A TECHNOLOGY firm has received a grant of £150,000 to contribute towards its expansion project which will accelerate growth and increase its workforce.

Filtronic, which operates from NETPark in Sedgefield, County Durham, was awarded the capital grant from the County Durham Growth Fund and is using the money to help bolster the company’s manufacturing and testing facilities as well as create up to 36 new job roles.

Filtronic, which designs and manufactures advanced RF products and solutions for critical communications markets, has invested £1m in its expansion project.

The investment, supported by the County Durham Growth Fund, will allow the company to increase its capacity significantly and win contracts with other customers, leading to accelerated growth.

Filtronic's chief financial officer, Michael Tyerman, said: “The way we communicate is changing dramatically and with the increased growth in traffic expected from 5G, network capacity has to be improved.

“In order to address this challenge, we have invested significant research and development activity in developing a number of E-band products which can deliver high performance at a competitive cost, which have understandably attracted interest from a number of potential new customers.

“Now, thanks to our own capital investment and the fantastic support we’ve had from the County Durham Growth Fund, we have been able to expand our manufacturing and testing facilities, allowing us to produce in larger quantities which will enable us to win work with other companies, accelerating our plans for growth.”