Tekdata invests and increases skilled staff as turnover increases 23%

Tekdata, the UK-based specialist in high-performance interconnects for markets such as defence, aerospace, energy management and space exploration, has announced a 23% increase in turnover for the last financial year and, unlike many businesses today, is increasing staffing to continue improving its performance.

Major successes in winning long-term businesses in Europe and the USA have contributed to the feel-good factor at Tekdata. Extensive expertise with specialist interconnects has secured the company’s position as the partner of choice for a number of multi-national high-tech OEMs. Through its Cryoconnect division, Tekdata is also now the foremost developer of harnesses for space applications, and is a contributor to the majority of today’s most influential space projects such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Herschel Space Observatory. Tekdata has also won several large European defence contracts, from major independent contractors operating internationally, which have helped to boost the company’s strength and confidence.

Paralleling these important sales successes, the company has within the last two years doubled the number of engineers it employs. Tekdata has further plans to increase its overall staff by 18% as its order book continues to grow.

Observing that few western technology companies have the confidence to take on staff at all, in the current economic climate, Tekdata managing director Ernie Edwards said, “Tekdata has grown organically by investing shrewdly in facilities and competencies, and delivering the best possible solutions to build a reliable, long-term client base. Some companies in the TV news today would probably call us old fashioned; although they may be jealous of our current growth rate, not to mention our stability and strong partnerships with customers.”

The company has built a high momentum into today’s strong position, increasing performance rapidly over the past five years with the increasing pace of technological development and progressively higher demands from customers and approval bodies. “Moving into our current, purpose-built premises was an important strategic success,” explained Ernie Edwards. “It has given us extra capacity and provided the opportunity to reorganise and realign our practices as market demands and customer needs become more critical and more exacting.

“We had already achieved as much success as was feasible by evolving the formula we established when Tekdata was formed over 40 years ago in 1969. Now, having significantly improved our ability to meet our clients’ needs, we are able to look forward confidently to the next 40 years.”