UK photonics distribution: what manufacturers, startups & OEMs need to know

In association with

Wed, Jul 1, 2026 3:00 PM BST

Whether you're a photonics manufacturer trying to reach new markets, a start-up evaluating your route to market, an academic on the verge of spinning out a new technology, or an OEM looking to secure a reliable supply chain, a good understanding of the UK’s photonics distribution channels is vital.

This webcast puts the distributors themselves in the hot seat.

Marketing executives from some of the UK's most prominent photonics distributors will give their frank perspective about the state of the market, the challenges distributors face, and crucially, what they need from the companies they work with, up and down the supply chain. This is a rare opportunity to understand the channel from the inside.
 

Calling all...

👷Photonics companies and manufacturers looking to optimise or expand their distribution relationships

👩‍💼Start-ups and spin-outs evaluating how to bring a new photonics product to market

🎓Academics and technology transfer teams considering commercialisation routes for novel photonics technologies

👁️‍🗨️OEMs that specify or procure photonics components and want better visibility of the supply ecosystem

💲Investors seeking to understand the commercial landscape for UK photonics businesses

📝Policy professionals tracking the development of the UK photonics supply chain
 

What you'll learn...

🗺️Understand the UK photonics route to market
How components move from manufacturer to end user

💬Hear what distributors really want
What makes a manufacturer or technology partner attractive

❌Avoid common commercial mistakes
Learn where start-ups and academics often go wrong

🔎Spot growing markets
Where distributors see the strongest demand for new photonics technologies

💪Build stronger supply chains
OEMs gain insight into distributor constraints and expectations

Speakers

Elaine Blackwood Director of Sales and Marketing Photonic Solutions
Elaine headed up business development at leading UK distributor Photonic Solutions until July 2017, when she was appointed to her current role. Before joining the company in 2007, Elaine worked for 10 years at Edinburgh Instruments – a leading manufacturer of scientific grade single photon counting spectrometers – latterly as the sales manager of the spectrometer division.    Elaine holds a PhD from the Laser Physics Group at Southampton University and a BSc in Physics from Glasgow University. After completing her PhD, Elaine worked as a research scientist in the technology group at the Gray Laboratory Cancer Research Trust (previously part of Mount Vernon Hospital, but now the Gray Institute for Radiation Oncology & Biology) looking into the development of optical instrumentation and imaging techniques particularly for in-vivo imaging. More speakers to be announced