Thanks for the input guys.
spec, exactly my worry with having our own equipment. Even if we grew to triple the size, we wouldn't run our machines every day which just seems like a waste. Feel free to drop local contract manufacturer recommendations if you're in the UK, we are situated in Surrey btw.
We have skills in-house to solder most things, so I'm not worried about development, although rework might be another matter, so I'll look a bit more into that.