On 28 January 2026, Texcel Technology Plc reaches a milestone few manufacturing businesses achieve, 50 years of uninterrupted engineering, adaptation and delivery.
Founded in 1976 by three former GEC–Elliott Automation engineers, Texcel began with a single, ambitious goal, to design the most advanced ship loading computer in the world. The result, the Texcel Cargomaster, quickly gained approval from every major international ship classification authority and achieved global adoption, including the Japanese market, where foreign technology was rarely accepted. From the outset, Texcel was competing, and winning, against multinational giants.
As microprocessors emerged, Texcel moved early. By the late 1970s the business had transitioned from analogue systems to digital computing, developing in-house hardware and software expertise that would become central to its long-term success. This willingness to adopt new technology early, and to invest in capability rather than shortcuts, has been a constant theme ever since.
The 1980s saw Texcel deliberately diversify beyond a single product and into telecommunications, working with major global operators including British Telecom, Sprint and AT&T. This period
established Texcel as a trusted partner for high-reliability electronics, delivering systems for national infrastructure, nuclear environments and mission-critical communications, while steadily building advanced manufacturing processes around quality, traceability and control.
Through the 1990s and 2000s, Texcel’s footprint expanded internationally. Telemetry, monitoring and communications systems were deployed across Europe, Africa and the Americas, alongside major UK infrastructure programmes. The move to Crayford in 1997 provided a permanent manufacturing base, enabling scale, investment and long-term planning.
As customer demands grew more complex, so did Texcel’s capabilities. Approvals from defence, marine and subsea primes, coupled with the development of RF build, functional testing, high-voltage systems and subsea electronics, positioned the company firmly in the top tier of UK contract electronics manufacturers. Participation in landmark subsea observation projects in Canada, the USA and Europe reinforced this standing.
In the last decade, Texcel has continued to modernise at pace. Automation, selective soldering, advanced AOI, flying probe test, HV Faraday cage testing up to 150kV and clean manufacturing processes have been added as standard. The business for the last twenty years has been operating from a 35,000 sq ft facility, employing over 110 people, with the majority of its output exported into global equipment platforms.
Alongside technical investment, Texcel has strengthened its leadership and commercial focus, ensuring that engineering depth is matched by delivery reliability, supply chain resilience and long-term customer partnerships. Recent years have seen continued investment in automation, energy efficiency, sustainability and process control, reinforcing Texcel’s reputation for doing complex work properly, at scale.
Looking Ahead
As Texcel enters its next 50 years, the direction is clear. Increased automation, deeper digital integration, advanced testing, sustainable manufacturing and closer collaboration with customers at the design stage will define the next phase. The challenges may change, but the principle remains the same as it was in 1976, build robust solutions for demanding environments, invest ahead of the curve and deliver without compromise.
Fifty years on, Texcel is focusing firmly on what comes next.
