Corporate - News
2 July 2003
Chief Executive Named for New Optoelectronics Facility
A leading figure in the electronics sector has been appointed to head a project that will strengthen Scotland 's growing reputation in the field of optoelectronics.
David Ruxton has been named as chief executive of Optocap Ltd, the £4.2 million packaging centre set up to foster Scotland 's position as a leader in the emerging technology of packaging complex electronic chips.
As a key player in two pioneering Scottish technology start-ups in recent years, where he combined technical and marketing expertise, David Ruxton 's pedigree is ideal for the demanding new role at the Livingston-based facility.
In 1991 he was a founder and sales and marketing director of Calluna, the Glenrothes-based manufacturer of PC card hard disk drives.
Previously he was director of technical marketing at Rodime, the Scottish company famous for developing the industry standard 3.5 inch hard disk drive.
Optocap plans to start recruiting key personnel for its 13-strong team from the beginning of July.
Once it is fully operational it will handle three major projects a year as well as a number of subsidiary projects. Discussions are currently underway with Scottish universities to identify areas which have the potential for commercial exploitation.
Optocap's new £4.2 million facility is being developed jointly by Scottish Enterprise and industry body the Scottish Optoelectronics Association and has received funding from both Scottish Enterprise and the European Regional Development Fund.
Establishing a facility with specialist capability in packaging technologies is critical to the development of a sustainable Scottish optoelectronics industry.
Not only will it accelerate the commercialisation of university research it will also help create and support high growth start-up companies.
The Optocap Ltd. will also complement the work of the recently launched Intermediate Technology Institutes that will raise Scotland 's international competitiveness by supporting business research and development in key growth sectors of the global economy.
The objectives of the facility are to:
- Assist the commercialisation of research and development by speeding up the route to market
- Develop new device packaging technologies for future advances in optoelectronics and other emerging disciplines
- Provide environmental test, reliability and qualification services to address specific challenges of clients
Neil Francis, Director of MOCT, Scottish Enterprise, said: “David's experience in founding and taking forward the development of Calluna allied to his work with Rodime, an industry leader in its field, makes him an excellent choice for this challenging new role.”
“Harnessing Scotland's research and development capability in this increasingly important field of technology is a key part of developing a knowledge driven economy capable of competing globally in the twenty first century.”
David Ruxton said: “I'm delighted to head up this new initiative that will play an important role in developing a sustainable optoelectronics industry in Scotland . I look forward to working with our universities and technology companies to help them realise the commercial potential of their research and projects.”