Northumberland-based AVID Technology Ltd (www.avidtp.com) has spent over £1 million expanding the manufacturing facilities at its headquarters in Cramlington.

A market leader in the design and manufacture of powertrain systems for the electric- and hybrid-vehicle industry, the company has invested in ‘state of the art’ surface-mount technology(SMT)and test equipment in order to increase its output of automotive electronics and powertrain technology — and to diversify.

Managing director Ryan Maughan said: “Our strategy is to increase our turnover to £50 million in the next three to five years as a specialist supplier of technology for electric vehicles, robotics and industrial electronics, by growing our presence in the field of systems electrification.

“We aim to achieve this through new investment in three key areas: the supply of electrified powertrain systems to heavy-duty and high-performance vehicles; the supply of fuel-saving technology to the marine and power generation markets; and the introduction of a full design, test and manufacturing service for control electronics and motor systems for robotics and industrial equipment.”

AVID’s new SMT line incorporates a dedicated ‘clean room’ with full electrostatic discharge protection and automatic optical inspection at both the solder print and component placement stages. The high-speed precision technology allows AVID to assemble electronic devices — in an accurate and repeatable manner — for a huge range of applications.