Company News

Way back in 2004, following a management buyout (MBO) by the current owners Richard Samuel and Lee Boulton, the company existed in what was in essence a tin shed equipped with the surface mount equivalent of two bicycles, 20 employees, a £900k turnover and an over-whelming reliance on the seasonal marine electronics market. Looking at the company now, the differences are striking.

Following relocation to an 18,000 sq. ft. purpose built facility in 2007 followed by significant investment in Europlacer surface mount machinery (the latest being the state of the art lineo placement machine) the com­pany now has the SM equivalent of three F1 racing cars!

The number of personnel now stands at over 40, and seasonal demand has been smoothed by the diversifica­tion into a host of other markets which has in turn increased the turnover four fold.

This growth has been achieved despite the very difficult trading scenario seen over the last few years. The investment in machinery has meant that Simtek can remain competitive in the UK, but also on a global scale. This competitiveness leaves the way clear to concentrate upon customer service which has resulted in 93% of the current customer base being gained through recommendation by others alone.

The whole Simtek operation is controlled by a SAP database system incorporating MRP coupled with full component and assembly traceability. This system was another timely investment which has more than proved its worth. The SAP system has also been key to the company achieving the ISO9001 :2008 quality standard and has led to them attracting major customers from the medical electronics industry.

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