A Leicester company with roots going back to 1886 that makes ultra-precise instruments for measuring surface finish, roundness and shape; part of AMETEK.
Taylor Hobson makes instruments that measure how smooth, round or exactly shaped a surface is, to a tiny fraction of the width of a hair. Its AMETEK profile describes the Form Talysurf as the first true surface texture measuring instrument and the Talyrond as the first roundness measuring instrument. It also offers non-contact measurement, including LUPHOScan equipment for complex lens surfaces. Markets listed include optics, aircraft, cars, bearings, defence, medical, metals, renewable energy and space.
The company traces its history to 1886 and a Victorian entrepreneur, William Taylor, who co-founded a lens-making company with his brother. Its high-quality cinema lenses helped the early film industry, and the business later moved into measurement. It describes itself as a pioneer that keeps developing products for next-generation technologies. It is now owned by AMETEK, but still operates under its own name; we did not confirm the year of that purchase. AMETEK says a diverse, inclusive workforce is critical to its success.
The company is based in Leicester, England, and AMETEK's recruitment site lists Leicester roles at postcode LE4 9JD. Its profile describes a worldwide service network around that base, so UK staff work with colleagues in other countries. A November 2024 AMETEK feature says that some employees work as field specialists across Europe. That means a Leicester company can have a very international day-to-day working life.
The feature quotes a European Field Specialist for Non-Contact Metrology, Margherita, who joined as an Application Engineer in Italy and now works on automatic measuring programs, measurement software and the installation and maintenance of optics equipment. She describes an international team where she can "interact, learn, and collaborate" with colleagues worldwide. This is one person's view reported by the company. In the community, the Leicester team supports Bamboozle Theatre Company, which creates immersive theatre for disabled children: staff raised money through coffee mornings, raffles and bake sales in 2023, matched by the AMETEK Foundation, and ran a volunteer week in 2022 turning a derelict building and garden into a usable space.
A company like this employs optical and mechanical engineers, software developers, application engineers, assemblers and test technicians, service engineers and sales and support staff. Subjects such as physics, maths, computing and design and technology are all relevant. If you like precision, optics and instruments, measuring surfaces with extreme accuracy is a distinctive career field, and Leicester has a long record in it.
Website: www.taylor-hobson.com
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