40 jobs created by grant of £1.3m

More than 40 new jobs are to be created at a Staffordshire firm after it received a £1.35 million Government grant.

Vehicle technology specialist Zytek Automotive is also to invest £3.65m of its own to develop a centre of excellence at its base at Fradley Business Park, near Lichfield.

The grant has come from the Regional Growth Fund and will help develop low carbon technologies for the automotive and other industries. As well as employing 44 new staff, Zytek will step-up its training for staff.

The main focus of the centre will be on the development of high-efficiency, lightweight electric motors, inverters and energy storage systems. The company is currently building high performance electric drivetrains – the component parts that produce the power to drive vehicles.