Watch as Raptor Photonics celebrates success at Larne Business Excellence Awards 2022

The business was set up in 2008 and works across the scientific, industrial, aerospace and surveillance markets. Since inception the company has grown revenue, year to year, from its state-of-the-art facility in Larne.

As well as its portfolio of commercial off-the-shelf products, Raptor provides custom solutions to original equipment manufacturer and Instrumentation companies throughout the world to meet their varied imaging and detection needs, from the seabed to space.

Although it is a relatively small company with 28 staff, Raptor is considered to be one of the leading short-wave infra red *SWIR) camera companies in the world and have won numerous contracts and industry innovation awards for its SWIR family of cameras.

The company experienced an annual growth of 25 per cent since 2021 with revenues of £13.5m in FY’22 (Oct 21-Sep22). This has been difficult despite trading conditions, including the Covid global pandemic. The company’s margins and profitability have remained very strong during this period.

The company exported more than 90 per cent of all cameras shipped in 2021/22, and now has customers in 39 countries around the world. Sales are achieved through direct and indirect methods and Raptor has continued to grow both its own sales personnel and its distribution channels worldwide. Raptor opened its US offices in 2018 to service and support its North American customers in US and Canada. This has proved very effective in helping to win government contracts during 2021/22 through US Government agencies.

Raptor has a continued commitment to staying at the forefront of sensor, optical, electronics, and firmware technology in order to serve its range of customers and markets and the business is quick to see opportunities in the market based on close relationships to customers.

A spokesperson for Raptor said: “We are very excited about the future as the market for imaging and detection is growing rapidly and Raptor is well-placed to take advantage of this. Our products are in mission-critical applications enabling researchers to discover new ways of seeing, solving problems and helping to push boundaries. We really are contributing to society and to building a better, safer world.”