Robotic light sensors made by an Abingdon company have been bought by four car factories worldwide, writes Maggie Hartford.

The sensors, made by Oxford Sensor Technology, of Abingdon Business Park, allow windscreens to be fitted while vehicles move along the production line.

The equipment has already been fitted at Ford's plant in Dagenham, Essex, and now the company has won further orders from one US and two European car plants.

The Specular Reflection Sensors use light reflected from curved surfaces to precisely locate features on the car body.

The information then guides glass insertion robots to the correct place, positioning the glass to within a fraction of a millimetre.