• Reshored carbon fibre chassis manufacture from Europe, establishing a dedicated UK facility at the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Rotherham.
• Internalised the chassis supply chain, securing full production control in Britain and creating over 100 jobs for the local economy.
• Pioneered an agile, automated composite preforming process, optimising complex hybrid supercar production for higher volumes with unprecedented efficiency. 
• Unlocked ‘art-of-the-possible’ insights, enabling horizontal innovation across aerospace and green energy. 

Challenge

McLaren Automotive was looking to revolutionise the production of its next-generation supercar architecture. To support its future hybrid vehicles, the company needed to achieve a significant reduction in cycle times and optimise its manufacturing footprint. 

While the company’s iconic vehicles have always been hand-assembled at the McLaren Production Centre in Woking, the car’s carbon fibre chassis – the structural heart of the car – was previously manufactured in Europe.

The goal was to bring this critical process in-house, moving the chassis production to its UK home, by establishing McLaren’s first-ever dedicated manufacturing facility outside of Woking.

Background

To meet rising global demand, McLaren aimed to increase annual production approximately sevenfold from their initial starting point. However, the then-existing manufacturing methods for the carbon fibre monocoque were not optimised for the complex requirements of new hybrid models.

McLaren’s move to fully reshore production to the UK was driven by a need for a step-change in both scale and efficiency. Securing a strategic location was essential, offering both regional support and access to a world-class research network. After evaluating various regions, McLaren selected South Yorkshire, partnering with the AMRC for its expertise in composites and automation, supplemented with specialist functions on product development.

This collaboration was supported by the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, with additional capital investment from the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative and the High Value Manufacturing Catapult.

Innovation

Between 2016 and 2019, the AMRC and McLaren ran a development programme to drive technology forward which proved that the new composite manufacturing technologies could meet the high quality standards expected of a McLaren supercar while drastically reducing production cycles.

The AMRC’s engineers worked with McLaren to develop technology for creating high-quality, high-integrity carbon fibre preforms that could be assembled as part of the process using a new forming technique. They created bespoke processing equipment specifically designed to support the complex requirements of the next-generation hybrid architecture at-rate. 

McLaren and the AMRC worked in integrated teams, sharing experience and expertise and supporting all stages of the process up to the manufacture of functional prototypes. While the research phase explored various avenues, the technical learnings from every stage were vital in refining the final approach.

The programme was not merely an upgrade of existing methods, but the induction of an entirely new manufacturing philosophy for McLaren, focused on a leaner factory footprint and optimised process for higher production volumes.

The breakthrough provided the blueprint for a facility capable of handling the complexity of hybrid supercar production with unprecedented efficiency.

Result

The McLaren Composites Technology Centre (MCTC) was subsequently built and equipped to manufacture carbon fibre tubs on the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham. 

By moving production from mainland Europe to this bespoke UK facility, McLaren gained full control over its supply chain, leveraging the AMRC’s technical expertise to pioneer an agile, automated manufacturing process that ensures both engines and chassis are manufactured in Britain.

Impact

The project was a game-changer: McLaren achieved a strategic step-change by internalising its chassis supply chain, while the AMRC significantly bolstered its reputation and technical ability for industrial-scale innovation.

Beyond the new production facility, the "art-of-the-possible" insights gained by the AMRC enabled horizontal innovation in sectors such as aerospace and green energy. 

Furthermore, reshoring chassis manufacture to the UK in 2019 created more than 100 jobs for the local economy and created local supply chains, ensuring the original investment in technology continues to benefit the wider UK manufacturing industry.