How A Cornwall EMS Company Scales With Defense And Aerospace Demand, with Jon Hurrell, Sellectronics

The UK is shifting from “can it compete?” to “how fast can it scale?” and the change is showing up in real purchase orders. I sat down with Jon Hurrell, Managing Director at Sellectronics to unpack what’s powering growth in UK electronics manufacturing services, especially the pull from aerospace and rising defense spending across Europe. From a garage origin in Cornwall to running complex SMT assembly at scale, John shares what it takes to grow without breaking quality, delivery, or customer trust. 

We also get specific about electronics supply chain disruption. PCB lead times are stretching, and AI data centers are a major force behind it, pulling laminate, capacity, and priority toward high margin builds. John explains how that pressure can spill into component availability, especially for higher end parts and the neighboring ecosystem around BGAs and FPGAs, and why “there’s never a quiet time” if you’re managing procurement and delivery commitments. 

As the business grows, customer strategy becomes survival. We talk about the reality of breaking into established prime supply chains, why tier one and tier two system builders can be a better fit, and how startups and neo primes, including fast moving defense and drone programs, lean heavily on manufacturing partners to manage supply chain risk and scaling. We close on the skills gap across UK manufacturing, what it means to home grow talent in a region like Cornwall, and why training and retention are now competitive advantages. 

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EMS@C-Level is hosted by global inspection leaders Koh Young (https://www.kohyoung.com) and Global Electronics Association (https://www.electronics.org)

You can see video versions of all of the EMS@C-Level pods on our YouTube playlist.