STEM business celebrates huge milestone

A family-owned business in Exeter has hit a huge milestone, celebrating 50 years of microelectronics and manufacturing.

Mantracourt, a Devon-based signal and conditioning telemetry business, hosted its 50th anniversary celebration at its Exeter facility this summer.

Current and former colleagues attended the celebration alongside family, friends, and key customers from across 17 global industries, including agriculture, construction, and automotive. 

Everyone joined together for a networking and factory tour, which then later became Mantracourt’s annual family day, themed on a British summer fete.

Over the last 50 years, Mantracourt has grown into a leading manufacturer of strain bridge measurement instrumentation, specialising in micro-high-performance electronics. 

Its innovative products offer solutions across all key industries where wired solutions are impractical, dangerous, or cost prohibitive.

The event began with a presentation by Robert Badcock, Mantracourt’s Managing Director, which spotlighted some of the company’s biggest achievements in the last half century.

These included the use of its earliest high-tech temperature and humidity measuring monitors on one of America’s satellites in 1985, winning ‘The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade’ in 2009, launching the X24 range for hazardous environments in 2017, and the 2020 launch of the B24 Bluetooth system.

Above: Factory tour. Image Mantracourt

As part of its growth strategy, the firm invested £500k in 2023 in a new pick-and-place line, increasing production by 50% and cutting carbon output by 1.5 metric tonnes annually. 

This is the latest in a series of upgrades, including new machinery and solar panels.

Robert explained: “Our investments now are setting us up for another 50 years of innovation and delivering excellence for our customers. Our objective is to continue growing in line with our business plan and build on our already solid reputation for being a truly collaborative partner with our customers.

"This includes responding effectively to industry challenges, such as supply chain disruptions and component shortages, by having effective in-house manufacturing and testing capabilities and achieving net zero status by 2030.”

“Sustainability has been central to our strategy since 2016, but it’s about more than just going green. By 2025, we are predicted to be shipping 250,000 products per year. Increasing business means more job opportunities at our Exeter facility, in turn promoting wider local community growth.”

Mantracourt actively participates in the local community and has previously teamed up with the Action for Children charity, sponsored Exeter Chiefs women’s rugby, and more recently, welcomed students from local schools to its facility in an effort to inspire them to pursue a career in STEM.

You can learn more about Mantracourt’s work and professional evolution here.