BASINGSTOKE, July 20, 2026 – Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) provider EC Electronics has announced the acquisition of Fastlink Data Cables Ltd, further strengthening its UK manufacturing capability and supporting the company’s long-term growth strategy through strategic acquisitions.

Completed on 15 July 2026, the acquisition brings Fastlink’s specialist cable assembly expertise, established customer base and experienced workforce into the EC Electronics Group, while expanding the Group’s presence in high-growth sectors including data centres, defence and aerospace.

A strong addition to the EC Electronics Group

Founded in 1993 and based in Swindon, Fastlink Data Cables has built a strong reputation for manufacturing high-quality cable assemblies and box build solutions, with particular expertise in supporting data centre critical power and cooling applications alongside long-established defence and aerospace programmes.  The company employs 54 people and generates annual revenues of approximately £6 million.

Greater capability for customers

For customers, the acquisition will be seamless. Fastlink will continue to operate from its existing Swindon manufacturing facility under the Fastlink Data Cables name, with the same team and customer contacts. As part of the EC Electronics Group, customers will now have access to a wider range of Electronics Manufacturing Services including PCB assembly, cable assembly, box build, overmoulding and potting – supported by additional manufacturing capacity across the UK and Europe. This enables customers to consolidate more of their manufacturing requirements with one trusted partner, helping to simplify supply chains, improve flexibility and support future growth.

The combination also creates greater flexibility for customers by increasing manufacturing capacity, enabling faster response times and providing access to specialist engineering expertise across multiple disciplines. With EC Electronics’ international manufacturing footprint complementing Fastlink’s quick-turn UK capability, customers will benefit from a stronger, more resilient manufacturing partner.

Established in 1984, EC Electronics has built its reputation on long-term partnerships, engineering expertise and continuous investment. Today, with manufacturing facilities across the UK, the Netherlands and Romania, the Group provides customers with the scale, flexibility and resilience needed to support increasingly complex global supply chains.

Strategic growth through acquisition

The acquisition follows EC Electronics’ successful integration of Hunter Cables in 2016, Swan EMS in 2022, Liad Electronics in 2024 and, more recently, Gwent Electronic Materials earlier this year, demonstrating the company’s continued commitment to strategic growth through acquisition and ongoing investment in UK manufacturing.

The addition of Fastlink further strengthens the Group’s position in attractive, high-growth markets. Increasing demand for AI-driven data centre infrastructure, combined with continued investment across defence and aerospace, creates significant opportunities for the combined group. The recent acquisition of Gwent Electronic Materials, bringing AS9100 aerospace accreditation into the Group, further enhances EC Electronics’ ability to support customers operating in these high-reliability sectors.

Commenting on the acquisition, Phil Simmonds Executive Chairman of EC Electronics, said, “The acquisition marks a further step in EC Electronics’ strategy of building a scalable, high-mix electronics manufacturing platform serving blue-chip customers across defence, industrial and data centre markets. We look forward to supporting Richard and the team with their continued growth.”

Richard Joynson, Sales Director of Fastlink, said: “Joining EC Electronics is an exciting next chapter for Fastlink and our team. We share the same commitment to quality, engineering excellence and outstanding customer service, and becoming part of a larger group gives us the scale, capacity and reach to say yes to more of the opportunities our customers are bringing us, backed by a supportive partner in Rockpool Investments.  I’m looking forward to building on everything the team has achieved and helping our customers grow.”

Building for the future

Together, EC Electronics and Fastlink Data Cables create a broader, more resilient manufacturing partner for customers across the UK and Europe. By combining complementary expertise, expanding manufacturing capacity and investing in long-term capability, the Group is well positioned to support customers through increasingly complex engineering, supply chain and production challenges.

The acquisition represents another significant milestone in EC Electronics’ long-term growth strategy and reinforces the company’s commitment to investing in UK manufacturing, strengthening its Electronics Manufacturing Services offering and delivering even greater value to customers.

About EC Electronics

EC Electronics is a trusted Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) provider with over 40 years’ experience delivering high-quality solutions from its UK and European facilities. The company supports customers from design and prototyping through to full-scale production, offering PCB and cable assembly, overmoulding, potting, conformal coating and complete turnkey manufacturing. Its expertise helps businesses overcome challenges around quality, scalability, supply chain complexity and time to market. Focused on engineering reliability and manufacturing responsibly, EC Electronics combines certified processes, advanced technology and a partnership-led approach to bring innovative products to life.