To the naked eye the nine tea bags looked identical. But shuffled within the eight sachets of Yorkshire Tea was an Earl Grey imposter, and the technology traced it before you could ask one lump or two. It was a fun, if frivolous, product demonstration which showcased the capabilities of the equipment developed by Detech Europe to carry out automated optical inspection of printed circuit boards (PCBs).
Based down a country lane in Bewholme, East Yorkshire, Detech Europe serves manufacturers and users worldwide. Their skills and experience help to ensure PCBs perform effectively whatever the application, from the kettle to go with those tea bags to life-saving medical devices, smartphones, cars on the roads and planes in the air. “Everything that has a plug has a circuit board in it and they all need inspecting before use,” said David Erskine, founder and managing director of Detech Europe.
David started out as a trainee bank manager but at a time when people were being let go he decided to pursue his passion of electronics. He worked near Hull for a business which supplied electricians and progressed to a Lead role with Sanyo. When they closed their London office David opted to go on his own. He began buying and selling machines for PCB assembly and manufacture, and he formed Detech Europe with his wife and co-director Lisa in 2003. They have a son and daughter among the eight-strong team and the focus is on innovation and helping a growing client base take PCBs to the next level.
David said: “We put 60-65 per cent of our profit back into R&D in the last year because there is a gap in the market that we can exploit.” A key development was the decision to move on from their home and factory in Bridlington. At Bewholme, David and Lisa live on the site and use one of the former farm buildings for the business. He said: “We are all on one site giving us the ability to work effectively and develop a lot quicker than our competitors.” The HEY Growth Hub and its Made Smarter Programme has supported Detech Europe with investment to fit out a new room to demonstrate the effectiveness of products which inspect PCBs in seconds, with accuracy which exceeds expectations.
David said: “When people ask me to make a board they want to know if our machines can do it. We can show that it will do the job, inspecting it and proving it before customers buy. “It has increased customer confidence levels – we sold a machine to a company in Hull and what gave us the edge was that we had a full line here and could help them to make money before they even took delivery of their machine. “One company came to see a laser marker and we showed them our universal product inspector. The UPI can inspect anything you can see that will fit into the machine and was developed due to customer demand. They loved both systems.”
A new company, Prey by Detech Limited, was established in 2023 and is gaining global recognition for setting new benchmarks in manufacturing solutions and offering unparalleled efficiency and return on investment opportunities. At Bewholme, Detech Europe is creating new jobs and allocating shares to staff as it brews up a bright future. David said: “The younger guys will be the future of the business. It will lead to new machine development and innovation and we’re really excited.”