Pros
If you like working on new products then this is a good place to be. Elektron have a very wide portfolio (nanopositioning, ophthalmology, viscometry, food safety and so on) and it is possible to work on products across this range. Most engineering work is on new product development rather than support and maintenance and there are ambitious plans for 2015 and beyond. Engineers are expected to show initiative, be innovative, follow best practices and deliver results but are relatively free to choose the tools and methods required to achieve this. If you like to influence your workplace environment or culture then this is a good place to be. There are a number of ongoing projects involving senior management and staff to actively address the well documented problems that the company has been through over the past couple of years. If the company follows through on these improvements then it should be worthy of a 4 or 5 star rating in 12 months time.
Cons
Elektron are actively recruiting and working to address the main issues but as I see it: - Key staff have been over-stretched resulting in compromised planning, management, specification and delivery. - Interfaces between core functions are overly bureaucratic, not well connected and some trust issues remain. - Deadlines are set with loosely defined specifications resulting in late or compromised deliveries. - Senior management engagement with staff is the lowest I have ever witnessed.