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Our Business

Our History

Introduction

G&H was founded Gooch & Housego in Ilminster, Somerset in 1948. The core skills at the time were centered on manufacturing crystal-based scientific optical components. These skills are still very much at the cornerstone of the current operations at Ilminster with global sales of precision optics. Since that date however, we have grown and expanded through acquisition to comprise nine manufacturing sites across the world. View all our locations here.

In the intervening years, our business has changed. From our origins as a craft-based optical engineering company rich in practical optical manufacturing skills, G&H has undergone a transformation over the last three decades into a high-technology photonics business. We are now an OEM supply chain partner to organizations in the aerospace and defence, industrial and telecom, and life science sectors providing products based on a broad range of photonic technologies.

G&H Locations

We have manufacturing sites in the US in California, New Hampshire, Ohio and New York, in addition to our UK facilities located in Ashford, Ilminster, Torquay, St. Asaph and Plymouth.

In 1997, G&H was admitted to the alternative investment market (AIM) on the London Stock Exchange. Today, the company comprises nine manufacturing sites, with sales offices in France, Germany and Japan with additional representation by a global network of distributors.

View our products

Business acquisition and locations

Our first acquisition, Optronic Laboratories, was a manufacturer of light measurement instrumentation, adding instrumentation and calibration to our portfolio. We divested ourselves of the company in 2018.

Cleveland Crystals Inc., today G&H Cleveland, traces its roots back to the Brush Development Company, Clevite and Gould. At these locations, the founders developed crystal growth techniques for military applications such as sonar and missile domes. In 1973, this group formed Cleveland Crystals. Our Ohio facility has become the world leader in the growth of KDP and KD*P crystals and the design and manufacture of electro-optic devices for applications across multiple sectors.

The purchase of Landwehr Electronic GmbH allowed us to strengthen our RF driver design capabilities. In 2008 we merged the design and manufacture into our Ilminster plant.

SIFAM Fiber Optics, today G&H Torquay,was established in the UK in 1985. The facility provides an established heritage and market leadership in the design, manufacture and supply of high reliability modular and component fiber optic solutions for a surprising range of applications and environments. In 2003 as an investment in product diversification, G&H, Torquay commenced the design and manufacture of free space and fiber coupled photonic devices.

General Optics, today G&H Moorpark, is a manufacturer of ultra-precision optical components. Founded in 1974, our site in Southern California has developed proprietary manufacturing processes that allow the achievement of surface roughness of less than 1 Angstrom on a variety of materials including Zerodur®, BK-7, fused silica, silicon, sapphire, calcium fluoride and silicon carbide. G&H Moorpark have also developed unique IBS coating designs for high reflection and low loss coatings.

EM4 Inc, today G&H Boston, was acquired as a manufacturer of opto-electronics. Founded in 2000 the facility specializes in laser welded photonic packaging technology to produce lasers, detectors, high frequency receivers and transmitters and numerous customer specific designs. The Massachusetts facility developed a significant market presence in the aerospace and defense industry. We divested ourselves of the company in 2024.

Crystal Technology, today G&H Fremont, is a manufacturer of crystal based Acousto-Optic and Electro-Optic components used for industrial, medical and defense applications and optical quality Lithium Niobate wafer substrates used by the telecommunications industry. The acquisition included equipment, technology and expertise related to Czochralski growth of tellurium dioxide and lithium niobate crystals as well as design, fabrication and assembly technology related to finished components.

Spanoptic Ltd, manufacturing capabilities in the area of aspheres and infra-red optics enabled G&H to offer a more complete range of precision optical products. In 2021 we merged our two UK based precision optics facilities and production is now centered in Ilminster.

Constelex Technology Enablers Ltd, an Athens, Greece, based designer and manufacturer of advanced photonic systems. The company was purchased to enable G&H to offer higher-added-value capability at the sub-systems and systems level, notably in the area of satellite and space photonics.

Alfalight Inc, founded in 1999, Alfalight developed an experience in solid state lasers and close working partnerships with major US defense contractors. The company was highly complementary to the engineering and manufacturing expertise at G&H Boston and was incorporated into the business there, strengthening our position in the North American defense market.

Kent Periscopes Ltd, founded 2005 was a UK based specialist supplier of electro-optic sighting systems for armored fighting vehicles (AFVs). Our ability to design, engineer and manufacture optical systems based on opto-mechanics was strengthened by this acquisition. In 2021 we moved the manufacturing of sighting systems to Ilminster and closed Kent Periscopes. We maintain an engineering and design hub in St Asaph.

StingRay Optics LLC, established 2004, had a reputation for lenses across the infrared spectrum, based on a very strong lens design capability. Known as today G&H Keene, the addition of this lens system manufacturer to the G&H Group soon grew has allowed us a US base for optical system design.

Established in 1977, Integrated Technologies Ltd, or ITL, is a market-leading specialist in the design, development and manufacture of high-quality medical and in vitro diagnostic (IVD) devices. Their manufacturing capabilities provide G&H with a platform for growth in biophotonics.

Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Baltimore, MD, USA, Gould Fiber Optics was a market leading supplier of key enabling components into tier 1 US aerospace and defense customers. The acquisition has provided additional fiber optic manufacturing capacity. In 2021 we moved production from Maryland to our Boston facility and later to our Torquay facility in 2024.

GS Plastic Optics, founded in Rochester, New York in 1916, produces injection molded spherical, aspheric, cylinder, and freeform imaging optics and mirrors. In addition, the company has in-house capability to provide custom designed diamond turned and injection molded prototypes, thin film AR and reflective coatings, and integrated optical solutions.

With origins dating back almost 200 years to a pioneering optician in Victorian London's Wigmore Street, Plymouth-based Artemis Optical is a thin-film coating company renowned for its expertise in a variety of cutting-edge applications. While they are recognized as global leaders in designing optical filters for tailored electro-optical and laser protection, as well as bespoke head-up display combiners, their true specialty lies in developing customized, system-enabling optical filtering, mirror and window alternatives.

Phoenix Optical Technologies (POTL) is based at the heart of the North Wales optical manufacturing district in St. Asaph. Founded in 1991, POTL is an experienced, established and trusted precision optical firm, providing a full start-to-finish in-house precision optics manufacturing service.