What Copper & Optic does

Copper & Optic Ltd is a UK-based electronic manufacturing services (EMS) provider founded in 1997 by Phil Latham. The company operates from a 19,000 square feet ESD-compliant manufacturing facility in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, and offers eight integrated services: cable and harness assembly, PCB assembly, fibre optic assembly, electromechanical systems (box-builds), potting and overmoulding, automatic test equipment (ATE) testing, product support/prototyping, and IPC training. Revenue is generated on a bespoke project basis through direct enterprise sales to OEMs in six regulated verticals: aerospace, defence, medical, naval/marine, industrial automation, and transport. Pricing is quote-based and project-specific, with multi-year contracts and no public pricing tiers; customer acquisition is driven by technical content marketing, enquiry forms, facility tours, and direct consultation.

Technologically, Copper & Optic differentiates through customisable overmoulding and potting technology controlling pressure, velocity and heat; ATE testing using Cirrus equipment capable of 6,000 test points covering continuity, high-voltage insulation, and dielectric breakdown; through-hole and surface-mount PCB assembly; and fibre optic assemblies tested to BS EN 61300-3-35 standards. The company runs one of the few in-house IPC-certified training facilities in the UK, offering IPC/WHMA-A-620, IPC-A-610 and J-STD-001 courses. A registered sub-brand, Harnware®, is used to position the engineering/product development service line.

The company's competitive position rests on a regulatory and certifications stack required for supply into aerospace and defence: EN 9100 (expiry 27.01.29), BS EN ISO 9001 (27.01.29), ISO 14001 (18.06.28), FAA AC 00-56B (27.01.26), JOSCAR (17.01.27), Cyber Essentials Plus (22.10.26), and IPC specialist credentials. It is a member of the Midlands Aerospace Alliance (2024-25). No public revenue, headcount, named customer logos, funding rounds, or M&A activity are disclosed; the company trades under Copper & Optic Ltd and Copper & Optic Terminations Limited (Registered Company Number 03378711), with references in its privacy policy to a broader group including Copper & Optic Ltd International and Copper & Optic Ltd Direct.

Name

Copper & Optic

Legal name

Copper & Optic Ltd

Website

https://copperandoptic.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UK-based electronic manufacturing services provider founded in 1997, offering bespoke cable/harness assembly, PCB and fibre optic assemblies, potting, ATE testing, electromechanical systems, and IPC training to aerospace, defence, medical, naval/marine, industrial, and transport OEMs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electronic Manufacturing Services

NAICS

Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing (3359), Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515), Fiber Optic Cable Manufacturing (335921)

SIC

Electrical Industrial Apparatus (3620), Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) (3600), Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) (IMAGAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

PCB Assembly (PCBA/EMS) (HDAHAOAI), Cable Assemblies & Patch Cords (Copper/Fiber) (HDAFALAF), Industrial Networking & Communication Electronics Manufacturing (Ethernet switches, Fieldbus, Wireless) (IMAGAGAE), Connectors, Jacks & Couplers (RJ45/LC/SC/MPO/MTP) (HDAFALAD)

Keywords

• Electronic manufacturing services
• Cable harness assembly
• PCB assembly
• Fibre optic assembly
• Contract manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Stoke-on-trent

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Electronic Manufacturing Services: Contract manufacturing services providing bespoke cable and harness assemblies, PCB assemblies, fibre optic assemblies, potting and moulding, electromechanical systems, and ATE testing. Revenue is generated through project-based work with OEMs and businesses in regulated industries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Copper & Optic provides bespoke electronic manufacturing services (EMS), producing and supplying custom cable and harness assemblies, PCB assemblies, fibre optic assemblies, potting and moulding, electromechanical systems, and automatic test equipment (ATE) testing. The company also offers product development support, prototyping, and certified IPC training delivered at its in-house facility.

Product overview

Copper & Optic is an electronic manufacturing services (EMS) company providing bespoke cable and harness assemblies, PCB assembly, fibre optic assembly, electromechanical systems (box-builds), ATE testing, potting and moulding, product support, and IPC training. These eight core services form an integrated EMS offering where customers can engage individual services or access multiple capabilities from prototyping through to full production and testing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Harnware®: A brand used for engineering services, where the company's engineers bring products to life via contract manufacture or assist with product development and manufacture.

Products and services

• Wiring and Cable Harness Assembly Custom wire harness and cable assembly manufacturing using high-quality, ethically sourced components and certified electronic engineers, delivering solutions from simplistic cable preparation to complex aerospace projects for OEMs in regulated industries.
• PCB Assembly Full turnkey printed circuit board assembly solutions including prototyping, through-plated hole and surface mount technologies, accommodating simple to complex assemblies with low to high volume order capabilities for OEMs in regulated industries.
• Fibre Optic Assembly Custom fibre optic cable assemblies with high-quality connectors and terminations suitable for glass or polymer assembly, tested to BS EN 61300-3-35 standards for defence, aerospace, and other demanding applications.
• Potting and Moulding Overmoulding service for cable, harness, and PCB assembly encapsulation using advanced customisable technology that controls pressure, velocity, and heat with resins and polymers to deliver environmental protection and increased product durability.
• ATE Testing Automatic test equipment services for cable, harness, and PCB assemblies using Cirrus equipment, capable of testing up to 6,000 test points with verification of solder/crimp terminations, high-voltage insulation, and dielectric breakdown testing.
• Electromechanical Systems Electromechanical assembly combining PCB boxes, racks, and panels into larger fully developed and tested structures, including control panels, sensor enclosures, and distribution boxes for OEM customers.
• Product Support Product development assistance including prototyping, product configuration, and testing services that help develop electrical assembly solutions to reduce cost and maximise efficiency for OEM customers.
• IPC Training Certified IPC training courses delivered on-site at the company's in-house facility covering IPC/WHMA-A-620, IPC-A-610, and J-STD-001 standards with theoretical and practical content for the cable, harness, and electronics assembly industry.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• NOTE AB: Northern European EMS provider with UK footprint serving industrial, medtech and defence customers. Comparable in EMS business model and regulated vertical exposure, with materially larger scale and multi-country manufacturing footprint.
• DiscoverIE Group plc: UK-listed designer and manufacturer of specialised electronic components and assemblies for industrial, aerospace, defence and medical markets. Overlaps with Copper & Optic in regulated vertical applications but operates a wider, acquired portfolio.
• TT Electronics plc: UK-headquartered global EMS and engineered electronics group serving aerospace, defence, medical and industrial markets. Competes with Copper & Optic for the same regulated-industry OEM programmes but at materially larger scale and multi-site footprint.

Direct peers

• Custom Interconnect Ltd: UK-based EMS provider focused on cable and harness assemblies, PCB assembly and box-build for aerospace, defence, medical and industrial customers. Closely comparable niche, customer base and bespoke project model to Copper & Optic.
• Solid State plc: UK-listed specialist in bespoke electronic and optoelectronic assemblies for defence, aerospace and industrial OEMs. Highly comparable in niche positioning, bespoke project model and regulated vertical mix.
• Axiom Manufacturing Services: UK-based contract electronics manufacturer offering cable and harness assembly, PCB assembly and box-build to aerospace, defence and industrial customers. Directly comparable bespoke EMS model and target verticals.

Others

• Chemring Group plc: UK defence technology group supplying electronic and energetic subsystems to defence primes. Adjacent customer base in UK defence and overlapping electronic-interconnect content but operating as a tier-1/2 defence OEM rather than a sub-tier EMS.
• Concurrent Technologies plc: UK designer and manufacturer of embedded computing boards for defence and aerospace applications. Adjacent UK defence-electronics ecosystem player with overlapping OEM customer base but different product category (boards vs. interconnect assemblies).
• Ultra Electronics Holdings: UK defence electronics group with significant content in mission-critical cabling, interconnects and electronic subsystems for naval, aerospace and land platforms. Adjacent rather than directly competitive — a potential customer or acquirer of Copper & Optic-style sub-tier capacity.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/copperoptic
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Compliance6 records

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 Copper & Optic