RE: Related?25 Apr 2026 07:13
Another reminder of how far FTC has come over the years. . .
County Durham's Filtronic soars from garage start-up to SpaceX supplier
County Durham technology firm Filtronic has enjoyed a remarkable 18 months, moving into new headquarters, being named North East Business of the Year, and securing record-breaking contracts with Elon Musk's SpaceX.
The company, which started in a university professor's garage in 1977, has become a specialist in e-band technology - crucial for high-bandwidth data transmission. Senior SpaceX executive David Finlay recently visited the firm's new 44,000 sqft NETPark facility, calling Filtronic one of SpaceX's "most important, outstanding suppliers".
"It wasn't us approaching them, it was actually inbound," said Michael Tyerman, Filtronic's chief financial officer. "It became such a critical component to SpaceX that having the product outside of their sphere of influence became a challenge."
The partnership has transformed Filtronic's fortunes, with shares soaring from 17p in 2023 to about £2 recently. The April 2024 deal with SpaceX also gives the rocket firm the opportunity to acquire a stake in the County Durham company.
Beyond SpaceX, Filtronic boasts an impressive order book including Airbus, the European Space Agency, BAE and QinetiQ. The firm's new factory has doubled its UK manufacturing capacity, targeting £200m annual revenue from its current £55m base.
Staff numbers have doubled to 230 in the past year, with another 20 jobs planned. "We're able to create high quality jobs," said Mr Tyerman, highlighting the firm's partnership with Durham University and support from Business Durham.
I like the part about SpaceX approaching FTC and not the other way round. Says a lot about their products. . . ATB 😃
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