Plextek has formed a specialist defence business group which will allow the Cambridge-based design consultancy to target defence contracts and MoD liaison work.
“Last year the defence sector accounted for about 25% of our business, but we’ve always felt that we were skimming the surface in terms of the potential opportunities that existed,” said Ian Murphy, technical director at Plextek.
Murphy believes the defence group will help Plextek 
get itself known higher up the defence supply chain. “So we’re closer to the right people and are more aware of opportunities,” said Murphy.
Murphy also said the move is an indication of how difficult it can be for a smaller company such as Plextek to win business in the defence sector which can be dominated by large organisations.
Plextek has also recently acquired Cambridge Unmanned, a specialist in unmanned air systems, air vehicle propulsion, system integration, simulation and modelling, and prototype trials and demonstrations.
Another move is the recruitment of British Army veteran Bob Tonkins into the defence group.
Based near Cambridge, Plextek provides design consultancy in the telecoms, automotive, medical and defence sectors. It also has its own products for the security market.
Customers include BAE Systems, the UK MoD, QinetiQ and Raytheon to TDK and Sony.