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F1 specialist growing from Fens base

Written by Tony Quested

Thursday, 03 April 2008

Life in the fast lane has become second nature for FILCON – a supplier of harsh environment connectors for the military, aerospace, marine and automotive industries – since it moved to Cambridgeshire last summer. The company is achieving worldwide success from a base in the South Fens Business Centre in Chatteris. Formula One motor racing is literally proving a key driver of export success for FILCON since it made the decision to move to the Fens from Leicestershire in June 2007. FILCON supplies all the major F1 teams internationally from its bases in Chatteris and Germany, where its parent company is based. FILCON was formed in 1985 to specifically supply the interconnect marketplace. Founders Günter Rebholz and Günther Magura started the business and the company is managed by a team of professionals with a long history within interconnect products. Besides the F1 industry, world-leading customers include EADS, LFK, Dornier, Teldix, MTU, Dornier Fairchild, Rohde & Schwarz, SEL Verteidigungssysteme, SIEMENS, Eurocopter, Honeywell, LITEF, KRAUSSMAFFEI, Wegmann, DIEHL Avionic, Rheinmetall, SAAB, CASA, ADtranz, British Aerospace and many others. Peter Boreham, general manager of the UK operation, said: “We were only parked in Leicestershire to get breathing space before making a decision on where to base a permanent UK headquarters. “We vetted loads of potential hubs in the region but the standards of accommodation in South Fens Business Centre were superior. And the road links are superb, offering swift access to all our major customers. “We have gone from nowhere in the UK to a position of dominance in the marketplace in under 12 months and there are fabulous opportunities for future growth. We supply Williams, McClaren, Honda, Renault, Red Bull and others and are now following our German parents into other fast-growth segments such as aerospace, defence and military.” The small South Fens team boasts huge experience – Boreham himself is an engineer of more than 20 years standing – and will grow throughout 2008 and 2009. “When we set up in the UK we decided to focus on motorsport. Now we have taken on a specialist on the military side and will attack that market in an equally focused manner. We are also doing more in aerospace, especially with avionics box builders. “R & D is a constant with FILCON and we are continuously looking at miniaturising the connectors. Also, a lot of our research focuses on specialised protection of filters and other key components in aircraft. So if the Airbus taking you to Tenerife is struck by lightning our technology has protected key components and kept you safely in the air.” Set as favorite Bookmark Email This Hits: 454 Trackback(0) TrackBack URI for this entry Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Write comment This content has been locked. You can no longer post any comment.

 

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