Hevi Optronics to build electro optical systems factory in Tabasalu

Hevi Optronics, which develops and manufactures electro optical equipment, will build a new factory in Tabasalu near Tallinn, ERR reported. The facility will increase production capacity and enable the development, testing and serial production of new products.

Company production manager Lauri Valdmann said the changing security environment in Europe had created a significant need to strengthen defence capabilities. He said electro optical systems were becoming increasingly important on land, at sea and in the air.

Modern unmanned systems, surveillance solutions and other defence platforms require increasingly advanced sensors, stabilisation, image processing and automation, Valdmann said.

Hevi Optronics said Europe faced a long term need to increase local defence industry production capacity and reduce dependence on supply chains outside Europe. The company’s main market is international, with Europe its primary focus for future growth. Its customers and partners are mainly defence and security companies and system integrators that incorporate its electro optical systems and components into their solutions.

The company said Estonia was important both as a domestic market and as a defence industry ecosystem, although most of its growth would come from exports.

Valdmann said Hevi Optronics had grown rapidly in recent years and that its production and development facilities, currently spread across several buildings, were already limiting further expansion. The new factory will bring the company’s development and production capabilities under one roof, while significantly expanding its in house precision mechanics capacity and creating a more modern testing and development environment.

The new facility is also expected to create jobs as the company expands. Hevi Optronics plans to recruit mechanical, electronics and software engineers, production and quality specialists, CNC workers, and employees involved in systems assembly and testing.

Hevi Optronics is an engineer led company specialising in the development and manufacture of electro optical ISR systems. Its sales revenue increased almost 2.7 fold in 2025, reaching 27.15 million euros compared with 9.94 million euros the previous year. The company currently employs more than 30 people.

The factory was designed by Kontsept Architecture Bureau, while Mapri Ehitus is the main contractor.