Sir Gary Verity, Yorkshire ambassador, has officially opened Libertine’s new technology development centre in Sheffield.
Sir Gary, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, formally opened the new research and development facility, which will also act as Libertine’s headquarters, for furthering the global development of linear motor-generator technologies.
The 6,610 sq ft unit located at Sheffield’s Vantage Park industrial estate, will progress the research, development and prototyping of linear power generation systems and free piston engines to profit from clean sources of energy worldwide, such as agricultural waste material, biomass and biofuels.
Sir Gary Verity, said: “The volume of innovation and engineering advancement within the Sheffield City Region is becoming widely known both domestically and internationally and that is a huge coup for Yorkshire as a centre of advanced manufacturing excellence. It is no surprise that Libertine has chosen to locate its research and development facility here.”
The facility is the first occupied unit at phase two of Vantage Park, and was formally opened by Sir Gary after Libertine secured a £650k funding package in 2017, delivered by the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF).
Libertine was established in 2009 to create linear machines for power and motion, drawing on decades of experience in the automotive and motorsport industries, consumer product engineering and low cost manufacturing techniques.
The result is a suite of ‘Linear Power System’ technologies that will replace the crankshaft in small engines, making them more efficient, more flexible, easier to maintain and much cleaner.
Chief executive Sam Cockerill, founder of Libertine FPE, said: “It is a great accolade to have such a national figurehead as Sir Gary Verity to open the facility at Vantage Park.
“With further development and prototyping, free piston technologies and linear power systems are set to play a crucial role in the future of internal combustion engines.
“We will develop and prototype technologies at this facility, which will enable the generation of electrical power from a broad range of low carbon fuels and renewable resources.
“Our decision to locate along the Sheffield Rotherham border was quite deliberate as it is an area which benefits from an abundance of advanced technology based businesses and a skilled labour market and we see this as vital for future recruitment and expansion needs.
“Our workforce has doubled in the past two years and we aim to double it again during the next 12 months.”
Libertine employs eight people at Vantage Park and recently appointed Dr Lee Juby as business development director.