MicroLink Devices UK Ltd develops next-gen flexible solar tech in Wales; Welsh government funding enables UK manufacturing lab
MicroLink Devices UK | Trade & Investment | Wales
MicroLink Devices UK Ltd is developing the next generation of lightweight, flexible solar technology from its base in Wales.
The company specialises in advanced solar arrays for aerospace and space applications, with a focus on technologies where high efficiency, low weight and flexibility are critical.
For CEO Julie Fazackerley, Wales provides the right combination of industrial expertise, academic capability and government support to help the business develop its UK manufacturing operations.
“It’s really exciting in Wales at the moment for compound semiconductors. There’s a globally recognised hub which brings together academia and industry.”
MicroLink Devices originated in the United States and has now established a UK operation in Wales. As a small company setting up a new base, support from the Welsh government has played an important role in helping MicroLink Devices UK Ltd develop its capability.
Welsh government support has included funding, business advice and access to the premises in which the company is now based. This has allowed MicroLink Devices to establish its own laboratory and begin bringing elements of the manufacturing process from the US into Wales.
“Welsh Government have provided funding, advice and also the building that we are now resident in. This has enabled us to have a lab so that we can do some manufacturing, as we’ve replicated parts of the manufacturing process from the US.”
The company’s ambition is to continue pushing the boundaries of solar technology while building advanced manufacturing capability in Wales for the next generation of aerospace and space applications.
Wales’ established compound semiconductor ecosystem was a major factor in the decision to locate the business here.
Through organisations such as CS Connected, MicroLink Devices has access to a network bringing together companies, universities and specialist facilities across the semiconductor supply chain. This has helped create opportunities for collaborative R&D and has supported projects involving both industry and academia.
“There is also the Compound Semiconductor Cluster and CS Connected that bring all the companies together, and that has led to funding and further collaboration.”
For a specialist technology such as MicroLink Devices’, being close to this concentration of expertise provides significant advantages. It gives the business access to not only research capability but also to potential partners, skills and facilities that can support the journey from development into manufacturing.
The company has already participated in collaborative projects involving other Welsh businesses and world class university facilities, further strengthening the links between research and industry.
Julie believes the combination of this established industrial ecosystem and direct Welsh Government support made Wales the natural location for MicroLink Devices’ UK operation.
MicroLink Devices UK is now building on those foundations, developing its manufacturing capability in Wales and contributing to the growth of an increasingly important advanced manufacturing sector.
For the company, the aim is not to simply develop new technology, but to create the capability to manufacture advanced products in Wales and demonstrate how specialist, high value manufacturing can be established and grown within the Welsh compound semiconductor industry.
Learn more about MicroLink Devices UK on the MicroLink Devices UK website .
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