Filtronic enhances packaging capabilities with the support of regional funding

~ County Durham head-officed business awarded £150,000 from Business Durham growth fund~

RF- and mm-Wave specialist, Filtronic recently enhanced its plastic encapsulation capabilities with a grant of £150,000 from Business Durham — Durham County Council’s business support service. The funding, which has been used entirely for capital expenditure, will enable Filtronic to bid for new projects and customers in their core markets of aerospace, space and defence.

With the funding, Filtronic has invested in state-of-the-art plastic encapsulation equipment which will allow the company to offer fully moulded plastic packaging for its high-performance RF components. Filtronic is one of just a handful of companies in Europe that has the technology and knowledge to offer this service — and is unique in combining its RF knowledge with a vertically integrated offering.

The new plastic encapsulation service is a further addition to Filtronic’s expanding UK manufacturing capability, and demonstrates its commitment to providing sovereign capabilities for next generation platforms. With this new assembly capability, Filtronic is ensuring that it can provide smaller package solutions with lower weight, and reduce costs for customers wishing to avoid long supply chains and offshore manufacturing.

“The North East is an innovation hub for electronics, with strong credentials in critical markets including Defence and Space,” explained Michael Tyerman, Chief Financial Officer at Filtronic. “We are pleased to have been successful with our investment business case. Business Durham Growth Fund are big supporters of Filtronic, the work we do and the value we bring to not only the NETPark ecosystem but the wider regional economy.”

Sarah Slaven, Managing Director of Business Durham said:   “We are delighted to support Filtronic, recognising the impact of their products developed and produced at the North East Technology Park (NETPark) in Sedgefield. Filtronic’s investment in plastic encapsulation not only enhances their competitive edge but also bolsters the broader growth of the North East’s electronics industry. This technological advancement positions Filtronic to secure new opportunities in Aerospace, Space, and Defence, fostering job creation and reinforcing the region’s innovation hub.

“Although the County Durham Growth Fund has now closed, we know how important capital grants like this can be to enable innovative businesses like Filtronic to invest in growth opportunities.  Therefore, we are pleased to have been able to build on this experience to set up a new Durham Business Growth Programme. This program provides an integrated package of growth and productivity support including capital and revenue grants to help companies like Filtronic that are looking to expand, create jobs, and contribute to the region’s economic development. Filtronic’s success will undoubtedly inspire other companies in County Durham to take up the support on offer..”

The County Durham Growth Fund was an £8.9 million capital grant scheme providing grants to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in County Durham to accelerate their growth. The funding was secured from the European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme.  Launched in 2023 Durham Business Growth is a new £8.16 million programme to enable businesses to enhance their productivity and accelerate growth and supersedes the previous County Durham Growth Fund.

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