• Swindon & Wiltshire Manufacturing
• Tuesday March 19 2024
• Author Name: Peter Davison

PM gears up for election with visit to Xtrac

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s visit to automotive technology firm Xtrac in Thatcham has helped gear up for an autumn general election during a speedy tour of UK businesses.

On Thursday (March 14) the PM cruised the design and manufacturing facilities of the automotive transmission technology company. Rishi spoke with apprentices about the firm’s dedicated apprenticeship facility Xtrac Academy.

The company operates 24 hours daily to create advanced gearboxes used by motorsports teams worldwide and in high-performance road cars. It exports around 70 per cent of its manufacturing output globally.

Xtrac has trained apprentices since the 1990s and has worked locally with Newbury College to deliver its apprenticeships in advanced manufacturing since 2003.

The investment in the Xtrac Academy is part of Xtrac’s ongoing business expansion, which has also provided additional state-of-the-art facilities in the UK and the USA and increased the factory’s capacity to meet growing global demand.

One in seven of its 490 current employees started with the company as apprentices or undergraduates, and its first-ever apprentice, Simon Short, who qualified in 1993, remains with the company and holds a senior role in Xtrac’s North American operations.

Prime Minister visits the Xtrac team

“It was great to meet the team at Xtrac today and talk about their world-class apprenticeship schemes,” said prime minister of his visit.

“Xtrac is a West Berkshire success story. It’s a local Thatcham business that’s now at the heart of Formula 1, Indycar, and NASCAR successes all over the world. It’s also a shining example of apprenticeship success in manufacture and advanced engineering.”

Newbury MP Laura Farris, who officially opened the Xtrac Academy in 2022 and organised last week’s visit, said: “Xtrac is a great West Berkshire success story that has grown exponentially in recent years.

“It was such a pleasure to welcome Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to Thatcham to meet the brilliant Xtrac team and visit their outstanding apprenticeship academy.”

Automotive transformation

Xtrac CEO Adrian Moore told the Prime Minister the worldwide automotive industry is going through a transformation that only happens once in a generation.

“This transformation involves the evolution of the automobile from internal combustion engine vehicles to decarbonised electric propulsion,” he said.

“Xtrac’s highly skilled and capable staff in the UK and the USA show agility and innovation time after time, which is essential for the vehicle’s transmission system, one of the crucial technologies required for this transition.”

Xtrac is no stranger to VIP visits. In 2022 Princess Anne was at the facility to meet recipients of the eponymous Princess Royal Training Award, which is assessed by the City & Guilds Group of which she is president.