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West Lothian has long since been a prime location for businesses with a focus on hi-tech industries, and Helia Photonics is no exception. The company, which provides services to the semiconductor and optoelectronics sectors such as thin-film coatings for various components in these industries, has been based at Rosebank Park, Livingston since 2002. Chief Technical Officer, Gerald Buller, made an asset purchase from another company he formed and spun out of Heriot Watt University. So why West Lothian? ?We hadn?t always envisaged being in Livingston. But as my old company has spun out of Heriot Watt, we were keen to have reasonable access to the university,? says Gerald. ?One of the main advantages of being here is the availability of a good workforce, which is very important to us. As well as good access to key universities in Scotland's central belt, we have local employees who are formerly of NEC and Kymata,? he adds. Such staff have already had training and have abilities that adapt well with Helia. Helia successfully obtained support through Regional Selective Assistance which was used to purchase much-needed capital equipment and help get the company operational. Today, Helia is handling a lot of business with customers across Europe and North America as well as a fair proportion of Scottish customers. ?We don?t have any real problems with transport,? comments Gerald. ?Proximity to the M8 means that customers can get here easily, from wherever they?re travelling.? The future, says Gerald, is a matter of building upon firm foundations. Having more than doubled its staff as well as its turnover, Helia is in its element. ?We?re delighted with where we are located, and there is ample room for us to expand still further. Our current infrastructure should allow us to grow by a factor of four.? Website: www.helia-photonics.com
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