20:20 vision - Microwave and sensing device specialist e2v carries the baton for the UK's hi-tech sector. Its secret, says technology director Dr Trevor Cross, is keeping a close eye on potential markets

摘要

LAST MONTH'S news from Longbridge reignited the now familiar debate about the UK's engineering future: is there any way we can compete with low labour cost economies, or should we just concentrate on the specialist stuff? With the consensus being that intellectual property and high-value products are the way forward, there can be few companies more qualified to carry the UK baton than Chelmsford's e2v technologies, e2v, which leads the world in the development of high-powered microwave and sensing equipment, appears to tick all the right boxes. Its products, designed and manufactured in the UK, find their way into everything from the latest dental equipment to multi-million pound space telescopes.