Facility bolsters Northern Ireland’s credentials as a leading advanced manufacturing hub
Sensata Technologies today welcomed the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland to open its new state-of-the-art research and development centre in Newtownabbey - an investment that reaffirms the company’s long-standing commitment to the region.
The opening of the new Northern Ireland Technology Centre (NITC) is the culmination of a five-year project to bring together Sensata’s 360 highly skilled engineering and support staff into one building and to inspire creativity, collaboration and innovation.
The facility represents a significant investment by Sensata Technologies, which also has over 250 employees at its manufacturing plant in Antrim, strengthening its engineering capabilities.
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Sensata Technologies is a $4 billion global company with annual revenue of £236m generated from its business in Northern Ireland. Locally it specializes in sensor technology for the vehicle industry, in particular tyre pressure monitoring and electric charging devices. These products help customers and partners deliver a safer, cleaner, more efficient and electrified world.
The NITC is made up of two sustainability accredited buildings, totalling 67,000 sq. ft, which house testing and research labs for Sensata’s engineering teams, a garage which accommodates both Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV) and automotive vehicles, a customer demonstration room and flex desks, bookable offices and meeting spaces.
At an event attended by Sensata’s senior leaders from the US and Europe, the Mayor of Antrim & Newtownabbey and the CEO of Invest NI, the Deputy First Minister was given demonstrations of how cars and trucks use Sensata technology.
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said: “The opening of this new R&D facility highlights Northern Ireland’s position as a leader on the world stage. Sensata is a global company but this investment show what can be achieved when multinational ambition meets local talent.
“This multi-million-pound facility will provide high-value jobs and drive economic growth, all of which is vital in ensuring a positive future for everyone.”
Stephan von Schuckmann, CEO of Sensata Technologies, said: “The opening of the Northern Ireland Technology Centre marks a major milestone for Sensata Technologies—both locally and globally. Designed by our teams, for our teams, this facility brings together colleagues who were previously spread across five separate sites, creating a single hub to foster creativity, collaboration, and innovation.”
“Sensata is driven by precision and powered by people. Our Northern Ireland teams play a vital role in shaping global product innovation—transforming ideas into prototypes, prototypes into samples, and samples into scalable production. This new R&D centre will be instrumental in accelerating our innovation pipeline and strengthening our global capabilities.”
Northern Ireland is Sensata Technologies’ Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) Centre of Excellence and drives product innovation, supports global production expansion into Mexico and China, and diversification from being solely focused on cars into adjacent areas including HGVs. Today, the team is also working on products for electric vehicles to improve charging safety.
Sensata Technologies’ engineering team in Northern Ireland includes experts in systems, software, hardware, verification and vehicle testing, all working on taking products from concept to manufacturing. The new facilities combine offices for support staff with research and development space for the company’s design, testing and process engineering teams.
The Northern Ireland Technology Centre is located at Global Point Business Park, owned by Invest Northern Ireland, which offers easy transport links and an ideal location to welcome Sensata colleagues, customers, suppliers and visitors from around the world.
Global Point is becoming Northern Ireland’s hub for advanced manufacturing and will also be home to the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC), a Belfast City Region Deal project, which is due for completion in summer 2026.
Sensata’s new facility has been designed to meet BREEAM sustainability standards to minimise impact on the local area. It was built by JH Turkington & Sons Ltd over a two-year construction phase that supported 150 jobs for suppliers and subcontractors.
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