Our Christmas Message 2023

To all of you,

As 2023 draws to a close I want to thank you all for your continued support and ongoing business with us this year. It is fair to say that 2023 hasn’t turned out quite the way we expected. Our sales have been flat this year, remaining at £4M which has been largely down to our OEM and key accounts seeing a big downturn in business, which in turn affects us equally. We have certainly found it easier to buy components this year so lead times have improved but costs have been rising constantly making it harder than ever to sell and remain competitive.

We finally built our last ever Rapidox using our old 8” motherboard that has served us so well since 1997. Everything is now converted over to the new RSB (reduced size board) which makes stock and components easier to handle. Also the machines are much easier to get into and service now as the board is so small and doesn’t get in the way of everything, This has been a mammoth task as we have so many product lines and each line needs its own unique firmware to control the sensor

Our MK2 SF6 pump back analyser continues to be extremely popular and we have got a well-oiled production line running now with high quality machines being made every time. The news the Novec alternative gases have been abandoned by 3M means that SF6 is likely to remain in full use in electrical switchgear for many years yet.

Our SIL2 rated Rapidox analyser remains frustratingly close to completion. It has proven to be way more complex than we expected but we are very close to finishing it now and have test units on order. This will now be launching in 2024 and we have lots of interest in the product already. I have found learning about SIL2 concepts really interesting!

Finally, we have two new products ready for launch in the new year. The Rapidox 1100-OPT-L is a dual sensor analyser capable of measuring oxygen in harsh environments where zirconia struggles in the full range form 100% down to 0.1ppm. This analyser combines an optical sensor for high range measurements and a Low-range electrochemical cell for ppm measurements. We are also trialling a low range optical sensor for 0-200ppm readings of oxygen in gases such as formic acid where electrochemical and zirconia sensors just don’t work. Formic acid gas mixes are now being used more and more in solder reflow applications.

Thank you once again for playing such a pivotal role in our success story. On behalf of the Team here at Cambridge Sensotec I would like to wish everyone a happy and peaceful Christmas and send our best wishes to you all for the New Year.