Torbay

Since 2015 EFFECT Photonics has also had a presence based in south west Devon UK, at the University of Plymouth’s Brixham Laboratory. EFFECT Photonics needed a specialised telecommunications product development and manufacturing facility based in Torbay, conveniently situated to provide access to the resources utilised by the well-established Hi-Tech Cluster of companies and expertise locally based there, within the bay area.

Whilst it rapidly built its reputation in various scientific technology sectors, Torbay Hi-Tech flourished in niche areas like photonics, where light is at the technology’s core and the applications are endless. Notwithstanding, Torbay Hi-Tech Cluster is fast becoming the Silicon Valley of the South West of England.

The Operations Centre in Brixham has been, and still is, the driving force behind EFFECT Photonics development. Brixham itself was chosen because of its strong heritage of Nortel and JDSU design, process development and volume manufacturing for telecoms. It made good sense to establish a manufacturing unit in such a fruitful environment.

The centre blends highly experienced ‘veterans’ together with bright, ambitious young professionals in areas like product design, process development, reliability, equipment, manufacturing, and quality engineering, purchasing and logistics. Nearly 100 people are working daily to refine business processes, products, and manufacturing capabilities, but the company is also supporting both staff and apprentices to develop themselves continuously.

One of the most striking challenges Operations faces is to optimise the balance between exceeding customer expectations of quality and delivering an increasing number of cost effective, reliable, predictable, feature-rich photonics products. Despite these conflicting key performance indicators, Operations has established, thanks largely to the dynamic nature of its technology ecosystem, an impressive pipeline of new product introduction (NPI) developments.

Meanwhile, the photonics business has continued to boom and the same can be said for EFFECT Photonics. This requires Operations to engage increasingly in recruitment and training, specification, procurement and commissioning of equipment, shaping the Supply Chain and change management, all with a broad spirit of continuous improvement. EFFECT Photonics is transforming from a promising start-up into a revenue-driven manufacturing success story. The aim is to become a cutting-edge, high-technology company with operational excellence in support of its customers.

Quality has to be embedded in tangible achievements. EFFECT Photonics is set to obtain ISO9001 certification mid 2021, followed soon after by ISO14001.

This is all happening in a world that is changing faster and faster. Without a doubt, there will be obstacles to overcome, like the current Covid-19 pandemic. Large problems must be turned into a series of smaller and more manageable problems, which can be converted into challenges, then into opportunities and into solutions. Constant problem solving has become the main characteristic of daily life in the Operations Centre.

The process of improvement – and therefore change – which is at the centre’s heart will guide EFFECT Photonics in its journey towards an exciting future.

About EFFECT Photonics

EFFECT Photonics delivers highly integrated optical communications products based on its Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) optical System-on-Chip technology. The key enabling technology for DWDM systems is full monolithic integration of all photonic components within a single chip and being able to produce these in volume with high yield at low cost. With this capability, EFFECT Photonics is addressing the need for low cost DWDM solutions driven by the soaring demand for high bandwidth connections between datacenters and back from mobile cell towers. Headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, with additional R&D and manufacturing in South West UK, with sales partners worldwide. www.effectphotonics.com

For further information please contact sales@effectphotonics.com

Tags: 5G, Brixham, EFFECT Photonics, SFP, Torbay