Ex-Nortel Engineers Set Up at EPIC

Three former Nortel engineers have moved their Electronics business to the Electronics and Photonics Innovation Centre (EPIC) at White Rock.

Mike Badcott, Andrew Addy and John McKinnon each have over 30 years of experience in the Electronics sector. They will use EPIC to grow their CAS Antennas business and HEEDRA products.

CAS Antennas are currently working with Nottingham University on European Space Agency (ESA) project that will improve positional accuracy of mobile phones.

Mike and Andy have also founded Heedra (www.heedra.co.uk) that provides distribution and consultancy for specialist GPS/GNSS products and services to engineers, researchers and staff across multiple industry sectors including Defence, Aerospace, Satellite and Space.

As GPS/GNSS technology becomes widespread across industries and applications, the business will continue to provide access to flexible, easy to use and affordable test solutions.

Director Mike Badcott said: “Things have turned full circle since the days of Nortel. We are now back close to that site in an amazing centre. We have taken one of the smaller offices here at EPIC but there is scope for us to grow. We are working on a number of exciting projects with market disrupting technologies which could see us expand very rapidly.”

CAS Antennas joins cutting-edge technology companies including Bay Photonics at EPIC.

EPIC has remained open throughout the pandemic providing facilities to the local microelectronics and photonics sector.

EPIC has seen unprecedented demand for lab space as businesses consider relocating to the new purpose-built electronics centre. This has resulted in businesses moving production, R&D and, in some cases, their whole organisation into EPIC.

Centre Director Wayne Loschi added: “The collaboration between our tenants is really starting to blossom. Businesses like CAS Antennas have a wealth of knowledge and expertise that will benefit EPIC.

“Since lockdown, EPIC has let seven new units, accommodating four new technology companies to the centre. This includes two high profile members of the local Hi Tech Cluster. What has been encouraging is the number of new jobs that have been created since April, at least ten since the start of the pandemic, which is fantastic in these challenging times.”