June 2019

NEWS UK-based engineering and design consultancy, Plextek is launching a new innovation business unit, Ignite Exponential (IEX), to help established companies compete with agile and fast-moving start-ups that are driving new disruptive technologies. IEX aims to bridge the innovation gap faced by businesses struggling to stay ahead and meet changing customer expectations in a climate of unprecedented uncertainty and aggressive competition. In particular, the rise of new technologies such as Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are dissolving the barriers to entry, enabling the rapid introducton of new product and service offerings and challenging existing business models. IEX will build on the 30 years’ experience Plextek has working at the leading edge of advanced technologies to help its partners navigate this changing landscape, through strategic innovation, future-focused marketing, human-centric design and enabling technology. Hybrid, collaborative and cross-functional approaches Alan Cucknell, who has been appointed to head up IEX, summarised how it will bring a new approach to innovation: “I’ve spent my career helping global companies to innovate and seen how trying to create non-standard solutions to strategically important problems can lead companies to adopt standard processes, which can lead to standard results. There is no silver bullet for strategic innovation in these increasingly complex times and it is too important to outsource. Instead, we will look to create hybrid, collaborative and cross-functional approaches that harness combined skillsets, tools and experience and help to build internal ownership.” Nicholas Hill, CEO of Plextek added: “Front-end innovation requires different mindsets, skills, processes and tools to downstream engineering. That’s why Ignite Exponential draws on the specialist development processes, systems and capabilities that Plextek is well-known for, to create a distinct offering – a front-end innovation partner that is agile, multi-disciplined and experienced. While the units will work closely together, the teams, systems, environment and culture are independent, to focus on maximising the impact of our work.” Together, IEX and Plextek will be able to partner with clients from defining innovation strategy through designing purposeful business models, platform and product solutions to developing final products and manufacturing to market. An alternative is for established players to innovate through acquisition, but this can lead to paying over the odds and result in costly mistakes. “More than ever, innovation will determine the success or failure of established companies over the next decade - it is too important to be left to chance,” concluded Cucknell. 12 HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS June 2019 www.hpmag.co.uk Gloucester-based sensor manufacturer, Positek Ltd, has recently been acquired by The Variohm Group. The worldwide supplier of linear, rotary, tilt and intrinsically safe position sensors becomes the fifth member of the expanding Variohm Group; joining Variohm EuroSensor – sensor and transducer supplier and manufacturer along with Herga Technology for switching and sensing solutions, Ixthus Instrumentation for specialist measurement systems, and Heason Technology for motion control components and systems. Positek Ltd will bring its highly specialised linear and rotary voltage displacement sensor technologies (LVDT/RVDT) and customised design expertise to the Variohm Group as well as expand the overall production and customer support capability; taking the Group head count over 190, including 20 engineering staff operating across Europe from four UK production sites and with world-wide distribution in major industrial markets. Furthermore, Positek will benefit from a much broader sales and technical capability through the shared customer base and extensive synergy that is encouraged and prevails throughout the Variohm Group - headed by managing director, Graham Pattison. Further expanding Positek’s potential for extensive growth and success through the acquisition, the Variohm Group is a member of the LSE-listed discoverIE Group plc – an international group of businesses that designs, manufactures and supplies innovative components for electronic applications. ISO9001:2015-certified Positek was established over 25 years ago and today operates as an ISO9001:2015-certified designer and manufacturer of linear, rotary and tilt sensors with several specialist quality standard certifications including ATEX, IECEx, and CSA for both sensors and galvanic isolation measurement amplifiers. The company has developed its own patented non-contact inductive position sensor technology and enjoys a high reputation for its fast-turnaround standard range as well as customised sensors and transducers that are extensively used in intrinsically safe, hazardous, automotive, submersible and other challenging environment measurement tasks. The robust and accurate technology allows linear position measurement up to 1500 mm or more with angular position measurement capabilities from between 5° and 160° - notably in very compact form-factors. Application areas include, but are not restricted to, oil & gas, mining, medical, marine, hydraulic & pneumatic cylinder position feedback, tilt sensing on construction and heavy machinery, and more. Commercial director Mark Spreadbury and production director Robert Munn will continue to manage the team at Positek, reporting to Graham Pattison who said of the expansion of the Variohm Group: “The acquisition substantially boosts our design and manufacturing capability, and brings exciting new products and sales channels for both Positek and the existing Group members. We very much look forward to developing and enhancing our application-solving competencies by promoting the Group’s products through Positek and vice versa.” For further information on Positek, visit www.positek.com . Plextek launches new innovation business unit – Ignite Exponential Variohm Group expands with the acquisition of displacement sensor specialist Positek