http://www.epn-online.com/enCopyright 2007 - Reed Business InformationThu, 09 Sep 2010 06:40:06 +0200Thu, 09 Sep 2010 06:40:06 +0200EPN Onlinelchevalier@reedbusiness.frlchevalier@reedbusiness.frhttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rsshttp://www.epn-online.com/page/new144349/with-mark-edwards-sales-director-tti.htmlnew144349Tell us about TTi and its history Thurlby Thandar Instruments Ltd was established following the merger of  two UK based Test & Measurement Instrument companies in 1989.  The history of both companies goes back beyond this to Sinclair Radionics Ltd. from which both Thurlby and Thandar Electronics evolved in 1979. All TTi products are all designed and manufactured in the UK at our 26,000 sq ft factory at Huntingdon near Cambridge. Explain the structure of the company as it is both a distributor and a manufacturer?Why did the company decide to start a distribution business alongside manufacturing? Which product markets does the distribution business target? Who are the key suppliers TTi represents?  Although design and manufacture has always been the largest and most profitable part of our business, distribution activities have been a parallel activity for us since the 1980s. Originally the motive was to improve access to customers through having a wider product portfolio to offer; however, the potential for deliberate expansion of this part business soon became clear. For the past 15 years the distribution side of the company has been steadily developed into a successful specialist T&M distributor. TTi are the industrial partner for Tektronix in the UK and the representative of Ametek Programmable Power and VTi, as part of a portfolio of around a dozen companies. The role of the specialist T&M supplier has become more important in the last 5 years as more and more the large manufacturers have turned to the distributor model. It is important therefore that TTi maintain a trained sales team able to provide technical support and advice on test methods to our customers. Which product markets do you focus on in the manufacturing business? TTi are probably best known for our DC Laboratory Power supplies and Function Generators. Thurlby produced the first digital metered power supply in 1979, with the introduction of the original PL series - a model that remained in production, albeit with several design updates, for over 30 years. =he portfolio of models has diversified over recent years and we now produce test instruments in four general categories: DC Laboratory Power supplies, Waveform Generators, Precision Measurement Instruments and an increasingly successful RF Test Equipment range. Are you looking to expand the manufacturing business into new geographic markets? In terms of sales and marketing, our main focus for expansion is into the USA. Although we have substantial sales into that market via OEM arrangements with well known American and Japanese companies, there has been minimal effort put behind selling our products under our own name. That will change this year.  We are setting up a USA company and have appointed a master distributor to support the wider number of outlets necessary to cover such a geographically large market.  This is one of the most difficult markets in the world in which to compete so our initial expectations are modest.  However, we believe that we now have enough unique products to gain some market share. As far as overseas manufacturing is concerned, the diverse product portfolio requires us to build products from complex RF designs to traditional linear dc power supplies. This requires a very high level of flexibility in our manufacturing facility and work force. Maintaining production in the UK has often been questioned, with more and more manufacturers moving their facilities to Asia or emerging Eastern European countries. TTi have chosen to keep its manufacturing here in order to retain direct control of all parts of the manufacturing process. With the recent global component supply problems, it has proved much easier to engineer the small design changes needed to utilise alternative components.  As a result, we have been largely able to maintain production on products that would otherwise have been subject to delays measured in tens of weeks.  The close relationship between design and production has significant advantages that would be difficult to replicate using overseas manufacture. Do you undertake R&D in the UK? Do you work with partners in the development of new products?  TTi has always maintained a substantial R&D department here in the UK and continues to increase its R&D spending year on year.In addition to the in-house development team we work with a number of external consultants with particular expertise in specific leading edge technologies.  However, the core parts of all new product developments continue to be done in house. All TTi products are designed and developed this way and, so far, we have not bought-in any external designs or "badge engineered" any products from other companies. However, many of our products are sold by other international companies under their own name, and we often work with them in agreeing target specifications for new products to meet their particular market requirements. Any new products you have launched recently? New products are the primary engine of growth within the company.  Even during the difficult market conditions of last year our new product introductions showed a strong performance. Our handheld spectrum analysers the PSA1301T and 2701T opened up a new market for ultra portable spectrum analysers, and further models are currently in development. Recently TTi have focused again on developing our function generator product ranges. The TG5011 50MHz Function/Pulse/Arb Generator has been developed to address the precision generator sector that for many years has been dominated by Agilent. The latest FPGAs have now made it possible for us to develop products that compete with models that utilise expensive custom silicon designs. Since its introduction in the spring of 2010 the TG5011 has sold strongly and we look forward to more growth in this area with the more recently introduced 25MHz TG2511. New TTi power supply products have recently focused on two areas, ergonomics and flexibility. Although we have several product ranges that use digital front panel control (numeric entry and spin wheel), many customers prefer traditional analogue controls.  The New PL series retains the true analogue controls of its predecessor, but adds new digitally based features of S-Lock and V-Span to provide security and adaptability.  These features are now being added to other power supply ranges such as the CPX series. The drive for flexibility is exemplified by the expanding range of PowerFlex products which offer higher currents at lower voltages.  The latest innovation, PowerFlex+, extends the near constant-power section of the power envelope to cover an 8:1 voltage range enabling a 600 watt power supply to provide up to 80 volts or up to 50 amps. You also have a company called Aim within the group. How does that fit in? TTi have been selling products in the USA for many years. However the bulk of those sales have been through OEM arrangements where the product carries the name of the US company. TTi has not had any direct marketing in the USA. We are now in the process of creating a USA presence for the company in order to directly promote our own products into the USA. This will involve a US specific web site and product advertising in the electronic press. Given the high profile of TTi Inc, the passive component distributor, and the existence of many companies using TTi as their identity in the USA, it has been decided that a change of brand identity will be helpful in the USA. Because of the considerable investment already made in the TTi brand, existing products will remain under the TTi badge under the umbrella name of Aim -TTi. Some new products under development are in a slightly different market area where we presently have no existing brand recognition. These products will carry a new brand name of Aim Instruments. How has 2010 been so far for TTi and how do you see the market developing to the end of the year?  2009 was a very hard time for all T&M companies, with turnover in many cases declining by more than 30%. Since the end of 2009 we have seen a return to steadily increasing levels of orders.  If current trends continue we have hopes of achieving a full recovery by the end of this year. The present worldwide cuts in government spending may start to impact again in 2011, with the reduction in education and defence being important areas for T&M companies.Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0200