Detectronic – a truly global business

With offices in Colne and Sheffield, flood and pollution prevention experts, Detectronic are proving their geographic diversity not just with the work they do with water companies in the UK, but for those further afield too.

At last count, the company’s level and flow monitors can currently be found delivering smart network monitoring in 11 countries including Turkey, France, Germany, Romania, Sweden, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Canada. Dubai, Gibraltar and Australia have also employed Detectronic monitors in their sewer networks in the past.

“Detectronic is truly a global business when you actually explore some of the projects we’re working on and where we’ve supplied our monitors to over the years,” comments Phill Tuxford, sales and technical support engineer at Detectronic.

“The projects we predominantly tend to discuss are those we deliver for UK water companies simply because that’s where we’re based. Due to the focus we’ve always had on creating robust, highly accurate monitoring systems, water companies from across the world approach us for both advice and actual purchase (or hire) and installation of our monitors. Our datacentre can also deliver automated reports to clients as well as offering a more complete data analytical service which extract useful management information – including predictive warnings of network issues.”

Continues Phill: “Sewer networks are all very different the world over and, for that very reason, our monitors are highly flexible and adaptable. We’re very used to working with local water companies irrespective of their global location to solve monitoring issues they may have with their networks and enable them to achieve their specific objectives.

“A prime example was a project we delivered in Athens with our Greek agent, Metrica back in 2014. The pipes in the existing sewer network varied from 1000mm to 3500mm in diameter, with invert levels (depth from ground-level to the bottom of the pipe) of up to 9000mm. The shape of the pipes was also different and included circular, egg-shaped and bonnet-shaped pipes which made flow calculations more difficult.

“Working alongside the Athens Water Supply & Sewerage Company and Metrica, we were able to devise the perfect solution to measure flow in the pipes, away from the intersections and access chambers. This engineered solution meant we were at a suitable distance from the turbulent flows and therefore measuring laminar flow patterns.”

Concludes Phill: “Over the last few decades, we have built an outstanding global reputation for the business and I think, in the current economic climate, it’s important that we reflect on this and celebrate it. It’s our geographic diversity, both here in the UK and abroad that we will continue to build on over the next few years. This will include new product developments and further enhancement of the services we offer water companies and communities, wherever they’re based in the world.”

Pictured is a view of Athens from The Acropolis