The Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team revealed some exciting news on Tuesday, that construction on their brand new 400,000 square feet factory and wind tunnel has begun, in what will be an eighteen month construction process.
Aston Martin Executive Chairman Lawrence Stroll and JCB Chairman Lord Bamford attended the ceremony to reveal the plans to the world. The factory has been designed by Ridge and Partners LLP and is being project managed by Ridge, construction consultancy Gardiner & Theobald and the team themselves.
The team have been forced into building new facilities after outgrowing their current base, the team is looking to grow it’s current headcount too by the end of 2022 or by the beginning of 2023 at the latest in what are exciting times for the Aston Martin team.
The new factory which is being built across the road from the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit, will consist of three buildings. One will be for the team’s design, manufacturing and marketing teams, the second will house the team’s brand new wind tunnel and the third will be to redevelop and house the current existing factory and work as a central hub for the team’s staff and logistic team.
The new factory which will be the first completely new Formula 1 factory built since Mclaren’s Technology Centre in 2004, shows Aston Martin’s intent in Formula 1 to become a leading team in the world championship. The team are also going on a recruitment drive, in the hope of finding local talent in the factories neighbouring communities.
In a Formula 1 first, Aston Martin’s new factory will be the first facility with a fully installed smart intelligent system. With help from their partners Cognizant, NetApp and Sentinel One, the factory has been designed to be completely wireless, adaptive and streamlined, with the teams information streams, manufacturing processes and monitoring systems being stored in the data cloud.
Executive Chairman Lawrence Stroll is very proud in what the team are looking to achieve with the new factory, and is excited at what the future holds.
“It is inspiring to look at where we are now in the context of the architectural and organisational challenges and ambitions that lie ahead. Our new buildings reflect not only the scope of our determination to become a World Championship-winning force, but also the scale of our growth and development as an organisation.
“I feel strongly that any building is a powerful representation of the people who work within it, and I am thrilled that we are creating a new home in which people can work, collaborate, create and win together. It is exciting to think that the entire team will be in its new home by the end of 2022 or the start of 2023, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our partners who are working on the project, especially JCB and Cognizant.”
Aston Martin Team Principal and CEO Otmar Szafnauer, is extremely grateful to the local council for allowing the team to build their new factory and enhance the British technology industry.
“Our existing Silverstone factory is a little piece of Formula One history – but, as an organisation, we have outgrown it. What is more, we will require even more space as we continue to build our headcount over the next few years.
“We are indebted to the local council for their help and understanding throughout the design and consultation phase; we feel like we are creating a landmark that will express and enhance the values and investment that have made the Silverstone Technology Park and Motorsport Valley essential locations for the British technology industry.”
Lord Bamford Chairman of JCB, is inspired by Stroll’s vision for the Aston Martin team and is excited to be a part of a project which will allow a better industrial future for England.
“This ambitious project firmly positions the new team headquarters on the Formula One landscape and provides a fantastic home and working environment for a group of extraordinarily talented and motivated men and women. I am inspired by Lawrence’s compelling vision for the team. It is an ambition we wholeheartedly share: to build a better industrial future for our country.”
And finally Brian Humphries Executive Officer at Cognizant, identified that Aston Martin are everything a company could want in a partner and that is a great time to be a partner of the Aston Martin team.
“Aston Martin is everything you want in a partner – visionary, innovative, customer-centric, focused and fast-moving. We are thoroughly enjoying our partnership because the work is cutting-edge, we get to leverage the full suite of our digital solutions, and the results become quickly visible.
“It is exciting to be part of the new Aston Martin factory design. By bringing to bear Lawrence’s compelling vision and Cognizant’s digital capabilities, Aston Martin’s infrastructure is evolving into a smart factory that will help the team become one of the most respected and successful names in Formula One.”
