In this article, Pektron walks readers through the company’s 60-year history, from a startup in 1964 to today’s export driven manufacturer of advanced electronic products.
Entrepreneurial engineer George Morgan incorporated Pektron on 15 October 1964. With a £100 loan secured, George developed electronic devices as solutions to problems that manufacturing companies were facing. In-process weighing equipment, temperature controllers for hot tar and, in 1972, the first automotive product, seatbelt alarm units for British Leyland.
In the early 1970s, the company relocated to Alfreton Road in Derby with a team of 12 and achieved its first £1million turnover. By 1980, Pektron employed over 50 staff and further expanding its operations. Among its key innovations were devices to protect beer pump motors and systems for controlling electronic interference. These advancements played a pivotal role in securing Pektron’s solid financial foundation—remaining debt-free and consistently re-investing profits into the business to drive sustained growth
The ‘90s saw Pektron grow rapidly in two sectors: the automotive industry with flashers, electronics for window and seat controls and simple body control units; while the agricultural sector grew with transmission controls, draft control, switch units, gain flow monitors and multi-function levers.
By the end of the decade, turnover had reached £18m and the second generation had taken over the running of Pektron: Neil Morgan and his brothers Philip and Robert.
Throughout the ‘00s, Pektron won business across the automotive sector, including mass-market manufacturers, niche supercar producers and leading-edge EV developers. Pektron opened a US office in Detroit and exports in the 2010s accounted for over 55 per cent of its products and services. In 2014, at 82 years old, George Morgan received an MBE for services to electronics engineering.
Sixty years on from incorporation, Pektron continues to be run with engineering ingenuity and passion by George’s three sons. Diverse solutions supported by the Derby- based business range from electric tow bars on cars, grain flow monitors on tractors, electronic instrument clusters on supercars, to personal alarm systems for fire-fighting equipment and key electronics on motorbikes and e-vehicles.
With the need to meet rigorous safety requirements and ensure products operate in extreme physical environments, Pektron has created world-leading testing and calibration facilities accredited in accordance with International Standard ISO/IEC 17025:2017 to be a fully accredited UKAS Testing Laboratory No. 23412.
With the 2024 opening of its plastics moulding facility and distribution centre, plus the launch of a new lighting division, Pektron continues to reinvest in the business.