Willow Technologies Ltd

What Willow Technologies Ltd does

Willow Technologies Ltd is a UK-incorporated, privately held trading subsidiary of AIM-listed Solid State PLC, founded in 1989 and operating as part of the Solid State Group alongside sister entities Steatite Ltd, Solid State Supplies Ltd (trading as Solsta), Pacer Technologies Ltd, Active Silicon Ltd, and others. The group operates as a high value-add design-in distributor and specialist manufacturer serving electronics customers in aerospace, defence, space, industrial, medical, oil & gas, environmental, government and transportation markets, primarily across the UK and Europe.

The group's core activity is franchised distribution of electronic components, displays, embedded computing, processing, optoelectronics, power solutions, and sensors sourced from more than 60 manufacturers including Quectel, Digi, Winmate, Silicon Labs, and Robustel. The online catalog spans more than 1,794 products. Specialist value-added services include tape & reel, bake & seal, device programming, firmware version control, custom display solutions, and end-to-end IoT solutions combining hardware with the KHEIRON software platform from IoThink Solutions. The group also sells own-brand products, notably machined ferrite components acquired via Gateway Electronic Components Ltd. Sourcing for obsolete and counterfeit-prone components is accredited to AS9100D and AS9120B standards and supported by ERAI anti-counterfeit certification, targeting military and hi-rel applications.

Revenue mechanics are predominantly B2B with quote-based pricing on a project or volume basis; a small portion of the catalog shows indicative pricing (£145.00–£673.02) for lower-volume buyers. Distribution is delivered through a direct enterprise field-sales team, the Solsta e-commerce catalog, and manufacturer partnership channels, supported by industry events, technical workshops, and a newsletter/content marketing footprint. Customer concentration is diversified across multiple demanding verticals, with the defence/aerospace accreditation portfolio and obsolescence-management capabilities serving as key competitive differentiators.

Name

Willow Technologies Ltd

Legal name

Willow Technologies Ltd

Website

https://solsta.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Willow Technologies Ltd is a UK trading subsidiary of AIM-listed Solid State PLC, operating within the group's design-in electronic component distribution business serving aerospace, defence, industrial, medical, and transportation markets across the UK and Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Redditch

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Electronic Component Distribution: Distribution of electronic components including connectivity, displays, embedded computing, processing, optoelectronics, power solutions, and sensors from franchised manufacturers
2. Value Added Services: Tape & reel, bake & seal, device programming, firmware version control, router configuration, and custom display solutions
3. Own-Brand Products: Machined ferrite products and own-brand components developed and manufactured by acquired companies like Gateway Electronics

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Willow Technologies Ltd, as part of the Solid State Group's Solsta-branded business, distributes electronic components including connectivity modules, displays, embedded computing, processing, optoelectronics, power solutions, and sensors from over 60 franchised manufacturers. The company provides value-added services such as tape & reel, bake & seal, firmware version control, custom display solutions, and end-to-end IoT solutions to aerospace, defence, industrial, medical, oil & gas, and transportation customers across the UK and Europe.

Product overview

Willow Technologies Ltd is a subsidiary of Solid State PLC (AIM-listed company). The company operates as part of the Solid State group which includes trading brands Solsta and Steatite. According to the Modern Day Slavery policy, Willow Technologies Ltd is listed alongside other group subsidiaries including Steatite Ltd., Solid State Supplies Ltd., Pacer Technologies Ltd., Active Silicon Ltd., Active Silicon Inc., AEC Inc., and Pacer USA LLC. No specific product or service offerings for Willow Technologies Ltd are detailed in the available source material; all product and service information in the source data pertains to Solsta UK (solsta.co.uk), a separate trading brand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Connectivity Products Distribution of antennas, Bluetooth, cellular modules, LoRaWAN modules, routers, gateways, wired and wireless connectivity solutions, and hi-rel wireless communications from franchised manufacturers such as Quectel, Digi, and Robustel. Targets enterprise customers in industrial, aerospace, and defence markets.
• Display Products Distribution of TFT colour LCD panels, industrial monitors, mono LCD displays, OLED displays, test equipment, and display accessories for commercial, retail, industrial, and military applications. Includes Winmate industrial displays and marine/medical computing solutions.
• Embedded Computing Products Distribution of boxed PCs, industrial monitors, mobile computing, motherboards/single board computers (SBCs), panel PCs, and System-on-Modules (SoMs) for rugged industrial, military, and marine applications.
• Processing and Storage Products Distribution of hi-rel processing and data storage solutions, industry standard microcontrollers, and System-on-Modules (SoMs) for demanding applications.
• Optoelectronics Products Distribution of IR sensing solutions, IR sources, laser components and systems, LEDs and light sources, opto switches, imaging modules, SPCMs (Single Photon Counting Modules), and time-of-flight range finding solutions.
• Power Solutions Products Distribution of Durakool contactors, hi-rel power management solutions, relays, and resistors for industrial and automotive applications.
• Sensor Products Distribution of avalanche photodiodes (APDs), gas detection sensors, IR sensing, laser range finding, magnetic sensors, opto switches, photodiodes, radar sensors, and thermal/TOF imaging components.
• Value-Added Services Specialist services including tape & reel, bake & seal, device programming, firmware version control, router configuration, and custom display solutions for customers requiring components ready for production line deployment.
• End-to-End IoT Solutions Custom IoT solutions combining hardware components with software platforms (e.g., KHEIRON IoT Suite via IoThink partnership) for complete connected systems supporting remote monitoring, control, and analysis across multiple protocols including Sigfox, LoRaWAN, NB-IoT, LTE-M, 3G, 4G, 5G, and Wi-Fi.
• Hi-Rel Solutions Specialist sourcing of obsolete and hard-to-find electronic components for military and hi-rel applications, using latest anti-counterfeit detection methods accredited to AS9100 standard. Serves aerospace, defence, and space customers requiring stringent quality compliance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Quality certifications including AS9100D, AS9120B for aerospace/defence supply chain compliance
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Wain ElectricalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 30 October 2025Exclusive distribution partnership covering UK and Ireland for standard and custom industrial connector solutions. Enables Solsta to fulfil a more complete range of customer connectivity needs including PCB data connections to large-scale equipment systems. Wain industrial connectors offer durability against wear and extreme temperature fluctuations, pressure and vibration.
• IoThink SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 September 2020Partnership for complete IoT solutions combining Solsta's hardware with IoThink's KHEIRON IoT Suite software platform. IoThink provides customisable IoT software for remote monitoring, control and analysis supporting multiple protocols (Sigfox, LoRaWAN, NB-IoT, LTE-M, 3G, 4G, 5G, Wi-Fi). Platform has created 1000s of use cases with 500+ device decoders available.
• Gateway Electronic Components LtdcoreOthersAcquired specialist distributor based in Nantwich with expertise in ferrites and magnetic components and solutions. Company also has a range of own brand machined ferrite products. Acquisition broadens product line within sectors core to Solid State footprint while providing additional aligned client base.
• Quectel Wireless SolutionsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial franchised distributor for Quectel cellular modules, LoRaWAN modules, and related connectivity solutions
• Digi InternationalmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial franchised distributor for Digi XBee modules, routers, and gateways including IX15, EX15, and Robustel branded products
• WinmatemajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial franchised distributor for Winmate industrial displays, panel PCs, rugged tablets, and marine/medical computing solutions
• Silicon LabsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial franchised distributor for Silicon Labs BG22 and other Bluetooth/Bluetooth Mesh SoC products
• Robustel TechnologiesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial franchised distributor for Robustel industrial routers and LoRa gateways including R1511 and R3000LG products
• Sustainable Engineering AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association membership helping reduce environmental impact of manufactured products by promoting best practice design, manufacturing, aftermarket support and end-of-life management
• SEDEXminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplier Ethical Data Exchange membership - global non-profit organisation helping companies manage and improve ethical business practices in supply chains

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Avnet: Global broad-line electronic component distributor (parent of Farnell) with extensive semiconductor, embedded and IoT portfolios serving industrial, aerospace/defence and medical - comparable space but at vastly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Arrow Electronics: Global authorised electronic component distributor with a sizeable European business serving industrial, aerospace/defence and transportation - operates in the same franchise-distribution space but with a much wider portfolio and global reach.

Direct peers

• RS Components: UK-headquartered broad-line electronic component and industrial product distributor serving industrial, aerospace and defence customers - directly comparable franchise model, customer base and catalog breadth to Solsta.
• Rhopoint Components: UK-based specialist distributor of optoelectronic, sensor, LED and test & measurement components with strong design-in support - comparable niche specialty distributor competing in similar European industrial and hi-rel accounts.
• Mouser Electronics: US-headquartered authorised electronic component distributor with strong European (and UK) presence and broad semiconductor/sensor/embedded catalog - one of the most direct comparables on franchise breadth and design-in support.
• Digi-Key Electronics: Global authorised electronic component distributor serving industrial, aerospace and medical customers with very broad SKU breadth - directly comparable to Solsta's franchise-distribution go-to-market, though at materially greater scale.
• Rebound Electronics: UK/European specialist franchised distributor focused on hard-to-find, obsolete and franchise electronic components with strong hi-rel and aerospace positioning - one of the closest niche comparables to Solsta's anti-counterfeit hi-rel sourcing service.
• Farnell / element14: Global electronic component distributor owned by Avnet, with deep UK roots and broad franchise portfolio including semiconductors, passives, connectors and embedded computing - overlapping directly with Solsta's core distribution and design-in model.

Regional players

• Distrelec / Würth Elektronik eiSos distribution: European-headquartered electronic and industrial product distributor serving UK and continental Europe - regional peer competing in the same industrial/embedded customer base but with broader product breadth.

Others

• Steatite (Solid State PLC group): Sister subsidiary of Willow Technologies Ltd within the Solid State PLC group, also distributing ruggedised computing, communications and battery solutions - adjacent group entity sharing customers and capabilities, included as the closest same-group comparable rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/willow-technologies-ltd-now-solsta

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Willow Technologies Ltd