I recently had the pleasure of visiting TKE’s Northampton-based factory in Moulton Park Industrial Estate.
TKE was first established in 1965 and specialises in manufacturing products for Formula 1, Oil & Gas, Classic Race Cars, Fibreoptic tooling and defence. They also produce robotics, like that pictured, which are used during the manufacturing process for other goods and can be used for jobs that are dangerous for humans, such as nuclear decommissioning.
During my visit I piloted one of their advanced robots myself and discussed the industry with the Managing Director of TKE. There have been significant changes in the sector since my last visit in 2010.
Investing in new technologies and supporting innovative businesses such as TKE is essential to the growth and long-term sustainability of our economy. As other nations invest in their robotics and tech start-ups, it is essential that the UK does the same in order to create thousands of high paying jobs and harness the millions of pounds in tax revenue generated by tech companies.
I am very supportive of the Government’s £1 billion funding pledged to supercomputing and AI research as a part of the Government’s £3.5 billion package to support the growth of the science and technology sector.
Regular readers of my newsletter will know that I am always keen to support local businesses in all sectors in any way I can, so if you manage a business based in my constituency and have any concerns that you feel I can assist with or would like for me to visit then do get in touch with me via email.
(Photo: Sir Michael Ellis MP steering a robot at the TKE factory in Northampton)