This year, Raytheon is celebrating 50 years of Scottish heritage at its Glenrothes facility. For half a century, Raytheon’s Glenrothes site has been a manufacturing and engineering centre of excellence for the design and production of cutting-edge technology for defence and commercial sectors – from green aircraft technology to innovative electronic products and manufactured power products that are part of the international space station.

Sales at the facility have grown by 40 percent over the past two years, representing the highest sales figures in 50 years. Jim Trail, Chief Operating Officer and Site Lead for RSL’s Glenrothes facility said: “We specialise in markets where integrity and reliability are critical to success… the success we have achieved is a remarkable testament to the leadership of those who have guided our company, the talent of our people and their passion for continuous improvement, innovation and excellence. The past 50 years have been a story of real achievement and partnership which continues today.”

Formerly known as Hughes Microelectronics, Raytheon opened its Glenrothes site in 1960, producing 13 million diodes per year. The company played a leading role in the development of components for electronic products such as pocket calculators and touch dial phones, and more recently designed and manufactured power products for the International Space Station.

Raytheon Glenrothes employs 560 people in engineering jobs and has formed long-term partnerships with colleges and universities. With 80 percent of its products being exported to the U.S. and other global customers, the site makes a significant contribution to the economy.

Recent successes include the design and manufacture of sophisticated battery management systems, developed in six months. These greatly improve the monitoring and performance of battery systems on front-line tanks used by NATO forces. The firm is now in the process of developing world-leading technology for the energy and electric transportation markets.

Although Raytheon is rightly proud of all it has achieved over the past 50 years in Fife, it is now focused on meeting the challenges of tomorrow including how to improve sustainability.