Dyson, the global technology company, has on Wednesday announced a major acceleration of its international advanced manufacturing capabilities and global research and development (R&D) footprint, with a next generation battery plant in Singapore, new R&D campuses in the Philippines and the United Kingdom.
Dyson said in a statement that the three major investments reflect the scale of Dyson’s ambitions internationally, drawing on the very best engineering talent the world has to offer.
“Software, connectivity, artificial intelligence (AI), and proprietary new technology batteries will power the next generation of Dyson technology,
“Just like our long-term investments in pioneering digital electric motor technology, Dyson’s next generation battery technology will drive a major revolution in the performance and sustainability of Dyson’s machines,” Dyson Founder Sir James said.
It is noted that Singapore, the location of Dyson’s global headquarters, has been chosen as the home for its first proprietary new technology battery plant.
The building will be completed this year and will become fully operational by 2025, producing Dyson battery cells with proprietary technology for newly developed Dyson products.
It is the most significant investment in advanced manufacturing in Dyson’s history and is the size of 53 basketball courts.
Dyson’s new state-of-the-art factory is located at Tuas, in the west of Singapore.
Dyson started its in-house battery program more than a decade ago, to pioneer smaller, lighter, more sustainable, and more energy dense batteries.
Research teams have been working globally on the proprietary new technology battery, which uses novel materials and processes, and is assembled in a smart, digitally enabled environment.
“We are focused on developing radically new and innovative Dyson products using science and pioneering technologies,” said Dyson Chief Executive Roland Krueger.
“Our advanced manufacturing expansion in Singapore will enable Dyson to bring entirely new battery technology to market,
“Singapore’s highly skilled engineers and scientists, and supportive government that embraces Industry 4.0 manufacturing, make it the perfect place for a high-technology company such as Dyson,” he added.
Meanwhile, a new Philippines Technology Centre, representing an investment of £166 million ($208.58 million), will span the equivalent of 92 basketball courts, and will bring together Dyson’s research, development and advanced motor manufacturing capabilities under one roof.
The new campus in Sto. Tomas, Batangas, is thought to be one of the largest investments, and most advanced technology manufacturing centers, in the country and underscores the growing importance of the Philippines in Dyson’s global ambitions.
As part of the investment, Dyson aims to initially hire an additional 400 engineers and more than 50 graduate engineers who will join the team later this year.
Amongst other things, R&D teams in the Philippines will be focused on software, AI, robotics, fluid dynamics and hardware electronics.
Scheduled to be operational in the first half of 2024, the campus will follow in the footsteps of Dyson’s other inspiring spaces globally, which place an emphasis on the wellbeing of Dyson People.
The architecture of the campus will prioritize air quality, natural light, and greenery to support collaboration and the generation of new ideas.
The campus includes leisure and sports areas, as well as laboratories and offices.
Dyson also revealed plans for a £100 million ($125.65 million) investment in a major new Technology Centre in Bristol, United Kingdom, that will be home to hundreds of software and AI engineers working on a pipeline of products that stretches 10 years into the future, as well as the global technology company’s commercial and ecommerce teams for Great Britain and Ireland.
Opposite Castle Park, in the heart of the city, the new centre represents a further major investment by Dyson in the United Kingdom after a Robotics Centre was announced last year at its Hullavington Airfield Campus in Wiltshire, where Dyson has restored RAF hangars and transformed them into R&D labs focused on wearables and robotics.
The commitment to Bristol reflects the city’s position as an international hub for software and digital skills, and will drive recruitment of the highest qualified people from the United Kingdom and around the world.
“To us, sensors, apps, and connectivity are about more than simply adding function to the machine,
“They transform how we support our owners and assess autonomously how to improve a product’s performance over its lifetime to ensure they are at peak performance, without requiring the time of our customers,” said Jake Dyson, Dyson’s Chief Engineer.
“We have significant ambitions and will hire increasing numbers of software, AI and connectivity engineers as part of a growing global team,
“The new Dyson Technology Centre in Bristol will be a vital hub contributing to Dyson’s connected future,” he added.
The new Technology Centre, to be built as part of the sustainable redevelopment of a building near Bristol Bridge, will sit alongside Dyson’s existing United Kingdom presence, including the Malmesbury and Hullavington campuses, and offices in London, which combined employ more than 3,500 people involved in United Kingdom R&D, and where Dyson has invested £1.4 billion ($1.76 billion) in R&D over the last decade.
The Malmesbury Campus is also home to the Dyson Institute, where 160 undergraduates study for a BEng engineering degree with no tuition fees, while earning a Dyson salary and working on real projects from Day One.
The new Dyson Technology Centre in Bristol will contribute to Dyson’s connected future, developing apps and connected functions of Dyson products.
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