is expected to provide the first prototype line in the UK for mass electronic motor core production. Steel allows for “good first time” stamping and lamination of e-Steel components. ”
E-Steel, or electric steel, is a type of steel that is specially designed to have good magnetic properties. It forms in a thin sheet, which stack together to form the core of an electric motor. Thinness of the sheet helps reduce energy losses caused by a phenomenon called eddy currents, which is a loop of currents that can waste energy.
Ford Project E-Steel focuses on the development, piloting and industrialization of E-Sheet cores for stator and rotor assemblies in Ford’s electric drive units.
The £8.4 million joint research and development project, recently announced in late 2024, includes partners each with their own specialised areas. Brandauer specializes in e-Sheet core manufacturing, stamping and touring, but HSSMI is back, this time focusing on industrialization, digital twin technology and sustainability. As an academic partner, the University of Nottingham conducts R&D on electronic motor products, performance and process design.
The goal is to establish UK production capacity that allows Ford and the broader ecosystem to integrate E-Sheet core production into UK operations. The initiative also aims to create new supply chain opportunities for UK expertise, materials and product suppliers to support integration and industrialization.
Strengthening the R&D ecosystem
As this recent history shows, APC Innovation Funding has helped to strengthen the capabilities of Dunton’s R&D team.
This support not only strengthened the internal team, but also encouraged the development of a network with other parts of the UK’s automotive sector. By leveraging expertise from academia and enabling SMEs (small and medium-sized businesses) to form and grow, APC funding has played a key role in strengthening the UK’s automotive R&D ecosystem. Anyone interested in replicating this success should visit the APC Funding Opportunities page to see the latest competition details.
This collaborative approach has led to the promotion of knowledge and resource sharing, innovation across the industry, and setting it on the path to a safe future. For Ford, he hopes to see another 100 years of manufacturing in the UK.
About Advanced Propulsion Center UK
Advanced Propulsion Center UK (APC) will work with the UK government, automotive industry and academia to support the transition to zero-emission vehicles and accelerate the industrialization of technology towards the UK’s net-zero automotive supply chain.
Founded in 2013, APC has promoted funding for 302 low carbon and zero emissions projects involving 529 partners, with the support of the UK government’s Department of Business and Trade (DBT). Working with companies of all sizes, the funds have helped create or protect more than 59,000 jobs in the UK. The technologies and products arising from these projects are projected to save more than 425 million tonnes of CO2.
With deep sector expertise and cutting-edge knowledge of new propulsion technologies, the role of APC in building and advisory for Project Consortia will allow projects to be launched more quickly, helping to increase value, and accelerating new technologies to the market Masu. APC works to promote innovation, promote collaboration, build the foundation for a successful and sustainable UK automotive industry.
In 2020, the UK government established the Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) to accelerate the development of net zero vehicle supply chains, enabling UK-based manufacturers to serve global markets. ATF investments are accessed through APC and awarded by DBT to enable companies involved in batteries, motors, drives, power electronics, fuel cells and related supply chains to lock in the future. Supports R&D investments.
For more information, visit www.apcuk.co.uk or follow @theapcuk on X and follow Advanced Propulsion Center UK on LinkedIn.
This article will also be featured in the 21st edition of Quarterly Publication.
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