Redditch manufacturer secures £2.2 million transport sector order

Published by

Nicky Godding

Redditch-based computing and power products manufacturer Solid State plc, the AIM listed manufacturer of computing, power and communications products, has announced that its manufacturing division, Steatite, has secured a £2.2 million contract to supply in excess of 1000 computer systems.

The units supplied by Steatite will be part of a rugged computing and display system for a customer in the transportation sector. Delivery is expected over a 12-24 month period, starting early in the financial year 2021/2022.

Matthew Richards, Steatite’s Managing Director, said: “At our recent results announcement in early December, we expanded on the work we were doing to broaden our exposure to certain structural growth markets. Transportation was one of those and therefore it is pleasing to be able to announce such a significant contract award resulting from that focussed effort.”

Established in 1938, Steatite is a market leader in the design, manufacture and supply of rugged portable and industrial embedded computing, custom lithium battery packs, secure communication systems and antennas.

Steatite’s facilities include a secure 27,000 square feet site, located in Redditch, dedicated to design, engineering, manufacturing and service support.

In addition to its main Redditch site, the company operates a 24,000 sq ft battery design and assembly facility located in Crewkerne, and a 15,000 sq ft facility in Leominster dedicated to antenna production, electronics and software. This site also contains a design engineering workshop and state-of-the-art microwave laboratory.

In December Solid State plc reported its interim results for the six months to September 2020. Revenues were £33.1 million, down 1.5 per cent on the previous year.

Commenting on the results at the time, Nigel Rogers, Chairman of Solid State, said: “This is my first set of results as Chairman of Solid State and I am very pleased to be announcing a performance that suitably demonstrates the resilience of the business given the disruptions faced this year. The half year position compares favorably to our previous record year as a business, which is a great reflection on everyone who has contributed to delivering this outcome.

“We enter the second half with a strong balance sheet to pursue our growth initiatives and a solid order book to underpin our targets for the full year."

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.