What Hi5 Electronics does

Hi5 Electronics Ltd. is a privately held UK-based printed circuit board manufacturer and assembly services provider, founded in 1999 and operating from a single facility in Sherwood Industrial Park, Rochdale. The company delivers a full-stack PCB service offering that spans PCB design, manufacturing (1–6 layer boards, FR4 and aluminium substrates), prototyping with next-day turnaround capability, surface-mount and through-hole assembly, component sourcing, and PCB reverse engineering. Production is built around a 30-process manufacturing flow with seven inspection stages combining automated equipment with human visual inspection by experienced technicians, and the operation is governed by ISO 9001:2015 (Certificate No. 1281 issued by ISOQAR) and UL certifications.

Revenue is generated through two parallel go-to-market motions: a self-serve online PCB Builder tool that provides instant quotes (price band £72.60–£864.60) on standard configurations for engineers, startups, and SMBs, and a direct sales channel (phone and email) handling bespoke, high-complexity, and enterprise orders. A tooling charge may apply for first-time orders, with payment terms set to the last day of the month following invoice. The customer base is spread across eight target verticals — Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Energy, Industrial, Medical, Military & Defence, Rail, and Lighting — emphasising domestic UK supply, IP protection, fast turnaround, and the personal touch of long-tenured engineering staff as the principal value proposition versus overseas competitors.

Marketing is conducted primarily through organic content (educational blog and news articles), a maintained LinkedIn page for B2B engagement, occasional industry events such as the 2019 Engineering Design Show, and the PCB Builder itself as a conversion-oriented inbound channel. Ownership appears to remain with founders or management, with no external investment, parent company, or acquisition activity disclosed; revenue figures, headcount trends, and detailed financials are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Hi5 Electronics

Legal name

Hi5 Electronics Ltd.

Website

https://hi5electronics.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hi5 Electronics is a privately held UK-based PCB manufacturer founded in 1999, offering design, fabrication, assembly, prototyping, reverse engineering, and component sourcing from its Rochdale facility, serving customers across automotive, medical, defence, rail, and other regulated industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

PCB Manufacturing Services

NAICS

Bare Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing (334412), Printed Circuit Assembly (Electronic Assembly) Manufacturing (334418)

SIC

Printed Circuit Boards (3672)

akta.pro primary industry

PCB Fabrication (Rigid PCBs) (HDAHAOAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

PCB Assembly (PCBA/EMS) (HDAHAOAI)

Keywords

• PCB manufacturing services
• Printed circuit board assembly
• PCB prototyping
• PCB design engineering
• Electronic component sourcing

Headquarters

HQ city

Rochdale

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. PCB Manufacturing (One-Time Sales): Custom PCBs manufactured to client specifications, sold as one-time deliverables. Pricing varies based on board complexity, layers (1–6), panel size, turnaround time, and finish options. Supports single-sided, double-sided, and multi-layer board configurations.
2. PCB Assembly Services: Component placement and soldering services using SMT and THT methods, with testing and inspection included as part of assembly deliverables.
3. PCB Design & Engineering Services: Expert PCB design services where the company develops circuit boards based on client-provided specifications, including design verification and schematic creation.
4. Component Sourcing: Procurement of electronic components on behalf of customers as part of the assembly service offering.
5. PCB Reverse Engineering: Specialised reverse engineering services for existing PCB designs, enabling clients to recreate or modify boards.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hi5 Electronics designs, manufactures, and assembles custom printed circuit boards from its UK facility in Rochdale. It delivers single-sided to 6-layer PCBs (FR4, aluminium, PTH variants) plus design, reverse engineering, prototyping, component sourcing, and assembly (SMT and THT), with next-day turnaround available. Customers can self-serve configure and price boards through an online PCB Builder that accepts Gerber files, or engage the sales team directly for bespoke and enterprise requirements.

Product overview

Hi5 Electronics is a UK-based PCB (Printed Circuit Board) services company providing a comprehensive suite of manufacturing services. Their core offerings include PCB Design, PCB Manufacturing, PCB Assembly, PCB Reverse Engineering, PCB Prototype, and Component Sourcing. The company also offers an online PCB Builder tool that enables customers to configure and instantly quote custom PCBs. The product portfolio ranges from single-sided to multi-layer PCBs (up to 6 layers), serving industries including Automotive, Consumer, Energy, Industrial, Medical, Military & Defence, Rail, and Lighting. All services are delivered from their UK facility in Rochdale with next-day turnaround capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PCB Assembly Expert soldering, component placement, and testing services for printed circuit boards, employing both surface mount technology (SMT) and through-hole technology (THT) methods for customers across automotive, medical, industrial, defence, rail, energy, consumer electronics, and lighting sectors.
• PCB Manufacturing Custom PCB manufacturing using photo imaging and etching processes across up to 30 distinct processes with seven dedicated inspection stages, supporting single-sided, double-sided, and multi-layer board configurations (up to 6 layers) in FR4, aluminium, and PTH variants, with next-day turnaround available.
• PCB Design Expert PCB design services that turn customer ideas into functional circuit boards with precision layout and routing, including schematic creation and design verification.
• PCB Reverse Engineering Reverse engineering services for existing printed circuit boards, enabling clients to recreate or modify existing board designs.
• PCB Prototype Rapid PCB prototyping service for testing designs before volume production, with next-day turnaround available for urgent requirements.
• Component Sourcing Professional electronic component sourcing service that procures required parts on behalf of customers to support PCB assembly projects.
• PCB Builder Online self-serve configurator enabling customers to specify board type (1- to 6-layer), panel size, turnaround time, finish, and upload Gerber files to generate instant pricing from £72.60 to £864.60, suitable for engineers, startups, and small businesses.

Quantifiable outcome

• Next-day PCB turnaround available for urgent requirements
• +2 more outcomes

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• DIT InnovationsminorOthersDIT Innovations provides the website platform powering hi5electronics.co.uk. This is a technology/website hosting services relationship rather than a product or strategic partnership.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Spirit Circuits: UK PCB fabricator and assembler based in the Midlands, offering rigid, flex, and rigid-flex boards plus assembly services. Directly comparable to Hi5 in product breadth, customer verticals (automotive, industrial, lighting), and UK mid-market positioning.
• JLCPCB: Shenzhen-based low-cost PCB fab and assembly service dominating global prototype and small-batch demand via aggressive online pricing. Directly competes with Hi5's PCB Builder for price-sensitive engineers and SMBs worldwide and represents the dominant competitive threat.
• Newbury Electronics: UK-based PCB manufacturer offering prototyping, assembly, and full-turnkey services from Berkshire. Operates in the same UK domestic PCB niche as Hi5 with comparable target customers (UK SMEs, engineers, defence/industrial OEMs), making it the most directly comparable domestic peer.
• Eurocircuits: Belgian PCB manufacturer and assembler with a strong self-serve online quoting platform serving European engineers and SMEs. Highly comparable business model to Hi5: prototyping focus, online PCB Builder equivalent, and European-domestic supply positioning against Asian competition.
• Beta LAYOUT: German PCB manufacturer offering prototype and small-series PCB fabrication, assembly, and an online configurator. Comparable to Hi5 in European-domestic positioning, full-service model, and target customer base of engineers and SMB OEMs.
• PCBWay: China-based online PCB fabrication, assembly, and component sourcing service with a self-serve quoting platform comparable to Hi5's PCB Builder. Competes head-to-head on price, layer count, and turnaround for global SMB and hobbyist customers.

Broad incumbents

• NCAB Group: Sweden-headquartered global PCB sourcing and supplier managing a worldwide factory footprint. Competes with Hi5 in the UK and European mid-market for volume PCB orders but operates as a sourcing intermediary rather than a fab, and acquired UK peer Graphic Plc.

Emerging players

• AISLER: Aachen-based online PCB and assembly service focused on European prototyping customers with a self-serve ordering flow. Overlaps with Hi5's PCB Builder GTM and European-domestic supply proposition but with a more digital-first, less manufacturing-deep positioning.

Regional players

• Multi-CB (PragoBoard): Czech-based PCB manufacturer offering quick-turn prototyping, small series, and assembly with online quoting. Similar full-stack service profile and Europe-domestic supply positioning as Hi5, but serves primarily Central European customers rather than the UK market.
• Sierra Circuits: US-based PCB manufacturer focused on prototypes and high-complexity boards, serving North American OEMs. Comparable product breadth and prototype-led model to Hi5 but operates in a different geographic market with similar pricing/proposition dynamics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hi-5-electronics-ltd
• Xx.com/Hi5_Electronics
• Facebookfacebook.com/Hi5ElectronicsLtd

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hi5 Electronics