Discovery Park-based Instro Precision Ltd is to receive government funding under a Sharing in Growth development programme.
The company, which is a subsidiary of Israeli company Elbit Systems, supplies ‘high precision military equipment’ and specialises in support equipment like tripods and manual pan and tilt heads for military observation equipment. Instro produces observation, surveillance and targeting systems.
The Sharing in Growth (SiG) funding and development programme is supported by the regional growth fund which provides grants and support to British aerospace companies that are driving innovation and local employment.
Following a thorough diagnostic phase, Instro was selected onto the programme because the company meets SiG’s criteria of strong growth potential, development of innovative defence technology and the possibility of creating additional jobs in the UK.
SiG will deploy a team of consultants and training partners, including the Institute for Manufacturing from Cambridge University, that will suggest a development plan that could improve the business. The goal is to further develop new British products.
Instro employs local people in highly skilled manufacturing and engineering roles and is seeking to expand its number of employees within the next 3-5 years. The company provides systems to different sectors of the UK military and other Aerospace and Defence companies in the UK.
Martin Fausset, CEO of Elbit Systems UK said: “The acceptance of Instro onto the Sharing in Growth programme is demonstrative of the company’s status as a valued local employer and trusted supplier of cutting-edge equipment to the UK Ministry of Defence.”
Instro has been the subject of a number of demonstrations by protesters who say it supplies Israel with weapons to kill Palestinian people in Gaza.
The company started operations as a precision contract manufacturer in the 1960s. Today, products are sold in more than 50 countries with main customers being blue chip prime contractors in defence and homeland security sectors.
Palestine Action’s most recent protest at the site took place on October 4.
