Indian robotics firm plans to invest £8m in the UK, creating 75 jobs
20 March 2025 
An Indian robotic testing specialist, Sastra Global Business Innovation (SGBI), has announced plans to invest £8m in a UK operation in Manchester over the next three years. The investment, aimed at expanding the company’s innovation and development activities, is expected to create around 75 jobs.
Sastra’s UK plans were revealed during a recent visit to India by the British trade secretary, Jonathan Reynolds. Investments by Indian companies in the UK totalling more than £100m were announced during the trip.
Sastra’s decision to invest in the UK – the first by a southern Indian robotics company – followed an order that the company won in October 2023 for 150 testing robots for a UK public sector customer. That order was fulfilled from the company’s headquarters in Kerala.
The company was founded by three young engineers in 2013 as Sastra Robotics. It specialises in robotic-aided testing and analytics systems. Its customers include ABB, Honeywell, Qualcomm and Robert Bosch. The company has set up a headquarters in the US and has an existing UK operation in London.
