Building Europe’s largest gigafactory in Somerset
Martin Bellamy, CEO, This is Gravity discusses the phases for building Europe’s largest gigafactory at Gravity Smart Campus in Bridgwater, and the opportunities for businesses in the region as a result of the £4bn development. Bellamy was speaking as part of Insider’s Opportunity Somerset event on 24th September in Bridgwater.
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00:00So the build phases at Gravity, we are, we're now well underway, so we've been obviously
00:07underway for a number of years, but the acceleration has now come through the agreement with AgriTas,
00:15AgriTas having purchased a large portion of the Gravity site, and I can report that that
00:20work is now moving at quite some pace. The piling map is complete for the first two buildings,
00:26and also the piling program I believe is also nearly complete, and the main contractor,
00:32Sir Robert McAlpine, have been formally appointed. So it is all systems going, and anyone that
00:38visits the Gravity site today will see a lot of activity. What we can expect to see over
00:45the next six months is firstly a lot of activity before we really do get into the deepest darkest
00:53part of the winter, and a lot of, a lot of frenetic activity in the spring to make sure
01:00that come mid-spring the buildings are starting to be erected. So it really is, you know,
01:06progress is that fast and very exciting, and I think that by the summer of next year Gravity
01:12will be entirely transformed by the building program. I think the great thing about the
01:19AgriTas decision to come to Somerset is firstly the tremendous benefit that such a large scale
01:29opportunity will create for the broader area. I mean, we must remember that to attract AgriTas
01:37and Jaguar Land Rover to Somerset, and to favour Somerset over the heartlands of the Midlands and
01:45the Northeast for automotive manufacturing is a huge achievement, and I think what will happen
01:52is that this will act as a huge catalyst for change in the region and opportunity, and we've
01:58always felt that if we got the first step right on Gravity, then it really could energize the M5
02:05corridor for opportunity. Above and beyond that, we also obviously have quite a significant part of
02:12the Gravity site that is still to be occupied, and I think where we see very interesting trends
02:19is in the technology sector. I think it's, you know, one only has to look at the five largest
02:26companies in the world today. They are all technology companies, and we cannot ignore the
02:31fact that technology is going to play probably the greatest role in our economic prosperity and
02:38development going forward. So, I think it's likely that what we'll see on Gravity is potentially
02:45industries as exciting as AI and related digital infrastructure, and I think that what AgriTas
02:52and a business that, let's say, is focused in the AI space can do for the region is very significant,
03:00both through the supply chain, but also through the direct opportunities that could be landed
03:06up and down the M5 corridor. Yes, I've always felt that the impact on the local communities
03:15and the opportunity created by the AgriTas development will be very significant, and mostly
03:21I think that will come through the supply chain. There will, of course, be phases of delivery, so
03:26in the initial phases, obviously construction will be really the heart of what's going on,
03:32but I see opportunities for local businesses across the spectrum, whether those be companies
03:38that are providing catering services, support services, cleaning services, all the way through to
03:46the most specialized and the most high-tech industry support specialists. The other thing
03:54where I think we'll see tremendous impact is in the local academic institutions and the way that
04:01they will support AgriTas, and indeed, I know that you have representatives from Bridgewater
04:06and Taunton College there with you today, and let me say that Bridgewater and Taunton College played
04:12a major, major role in attracting AgriTas to Gravity because of their ability to demonstrate
04:19how they will support AgriTas going forward with apprenticeships and the development of
04:25skilled labor that will be so badly required by AgriTas and other businesses in the area.