


“Sunderland’s Nissan plant now produces more than half a million cars a year, exporting to over 130 global markets.”
Automotive & Advanced Manufacturing
Sunderland makes things the world wants to buy. From being a giant of the steam age when ships built on the River Wear carried Sunderland coal and Sunderland glass, the city has become a centre for advanced manufacturing.
Home to Nissan, the most productive car plant in Britain, Sunderland’s automotive sector supplies the industry worldwide, helping make the city the beating heart of Britain’s only net exporting region.
Rolls Royce produces precision components for fuel-efficient aero engines, and Liebherr exports its massive cranes through Port of Sunderland. Sunderland manufacturing even supports space exploration: Wessington Cryogenics’ customers include NASA.
Encouraging the next generation of entrepreneurial inventors.
Sunderland is manufacturing its future. R&D at Sunderland University ranges from post-graduate research to a new Enterprise and Innovation Hub including the north east’s only FabLab, encouraging the next generation of entrepreneurial inventors. The Institute for Automotive and Manufacturing Advanced Practice (AMAP) is a leading centre in international research, and the Skills Academy for Sustainable Manufacturing and Innovation (SASMI) trains workers in sustainable and low carbon technologies, reflecting Sunderland’s European leadership in electric vehicle research and production.
The city has space to grow. The International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP) provides a location of up to 150ha, and by 2027 is predicted to deliver 260,000m2 of developable floorspace.
Sunderland offers skills, space, and specialist industry support. Talk to our Business Investment Team about growing your business in Sunderland.
Discover these organisations and bodies supporting the city's automotive and advanced manufacturing sector.
