By Ian McConnell
German-owned Alter Technology TÜV Nord has chosen Glasgow as the location for a design centre to accelerate the commercialisation of photonic products into quantum technology and space markets.
It had indicated previously that the centre would be either at the University of Strathclyde’s Technology and Innovation Centre, which it has now chosen as the location, or at a site in Livingston.
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The centre will support the group’s development of “highly integrated, miniaturised and robust” photonic products to be used in quantum-enabled positioning, navigation and timing systems and satellite optical communications.
Alter Technology, a Spanish-based unit of German group TÜV Nord, acquired its existing manufacturing operation at Livingston with the 2016 purchase of electronics company Optocap, which had been founded by Scottish Enterprise before being bought in 2009 by the firm’s management.
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This Livingston site is benefiting from additional investment in robotic-based manufacturing equipment and processes for photonic products.
Over the next three to five years, the Alter Technology group will allocate around €6 million (£5m) to the design centre and the Livingston manufacturing site to fund equipment, facilities, personnel and other research and development costs. The design centre engineering team is already working on projects and customer requests and expects to move into the new Glasgow facility in May.
Stephen Duffy, chief executive officer of Alter Technology TUV Nord UK, said: “There were a number of factors that played an important role in convincing us to select the Technology and Innovation Centre as the location for our photonic design centre.
“The key reasons were the importance of the local photonics and quantum eco-system, access to skills and proximity to our key partners at Fraunhofer UK and the research, innovation and leadership in quantum technology that takes place in the physics department at Strathclyde. I look forward to the continued successful partnerships with our stakeholders as we advance our exciting product roadmap in the years ahead.”
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