The Pickering Group (www.pickeringtest.com) has invested £5 million to significantly expand its UK and Czech Republic sites to meet strong demand and support new-product development.

The group, which includes Pickering Electronics and Pickering Interfaces, has already completed a refurbishment of its UK Interfaces site, and work at its relay company is due to be completed in early 2019.

It is also investing in an additional 3,000m² facility in the Czech Republic, where it is already producing many Pickering Interfaces switching and simulation products.

CEO Keith Moore said: “Despite predictions as far back as the 1970s that our relay business would have a limited lifetime, we have seen exactly the reverse.

"We are challenged by our customers — including our sister company Pickering Interfaces — to deliver ever-higher performance in miniature packages, and the demand for our reed relays has never been higher.

"Similarly, the demand for our simulation, test and verification products is also increasing, thanks to the complexity of today’s automotive and semiconductor manufacturing systems and the need for automated test processes.

"Consequently, we needed to streamline our manufacturing operations and add more capacity.”