Telford firm Transicon eyes northern expansion with new appointment
A Shropshire firm specialising automation control is aiming to expand its presence in the north.
Telford-based Transicon has appointed Laura Hayton as its new head of business development for the north as the company predicts growth in manufacturing digitalisation in 2026.
The engineering firm works with manufacturers in the aerospace, automotive, metals, plastics and environmental sectors including household names such as Shropshire yoghurt brand Müller, car maker BMW and manufacturer Tata Steel.
Ms Hayton has worked in the engineering industry for nearly 20 years and will support businesses as they look to innovate and modernise their production lines.
The move follows a recent Make UK report on manufacturing digitalisation which highlighted that the UK majorly lagged behind other countries worldwide but that, if the gap were to be fixed, the UK GDP could be £150 billion better off by 2035.
Jennifer Hughes, general manager at Transicon, said: "There's a huge opportunity for manufacturers here in the UK and every day we see companies that are committed to digitalisation.
"The challenge is that bridging the gap between old systems and new technology is genuinely difficult and there are often multiple solutions making it difficult for businesses to know where to start.
"We expect to see growth in the number of businesses investing in digitalisation throughout 2026 and beyond and Laura's appointment will allow us to be far more proactive in supporting these manufacturers and helping them find the right solutions to futureproof their production lines and drive greater productivity."
Ms Hayton added: "I'm really pleased to be expanding Transicon's presence across the north, supporting businesses that are committed to driving productivity through planned, strategic system upgrades rather than reactive maintenance.
"The reality for many businesses is they're facing a triple challenge with ageing equipment, depleted spare parts supplies and fewer engineers who understand legacy systems.
"This combination creates significant operational risks for production facilities but the hope is our team can work with manufacturers and help identify systems that can be modernised before they become business critical."
In addition to her appointment, Transicon has also created four other roles across its engineering and sales teams to support additional demand.
