A Somerset-based photonics manufacturer, trading since 1948, that makes optical components, fibre-optic parts and instruments from sites in Ilminster and Torquay.
Photonics is the science and technology of light, and Gooch & Housego (often called G&H) makes the parts and systems that control it. Its range includes acousto-optic devices such as the Q-switch (a part that shapes the pulses of a laser), fibre-optic couplers built to sit on the sea floor or in space, infrared zoom lenses for aerospace, defence and border security, and light-measuring instruments such as a radiometer that responds in a tenth of a second. Its customers work in aerospace and defence, industrial lasers, life sciences, scientific research, telecoms and semiconductors, and in medical diagnostics.
The company says it began trading in 1948, working with glass and crystalline materials. In January 2008 it brought five companies together under one brand: Gooch & Housego UK, Cleveland Crystals, NEOS Technologies, Landwehr Electronic and SIFAM Fibre Optics, sharing sales, marketing and technical skills while each kept its own site. Later purchases listed in trade directories include Integrated Technologies, which widened its life-sciences work, and the infrared lens maker StingRay Optics. We did not find a formal mission statement. A 2020 company statement from chief executive Mark Webster says its long-term strategy is diversification and moving up the value chain, backed by investment in research and development.
G&H's head office is at Dowlish Ford, Ilminster, Somerset TA19 0PF. Its Torquay site, on Broomhill Way (TQ2 7QL), is a fibre-optic manufacturing and research base and belongs to the Torbay Hi-Tech Cluster, a group of photonics and electronics firms on the English Riviera. The company also makes products in the USA and China. A financial data profile gives around 975 employees for the whole group, but that is not a UK-only figure. Torquay-made couplers carry traffic through undersea cables, and the Torquay team has won a Queen's Award for innovation.
G&H's own job adverts describe a supportive place to work with room to grow, and state a commitment to equal opportunities. UK benefits listed in one advert include 25 days of holiday rising to 30 with long service, a salary-sacrifice pension, a health cash plan and an employee assistance programme. When the pandemic hit in 2020, management said its first concern was the health and safety of staff, customers and suppliers. Because much of the work is for defence customers, some roles need security clearance checks.
A photonics manufacturer employs far more than physicists. Adverts and site descriptions point to optical systems engineers, people who design, test and manufacture optical assemblies, along with production, quality, supply chain, sales, finance and administration staff. Torquay is part of a local story too. Photonics grew there through big employers in the twentieth century, and former staff went on to found their own firms. Local press once reported a plan to take on 30 new people at Torquay, though that article is dated.
Website: www.goochandhousego.com
PURPOSE helps school and university students explore 62 sectors and over 1,000 entry-level careers in the UK, then connects them directly with employers.
Explore PURPOSE