_______________________________________________________________________________________ Custom Interconnect
Providing processes
Five years, three-fold growth: how Custom Interconnect became the UK’ s largest semiconductor packaging and test provider
Five years ago, Custom Interconnect( CIL) turned over £ 15 million. This June year end, according to Managing Director John Boston, that figure jumped to‘ just a shade under £ 45 million’ – and the forecast for the next 12 months isn’ t just growth; it’ s acceleration.“ The plan is to grow to £ 75 million,” John elaborates“ Although at the moment, it’ s looking more like £ 82 million which is 84 percent growth.” Ultimately, CIL’ s three-fold increase in five years is now on track to become five-fold in six years.
Behind those numbers sits a business gently repositioning itself at the center of UK electronics manufacturing. Formed in 1986, CIL is now the UK’ s largest outsourced semiconductor packaging and test( OSAT) company – without actually selling its own products, as John clarifies:“ What we effectively sell is processes, not own product. If you look at TSMC or ASE, for example, they’ re the world’ s largest chipmaker and OSAT and they don’ t sell a single product of their own. They have such phenomenal processes that the biggest players in the world go to them.”
Today, CIL’ s offering spans three interlinked arms – OSAT, PCB assembly and full product build.“ Between 1987 and 1995, we transferred from being a thick film hybrid company to an electronic manufacturing services( EMS) company, and installed four surface mount lines, as that’ s where the market was heading,” recalls John.“ A big part of our story centers around Eastern Europe, China and the Far East opening up at that time – every customer we grew over a 20 – 25-year period would eventually move offshore when the project went into the full production phase or they got acquired and again production moved offshore. Interestingly, after the Covid-19 pandemic, we’ ve seen almost a complete reversal of that trend, which is a big
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