Today we have announced a deal to manufacture the Raspberry Pi in the UK, something that many people have been asking for on the forums and in the media. So it is great to be working with Sony UK Technology Centre in Pencoed, Wales to bring this to a reality.
One of the Raspberry Pi’s dreams has always been to build the computer in the UK, where it conceived and developed over the last few years. It is a really exciting time for us and the Raspberry Pi Foundation.
This deal is a major coup for the UK manufacturing industry and represents a return home for the innovative British-designed Raspberry Pi, which to date has only been manufactured in China. Utilising Sony UK Technology Centre’s state of the art lean manufacturing techniques, the site will be initially be producing over 300,000 units for customers across the world and this is expected to create an additional 30 jobs this year.
Some of the boards have already made it into the distribution chain, so some of you may already have one.
Mike Buffham, Global Head of EDE at Premier Farnell commented: “When it came to reviewing our manufacturing strategy we were always keen to bring the production of the Raspberry Pi to the UK. From the outset Sony UK Technology Centre demonstrated its enthusiasm for the product as well as its expertise in manufacturing. The site is highly impressive and I am very confident that the team in Wales can deliver, providing us with a high-quality product, within our designated timeframe, all within budget. The Sony brand is known for its quality and to have its broadcast manufacturing site on board and building the Raspberry Pi product, within the UK, is very exciting.
“Since the Raspberry Pi was launched globally in February 2012 it has been a tremendous success story. The younger generation have been fascinated in learning how to build and programme their own computer device. As such we have had huge interest from educational institutions in purchasing the product, innovative design engineers who are using the computer for exciting new applications and also the general public.”
As ever you can continue to join the conversation and share your ideas and innovations with the Raspberry Pi right here on the element14 Community.
Read the official press release.