MILMEGA

MILMEGA

Industry	Communications Testing, EMC, Defence, Medical, High Energy Physics Research
Founded	1987
Headquarters	Park Road Ryde Isle of Wight United Kingdom
Key people	Pat Moore (Managing Director) Graeme Goodall (Finance Director) Mark Bloom (Design Engineering Manager) Mark Gane (Operations Manager)
Number of employees	28
Website	milmega.co.uk

MILMEGA Premises in the Isle of Wright

MILMEGA is a company specializing in designing and manufacturing solid state, high power amplifiers for Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing. Headquartered in Ryde on the Isle of Wight in England, MILMEGA mainly provides broadband amplifier products ranging in frequency from 80 MHz to 8 GHz, with power levels from 30W - 1kW.

MILMEGA has received several awards in recognition of the innovative nature of its amplifier products. In 2008 MILMEGA was the winner of the Bond Pearce Innovation Award. In addition, MILMEGA received a Business Award for Excellence 2009 from UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) for International Business.

In February 2012 MILMEGA was acquired by Teseq AG, a developer and provider of instrumentation and systems for EMC emission and immunity testing based in Switzerland.

In April 2012, MILMEGA won the coveted Queen's Award for continuous Innovation and development with the introduction of the 2–6 GHz and 80 MHz to 1 GHz ranges.

History

Founded in 1987, MILMEGA designs and manufactures solid state, high power amplifiers for commercial and government applications. The amplifier products range in frequency from 80 MHz to 8 GHz with power levels to 1 kW.

MILMEGA’s first design was a major contract to deliver an innovative narrow-band amplifier to meet the demanding requirements of a technologically advanced medical product used in the treatment of prostate cancer.

Following this early success the Company set out to build a skilled team of design and production engineers to deliver further innovative products by exploiting the potential of emerging power device technologies and the customer focussed benefits of the corporate structure amplifier (CSA).

In 2004 the Company was acquired by its management team in a management buyout (MBO) in part financed by venture capital funding from South East Growth Fund.

Since the MBO the Company has doubled in size expanding into China and North America and has invested heavily in new product development to leverage the benefits of wide bandgap transistor technologies, specifically, Silicon Carbide Transistor (SiC) and Gallium Nitride Transistor (GaN) technologies.

In 2010 the Company centralised its operations at the current factory at Ryde, on the Isle of Wight, and in the same year, launched its Chinese language website.

In February 2012, MILMEGA was purchased by Teseq Holding AG. Teseq Holding AG, a leading developer and provider of instrumentation and systems for EMC emission and immunity testing, has acquired UK-based MILMEGA, Ltd., a leading specialist in the design and manufacture of solid state, high-power microwave and RF amplifiers. The acquisition strengthens Teseq capabilities in commercial, industrial, automotive, military and communications applications, further positioning the company as a global leader in immunity testing.

In April 2012 MILMEGA won the Queen's Award for Innovation for their 80 MHz to 1 GHz range of amplifier. Based on a novel 'plug and play' design methodology, using gallium nitride-based transistors, the amplifiers are specifically designed for use in Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) test equipment

The prestigious Queen’s Award for Innovation is awarded to businesses in the UK to recognise outstanding innovative achievements relative to their operational size. To win the Award, MILMEGA Ltd was required to demonstrate continuous innovation and development over a period of five years resulting in substantial improvement in the performance of the Company. In addition the Award is only made to organisations that can demonstrate a high level of corporate responsibility.

In November 2013, MILMEGA was honoured by a royal visit from HRH the Duke of Kent. The Duke, a keen follower of technology, was pleased to hear that MILMEGA has been based on the Island for nearly 30 years, designing and manufacturing its award winning microwave power amplifier product, which it exports globally. Pat Moore, Managing Director, said “The Duke of Kent seemed genuinely pleased that we retain both design and manufacture in the UK and that we do that on the Isle of Wight”.

The Duke toured the factory and stopped frequently to chat with MILMEGA staff involved in product design, manufacture and test. The Duke enjoyed lively technical discussions regarding the role of Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools in delivering cutting edge designs for demanding markets, while the Duke surprised both Engineers with his knowledge of modern transistor technology.

In January 2014, the Teseq Group was purchased my AMETEK Inc. AMETEK is a leading global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electro-mechanical devices with annualized sales of $3.6 billion. AMETEK’s Corporate Growth Plan is based on Four Key Strategies: Operational Excellence, Strategic Acquisitions & Alliances, Global & Market Expansion and New Products. AMETEK’s objective is double-digit percentage growth in earnings per share over the business cycle and a superior return on total capital. The common stock of AMETEK is a component of the S&P 500 Index.

Today, MILMEGA’s workforce consists of 35 design and production staff.

Products & Technology

MILMEGA’s latest addition to its product line is the 80 MHz to 1 GHz 250W amplifier, designed with GaN transistor technology and a cable-free RF motherboard, which allows, for the first time in amplifier product for the EMC test market, the introduction of push fit RF modules and power supplies.

The new 80RF1000-250 amplifier is optimised for use in new IEC 61000-4-3 testing installations or as a drop-in replacement for current aging, unreliable, equipment in existing installations.