Thirty roles – from sales, marketing and reception to technicians, engineers and bid management – are on offer at Ultra Precision Control Systems, one of the most advanced engineering firms in the UK.
The Cheltenham-based business can trace its Gloucestershire roots back to 1925, when it made domestic radios, before switching to aircraft parts for the RAF during World War II and becoming part of legendary county engineering name Dowty from 1977 to 1992.
Today, the FTSE 250 firm is still at the same Arle Court base beside Sir George Dowty’s former home, and is now established as a leading manufacturer of products for the aerospace and military sectors – and it has just invested £2 million in its Gloucestershire operations.
The investment lays the foundation for future business growth, with the firm announcing plans to add to its 300 staff in the county, with roles including operators, inspectors in operations, repairs coordinators, quality roles and customer services.
Jody Hopkins, manufacturing services director, said: ‘Ultra-PCS is an exciting and challenging place to work. We design safety critical products that operate in some of the world’s most harsh environments.
‘We have a broad range of capabilities all under one roof, in a world-class design and manufacturing facility. The Arle Court site in Cheltenham has had major refurbishment and development over the past two years as part of a site sustainment initiative.
‘This has brought all competencies and technologies into one collaborative arena. We have a state-of-the-art training suite that supports our commitment to career development from a practical, personal and team perspective.
‘The business has invested heavily in its future and recognises that talented people are at its core.’
Ultra’s expertise covers design, development, production and support and the firm works with ‘most of the world’s aircraft manufacturers’, ‘hundreds of airlines’, and ‘many of the world’s largest defence contractors’.
It has two sites in the UK, in Cheltenham and Cambridge, as well as one in the US, in Manhattan, Kansas.
The Dowty Group, which was a leading British manufacturer of aircraft equipment, sold Ultra Electronics to the TI Group PLC in 1992, with almost all of the electronic systems division companies then sold to a management buyout team led by Dr Julian Blogh in 1993, forming the second Ultra Electronics Ltd company.
