The new owners of IT and electronics company Amplicon Liveline have outlined plans to make the business substantially larger in five years time.

Managing director Tony Gorbold said the company would be improving the range of services it offers customers rather than developing new products.

Mr Gorbold, 55, said: "We have to give added-value to our customers by making sure what leaves these premises is much closer to what they want.

"We are getting away from selling components which our clients will then have to add to or adapt to, providing something closer to the end-product."

The idea is to make sure customers only have to place one order rather than cherry-pick from various suppliers to get what they want.

But improving services also involves running training seminars, equipment testing, network installations and even badging and labelling for customers.

Amplicon, based in Hollingbury, Brighton, was taken over in a management buy-out earlier this month by Mr Gorbold and colleagues Mark Bushby and Gina Citroni.

For the last four years the company has pursued a more aggressive expansion strategy which has seen turnover increase from £4.6 million to £5.8 million.

Mr Bushby, 38, said: "We have a very large range of customers, from defence contractors to Formula 1 to academia, but none accounts for more than two or three per cent of sales. That puts us in a very stable position. When you look at what's happening with MG Rover and all the suppliers which could be forced out of business there, you realise that.

"We don't want to be in a position where we are heavily reliant on one customer that puts you in a very vulnerable position as we have seen."

Amplicon, which was founded 32 years ago, is one of the few survivors of Brighton and Hove's once buoyant light engineering industry.

To survive it has had to move farther and farther up the supply chain, become more high-tech in some areas and remain flexible to the demands of its customers.