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.