RLS d.o.o., a Slovenian-based supplier of rotary and linear motion sensors, has tripled the size of its operations with a new, 2,100 m2 custom built facility in Komenda, Slovenia. The new building which includes a 180 m2 clean room with electro-conductive flooring and conforming to ISO-8 standard, represents a significant expansion to the design and manufacturing capability for RLS, which since 2000 has been an associate of the Renishaw Group.

The grand opening of the new facility took place in Autumn 2012 and was attended by senior members of the Renishaw Board, the Mayor of the city of Komenda, partners from the Jozef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana and the University of Ljubljana, and long term suppliers and customers.

Janez Novak, Director of RLS, said: “We are draftingfurther company growth based on our own products, good manufacturing capabilities and solid cooperation with associate company Renishaw. In the coming period, our company is going to invest a lot of effort into our excellence in engineering and into upgrading the quality system, especially because some of our products are designed for demanding, safety-critical applications. Our vision is to become a leading global manufacturer of innovative linear and rotary sensors and elements.

Sir David McMurtry, Renishaw's Chairman and Chief Executive, congratulated Mr Novak and the RLS staff on what had been achieved with the new facility and added, “It has been a joy and a pleasure for me to visit RLS again and meet the staff – they are absolutely amazing. I am delighted how the company is growing, and driven by Janez, we are expecting a great future.”

RLS is a world leader in the design and manufacture of solid-state encoders for measuring speeds and rotary or linear position in the harshest applications. Its products are widely used in gas pumps, robots, oil-field equipment, subsea systems, construction machinery, medical equipment, off-road vehicles and "smart" machines of all types.Besides motor feedback and positioning control, the magnetic encoders are used for torque sensing, flow control, scanning and instrumentation.

Renishaw took a 50% shareholding in RLS in 2000, giving them access to Renishaw's global distribution strength and applications experience as a world leading position encoder supplier.