Lumentum expands Caswell fab, reflecting company-wide plans for growth

Lumentum is due to complete a 25 percent expansion of its wafer fab at Caswell Science and Technology Park in April this year. Editor, Laura Hiscott visited the facility to learn how these activities fit into the company’s wider strategy for growth.

In the heart of the UK countryside, surrounded by fields and more than half an hour’s drive from the nearest train station, is a large campus where around 400 people gather to work each day. Caswell Science and Technology Park certainly seems far from the hustle and bustle of a city, but its remote location belies the integral role it plays in the modern world.

The site is a 3-inch indium phosphide fab belonging to the global photonics company Lumentum, and it manufactures photonic chips for data transmission over optical fibres – essential components underpinning the internet and our digital lives.

Caswell’s rural setting is a historical legacy – it was originally developed during the Second World War, when its founder was encouraged to build it far away from London and the risk of air raids. Today, however, being surrounded by empty fields offers an entirely different advantage: there is plenty of space to grow. And Lumentum is taking full advantage of that potential.