Ricardo discusses further research and development collaboration with FAST

Ricardo has recently met with Shaanxi Fast Auto Drive Group Company Ltd (FAST), the world’s largest commercial vehicle transmission manufacturer to see how the two companies can further co-operate and develop innovation through their joint UK Innovation Centre.

Founded in Xi’an in China in 1968, FAST now produces over 1.2 million automotive transmissions, 50 million gears and 200,000 tons of automotive castings and forgings annually and exports its products to more than 50 countries and regions worldwide. FAST has ranked first in the world for 18 consecutive years for its annual production and sales volumes of heavy-duty vehicle transmissions which are widely used by more than 150 OEMs globally in heavy-duty vehicles, buses, medium- and light-duty trucks, engineering vehicles, mining vehicles and low-speed trucks. 

Relying on independent innovation and scientific and technological progress, FAST has built a first-class scientific and technological research and development and independent innovation system supported by the National Enterprise Technology Centre, Academician Expert Workstation, National Postdoctoral Research Centre and the joint UK Innovation Centre, which the company set up with Ricardo in 2018.

Building on this existing joint platform between Ricardo and FAST for innovation, the two companies discussed co-operating in hybrid and transmission areas in relation to future product planning and development, following a tried and tested model of integrating production, education and research to gain benefit in domestic and foreign markets.  

Discussing the opportunities for further co-operation in person at the company’s Xi’an headquarters, Chairman Ma Xuyao, President of the FAST Group said: “I have nothing but praise for the co-operation and friendship between FAST and Ricardo over many years of working together. It is my strong hope that FAST and Ricardo will continue to maintain, further consolidate and expand on our close co-operation. We look forward to identifying more opportunities into our joint UK Innovation Centre and enabling our expert engineers in both companies to achieve high quality technology developments now and in the future.”

Jason Oms O’Donnell, Managing Director, Global Automotive and Industrial at Ricardo plc, said: “Ricardo admires FAST’s outstanding pace and achievements in developing world-leading transmissions. We greatly enjoyed the opportunity to meet in person with Chairman Ma Xuyao and his senior team at the FAST Group, hear directly about their development strategy and future product planning, and have productive conversations about strengthening and deepening our co-operation and maximise opportunities for product innovation. Our continued co-operation will enable us to strengthen innovation and collaboration across both companies.”