Materials Manufacturer Sets Up a Site at Europe’s Largest R&D Facility
A manufacturer who specialises in developing lightweight parts for the automotive industry has moved into MIRA Technology Park to extend its research and testing facilities.
Autins has taken a lease on 3000 sq. ft. premises at HORIBA MIRA to set up an R&D facility. The Autins Technical Centre is expected to be up and running by summer 2016 with accreditation to UKAS standards expected by the second quarter of 2017. The facility will then be able to offer materials testing commercially to companies from a range of industries, including automotive.
Jim Griffin, CEO of The Autins Group comments
“HORIBA MIRA offers research and testing facilities which are second to none. It is well located for our three local sites as well as the thriving Midlands automotive industry and so seemed the ideal place to develop our R&D capabilities.”
The new site will be headed up by Dr Kathryn Beresford who is chief technical officer at the Autins Group. The company will initially carry out testing on the site for products made at their Midlands factories as well as for sites in Sweden and Germany. It will also be a hub for research on new lightweight materials with thermal and acoustic properties.
MIRA Technology Park is Europe’s largest automotive technology cluster and is gaining global recognition as the premier location in Europe for automotive, R&D, engineering and testing. Companies based on the park benefit from direct access to the comprehensive HORIBA MIRA test facilities and engineering, research and test services. The site currently has a suite of 37 major test facilities as well as 100km of specialised proving ground tracks.
The Autins Group has more than tripled its workforce since 2012 as part of an ongoing expansion programme and investment in new technology which includes the development of an R&D facility.
“We have had a period of rapid growth at Autins and we plan to keep on expanding and innovating,” adds Jim. “Setting up a site at MIRA is the next logical step and will enable the company to develop more advanced lightweight solutions for a whole range of products and industries.”
Dr George Gillespie OBE, CEO at HORIBA MIRA, said:
“We’re really pleased to welcome The Autins Group as the latest addition to the MIRA Technology Park cluster. Autins is an innovative and successful organisation and is making a great contribution to the low carbon agenda with its lightweight insulation products. They are amongst good company within the park and by choosing HORIBA MIRA as the new location for its R&D operations, Autins will be able to take advantage of the many services and facilities the park offers, whilst positioning themselves in the heart of the automotive industry.”
