With £12m funding, YASA’s totally reworked Yarnton facility units a brand new world commonplace for axial flux motor manufacturing.
On a quiet industrial property in Yarnton, Oxfordshire, YASA has simply thrown open the doorways to what could be essentially the most superior axial-flux electrical motor facility on the planet. With a £12 million funding into new applied sciences, infrastructure and processes, the British electrical motor specialist is as soon as once more pushing the envelope – not solely of what its compact, ultra-lightweight motors can do, however how they’re made at scale.
This upgraded facility doesn’t simply broaden manufacturing; it reshapes it. YASA’s new ‘tremendous manufacturing facility’ is designed from the bottom as much as accommodate the distinctive structure of axial flux electrical motors – compact, highly effective, and completely suited to the high-performance electrical autos of tomorrow.
“We’ve gone past merely growing capability,” says Tim Woolmer, YASA CTO and founder. “With a multi-million-pound funding into our Yarnton facility, we have now reworked our manufacturing functionality and considerably accelerated our manufacturing capability. This newest initiative will allow us to use our expertise with even better accuracy, tempo and scale.”
YASA’s axial flux motors already lead the trade in energy and effectivity. Their distinctive ‘pancake’ form and quick magnetic flux path make them considerably smaller and lighter than conventional radial motors – whereas delivering as much as 4 instances the efficiency density. In different phrases: extra torque, much less area.
Now, the newly expanded facility affords the manufacturing spine to match the corporate’s technical imaginative and prescient. The 60,000ft² website homes 4 newly developed coil and bar manufacturing cells – constructed from scratch to swimsuit the geometrical and efficiency wants of YASA’s designs. Every cell incorporates cutting-edge CNC winding, superior meeting strategies and a high-precision impregnation course of. This tradition-built strategy ensures tighter tolerances, improved repeatability and quicker manufacturing cycles.
“With the addition of those new cells, we’re not simply constructing extra motors, we’re constructing extra persistently and extra effectively,” says Richard Firmstone, Operations Director. “We’ve reworked the manufacturing processes to allow an enhanced working philosophy. Manufacturing in motor units to optimize stream, bettering security, high quality and effectivity.”
The whole manufacturing operation now sits underneath one roof, making a seamless manufacturing ecosystem that permits YASA to deal with every thing from coil winding to closing high quality management internally. It additionally makes the corporate much more resilient to provide chain shocks – an more and more essential functionality in immediately’s automotive panorama.
“Enabling full course of and materials traceability is a game-changer,” says Firmstone. “We’ve created full flexibility to mitigate danger and cope with buyer demand successfully. This degree of management means we will reply faster, extra intelligently and with better confidence.”
State-of-the-art laser stripping and brazing stations have been launched to deal with high-precision connections. New rotor balancing applied sciences be certain that even the slightest variance is accounted for – very important for motors that function at extraordinarily excessive speeds. And enhanced stator welding, high-capacity ovens and leak testing methods now guarantee faultless dimensional and electrical integrity.
“We’ve constructed an ecosystem of management and precision that displays the ambition of our merchandise,” added Firmstone. The actual measure of the brand new Yarnton facility isn’t just the standard of what it may produce, however how a lot it may produce with out compromising high quality. With a most capability of greater than 25,000 models per 12 months, YASA is now geared up to assist its increasing buyer base, together with OEMs reminiscent of Ferrari and Lamborghini.
“Every of the quite a few technical manufacturing advances we have now applied throughout the manufacturing facility transformation consolidates YASA’s means to outpace and outperform all current radial flux expertise,” says Andy North, YASA Business Director. “We’re delivering extra compact, light-weight electrical propulsion methods with much less compromise and better configurability for patrons.”
For North, that scalability is the important thing to unlocking new market alternatives. “YASA is now higher positioned to fulfill the wants of our clients on a extra world scale than ever earlier than.”
And it’s not nearly passenger automobiles. The structure of axial flux motors makes them well-suited to a variety of functions – from aerospace to marine, industrial to motorsport. With the flexibleness constructed into the brand new manufacturing strains, YASA can reply to rising demand shortly and effectively.
A subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group since 2021, YASA continues to work carefully with companions on the chopping fringe of electrification – together with the Superior Propulsion Centre UK (APC UK), whose early assist was instrumental in growing the unique Yarnton website.
“Whereas this newest high-tech growth has been privately funded, we proceed to collaborate with APC UK on future generations of axial flux expertise,” says Woolmer. “It’s about guaranteeing that cutting-edge electrical motor innovation stays rooted within the UK for years to come back.”
For Joerg Miska, YASA CEO, the tremendous manufacturing facility is a transparent sign of intent – not solely about the place the corporate is headed, however what it represents for the broader trade.
“This new facility marks a big milestone in YASA’s long-term technique to broaden each our product vary and buyer base,” he says. “With the tremendous manufacturing facility now up and working, we’ve unlocked new ranges of flexibility, effectivity and high quality; capabilities that place us to pursue a wider vary of enterprise alternatives throughout the electrification panorama”.
YASA’s journey from Oxford College start-up to world electrical propulsion chief is nicely documented. What’s taking place in Yarnton now could be one thing much more compelling: the industrialization of electrical efficiency. It’s an illustration of how British engineering cannot solely invent the longer term, but in addition construct it at scale, with precision, and with out compromise.
“As an organization, we have now come a good distance,” Woolmer displays. “However we’re nonetheless pushed by the identical ardour, spirit and willpower to create the world’s most superior electrical mobility expertise options.”
And with the Yarnton facility totally operational, YASA isn’t simply delivering on that imaginative and prescient – it’s bringing it into actuality.
Manufacturing unit details
Step inside YASA’s new Yarnton manufacturing facility and also you’ll discover extra than simply an meeting line, you’ll discover a masterclass in precision engineering. Each sq. inch of the 60,000ft² website has been optimized for one objective: to provide axial flux electrical motors at scale, whereas sustaining high quality and consistency.
On the core of the improve are 4 newly developed coil and bar manufacturing cells. These aren’t tailored from commonplace industrial tools – they’re fully bespoke, designed from the bottom as much as meet the distinctive geometry and tolerances of YASA’s axial flux structure. Every cell options state-of-the-art CNC winding methods, superior impregnation processes, and finely tuned meeting levels that collectively elevate repeatability and throughput to new heights.
Precision continues all through the manufacturing facility, the place laser stripping and brazing methods now deal with delicate materials transitions with micrometer accuracy. These methods guarantee optimum electrical conductivity and long-term sturdiness, lowering resistance whereas growing general effectivity.
YASA’s motors spin at extraordinarily excessive speeds, which implies any imbalance, even on a microscopic degree, can have a profound influence on efficiency. The manufacturing facility’s balancing expertise corrects for these inconsistencies with astonishing precision, contributing to smoother, quieter, and extra dependable operation.
Stator manufacturing has additionally been introduced totally in-house. The brand new workflow incorporates laser welding, curing in high-capacity ovens, and complete testing to make sure dimensional integrity, electrical efficiency, and leak resistance. This holistic strategy eliminates reliance on third-party suppliers, providing better management over high quality and lead instances.
