Carrick company moving to new facility in £2m investment

A leading test equipment manufacturing company is preparing to switch to new premises in Carrickfergus as part of its continuing expansion.

Yelo, which has a workforce of around 50 people, will move to a 25,000 sq ft facility at Trooperslane Industrial Estate in July.

The £2m investment is the latest stage in the firm’s success story, where over the past seven years there has been a dramatic increase in both turnover and staff numbers.

A spokesperson for Yelo told the Carrick Times: “The company are moving as result of its growth in export markets mainly to North America, Asia and Europe.

“We have won a number of large orders in North America, Asia and Europe in recent months and our staff have been working hard to get our equipment designed, assembled and shipped.”

The 44 people who are employed locally - soon to be joined by three new intakes - are eagerly anticipating the next stage in the history of Yelo, which was formed in 2010 in a buy-out of the then Canadian-owned business.

“Everyone is very excited for the move and have been on several tours of the building during its construction,” the spokesperson added.

With an in-house team of mechanical, electronic and software engineers, Yelo, currently based at Kilroot, specialises in burn-in and life test equipment for photonic devices, especially laser diodes.

It also designs and manufactures a range of other equipment including test fixtures/jigs for functional and bed of nails testing and high voltage test enclosures.

Yelo, which has enjoyed support from Invest Northern Ireland during key phases of its development, anticipates further growth.

“We are operating in a growing industry where our test equipment is required and as a result of this, we expect to be hiring more staff in the future.

“The new facility is designed for further expansion when required.”

In 2013, Yelo announced plans to double its turnover over a three-year period and increase its workforce to over 40. The target was part of a £1 million expansion plan.