Davies & Bell Ltd now operates its Assembly Solutions Company from the specialist labs in UK Electronics and Photonics Innovation Centre (EPIC).

Set up by ex-Nortel and Oclaro engineers Martyn Davies and Helena Bell, the company offers a full prototyping assembly service.

Davies & Bell Ltd are a reputable Assembly Engineering Consultancy and supplier of refurbished and reconfigured equipment. The company is also the UK & Ireland Business Development Agents for prestigious US Die and Wire Bonding manufacturer Palomar Technologies.

With over 25 years in the industry, Davies & Bell Ltd draw on their skills and experience of being part of the Torbay hi-tech cluster. The company focus on helping their customers accelerate their projects, improve their New Product Introduction deliverables and reduce product time to market.

Martyn Davies, Managing Director of Davies & Bell Ltd, said: “EPIC has been really supportive with customising our lab, to meet the needs of our business. Having access to the superb equipment in the Prototyping Suite, will enable us to offer key services to our customers, grow the company and concentrate in the areas we can add the most value.”

Martyn has worked for several years at Lucas / TRW, Palomar Technologies, Nortel / Bookham, Enfis, Kyocera, Oclaro / Lumentum and more recently Plessey. He now represents high profile US Original Equipment Manufacturer – Palomar Technologies. Palomar HQ is in Carlsbad – California with global facilities and Innovation Centres in Downey – LA, Singapore and Erlangen – Germany. Palomar is now proud to have a strategically positioned UK Demo Centre at EPIC, Paignton, one of the UK’s Photonic Hot Spots.

Davies & Bell Ltd supports local companies in this niche industry, including Plessey, Lumentum (formerly Oclaro), Gooch & Housego, Bay Photonics, EFFECT Photonics and II-VI Photonics to name a few. They are also working on projects with companies further afield in new emerging markets like Internet of Things, Smart City, Renewables, and cutting edge LED, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Display Tech Sectors.

Martyn has identified an opportunity to grow his business by utilising his engineering expertise, network of clients, contacts and the facilities available at EPIC. EPIC has supported the business by installing services such as three-phase electricity supply and compressed dry air. Nitrogen, Nitrogen Hydrogen Forming Gas and Argon are all available from the EPIC’s Gas Cylinder Store on site. These specialist gases are required to store piece parts correctly in a controlled environment, run Eutectic Die Attach Processes and enable Plasma Cleaning in preparation for Wire Bonding.

Wayne Loschi, EPIC Centre Director, said: “Davies & Bell are a great addition to the centre. Their networks and expertise within the global photonics sector will give EPIC even greater exposure. We have worked closely with Martyn to support him with the fit out of his dry laboratory. Davies & Bell have settled into EPIC really well and will undoubtedly look to collaborate with current and future tenants.”

Martyn Davies added: “Davies & Bell can offer a full range of die bonding and wire bonding services. Through local collaboration and key partnerships we will look to build on these capabilities and add further capacity. Palomar Technologies now also own SST Vacuum Reflow Systems, so this is another area where we plan to branch out and offer additional services. Through our partners we can also help with Product Design, Design For Manufacture and Assembly, Test and an array of other services to support microelectronics businesses. I invite businesses to come to EPIC to see the capabilities that Davies & Bell, Palomar Technologies and EPIC can offer.”

EPIC is partly funded by a £3m grant from the Heart of the South West LEP Growth Deal funding.

EPIC is a centre of excellence, supporting technological innovation and promoting collaborative activity between businesses and research institutions. It focuses on supporting high potential companies and encourages investment into Torbay’s microelectronics and photonics sector, and in the wider Heart of the South West. 

For more information on EPIC visit www.epic-centre.co.uk

Businesses in the electronics and photonics sectors interested in viewing the facilities at EPIC please contact [email protected]

For more information about Davies & Bell Ltd please contact Martyn at [email protected] or visit www.daviesandbellltd.co.uk

For more information about Palomar Technologies and SST, please visit https://www.palomartechnologies.com/

We are delighted to announce further events have been added to our  EPIC SESSIONS . Not only does the centre offer an amazing facility for tech businesses, it also provides strategic and targeted support to encourage growth.

Throughout 2020, EPIC will host several specialist seminars to help tenants and the wider business community. Key areas of support have been identified and EPIC has appointed industry leading specialists in fields such as Cyber Security, Perfecting Presentations, SEO, LinkedIn Masterclass, Time Management, Project Management and Website Design.

All sessions are free for eligible SME businesses thanks to funding by the European Regional Development Fund.

To find out more or to book visit the EPIC EVENTBRITE page.

Following nine years of dedicated service as Chair of the Torbay Hi Tech Forum by Martin Foulger, Dr Andrew Robertson, Senior Vice President at Gooch & Housego has been appointed.

Dr Andrew Robertson has been part of the Hi Tech Forum for four years and steps up from Vice Chair to Chair. Andrew is also a member of the UK Photonics Leadership Group.

Dr Andrew Robertson said: “I’m very much looking forward to leading the Hi Tech Forum and working with the Torbay’s growing and ambitious hi tech cluster.

“I would like to thank Martin Foulger for his dedication over the last nine years. His leadership has seen the Torbay Hi Tech Forum grow from strength to strength and deliver significant achievements.”

During Martin’s time as Chair, the Forum has developed a Hi Tech Skills Apprenticeship Framework with South Devon College to support skills and workforce development. Torbay has welcomed hundreds of national and international visitors to technology conferences and successfully secured investment from foreign-owned hi tech companies. Martin also led the Forum in establishing a trade mission to SMT in Nuremberg which supported local companies to exhibit overseas and promote Torbay’s growing cluster of cutting edge technology companies.

Martin Foulger, Division Managing Director for Spirent Communications PLC, said: “It has been an honour to chair the Torbay Hi Tech Forum. My proudest achievements have been leading what started as a handful of tech businesses into the organisation that is the influential, broad-reaching and respected Forum of today, and working with the TDA in establishing a thriving tech sector in Torbay and South Devon Tech corridor.”

“I know by handing over the role to Andrew that the continued success of the Forum and Torbay’s Hi Tech companies is in safe hands. I wish the Forum and its members every success and am sure that exciting progress is yet to come under Andrew’s leadership.”

More recently, 2019 saw the Heart of the South West designated as an area of High Potential Opportunity in photonics and microelectronics by the Department for International Trade, which the Torbay Hi Tech Forum played a pivotal role in securing. In addition, South West Devon, including Torbay, is now recognised by the Photonics Leadership Group as a region for photonic technology innovation and manufacturing.

In July 2019, the Forum celebrated the opening of the brand new Electronics and Photonics Innovation Centre (EPIC) in Paignton and welcomed new tenants. The development of EPIC was born out of the demand for purpose-built facilities from the area’s growing cluster of ElecTech and photonics companies, and made possible through the continued support of the Torbay Hi Tech Forum and its members. EPIC is now the home the Hi Tech Forum, hosting meetings, networking events and collaboration opportunities.

Dr Philip Mitchell, Photonics Technologist & Principal Product Engineering Specialist at Lumentum Operations PLC, who has been appointed as Vice Chair of the Hi Tech Forum, said: “As a member of the Hi Tech Forum for the past two years I have seen first-hand the benefits it brings to cooperative organisations within Torbay and the South West. I am looking forward to supporting Andrew to continue to drive the success of this group and maximise the high growth potential of our world-class companies.”

Dr Philip Mitchell has a breadth of experience in research, development and commercialisation of opto-electronic technology. Philip works with highly innovative scale-ups and international blue chip corporations within the photonics sector, and has considerable knowledge of the academic and professional skills required to work in leading edge technology companies as well as experience in international collaboration promoting the SW UK as a hub for innovation.

Find out more about the Hi Tech Forum here: www.epic-centre.co.uk/hi-tech-forum

If you’re a hi tech business and interested in joining the forum please email [email protected]