Interview I Circuit Protection
the right employees in place, with the correct skill sets,” explains Currie. However, despite being in a high unemployment area it is proving difficult to find the right staff. “Recruitment is being hindered by candidates without the right experience or skills and competition is pretty stiff for those candidates who do meet the criteria. The motor industry in this area is going through a period of rapid investment and growth and tending to hoover up the limited talent that’s available. “We have any number of different
processes to manage throughout the factory so we need staff who are flexible and able to take decisions – I’m a keen advocate of driving down decision making.”
The defence industry is set to remain the company’s key market segment despite efforts to focus on new segments. “Defence accounts for around 80 per cent of our business and that’s not going to change any time soon,” Currie concedes. “But we supply to many facets of the industry and we’re not dependent on just one segment within defence. So while the overall defence market may be in decline that doesn’t mean we are seeing fewer opportunities.” While MPE’s strategy is to move into new markets it’s a long term strategy. “We have limited resources and while
there are so many opportunities for us to exploit, we need to be careful what we target and how we approach those markets whether that’s the medical market, the market for power supplies, renewables or hybrid vehicles. We need to maintain a sufficiently strong order book to underpin
targeted market research as the company moves forward.” Talking of a strong order book there are a number of opportunities for the company where it can exploit products developed for defence applications and then use them in the commercial market. One is HEMP or High-altitude ElectroMagnetic Pulse filters. An intense electromagnetic pulse (EMP) derived from a nuclear weapon detonated miles above the Earth, or a large solar flare, could disable civil and commercial infrastructures as well as defence computer and communications networks. The specific resultant pulse from any such event is known as a High-altitude ElectroMagnetic Pulse or HEMP.
Such a HEMP event could disable or
destroy a significant portion of the national grid, along with local substations, unprotected items of electrical equipment and electrical controls for public utilities, banking services and process industries over a wide area. MPE’s High-altitude ElectroMagnetic Pulse (HEMP) filters have been designed, independently tested and fully meet the pulse current injection requirements of MIL- STD 188-125 and protect the cable entry points of AC mains power, telephone and data control lines against induced pulse currents. A report from the House of Commons Defence Committee Report, “Developing Threats: Electro-Magnetic Pulses (EMP)”, published in February 2012, examined the issues around HEMP as they may affect the UK and in the USA, where what is called the Shield Act is currently passing through the Senate, responsibility for pulse
protection is being placed upon operators and installations at a local level possibly opening up a host of market opportunities. Both the report and the legislation
demonstrate that the UK and US authorities are taking the threat of a possible HEMP attack seriously.
The market also goes well beyond the UK and US. While they might be behind the curve at present Korea, possibly Japan and Turkey are all ‘waking-up’ to the threat of HEMP, according to Currie. “MPE has been designing and manufacturing custom HEMP filters since 2004,” says Currie. “And tests have showed that purpose-designed HEMP filters are far more effective and efficient than adapted EMI catalogue filters whether that is in terms of performance, size or weight. That has given us a particular advantage over our US competitors who have chosen to adapt existing products.” According to Currie that decision has begun to open up the US market to MPE. “We’ve managed to talk to most of the decision-makers in the US and given presentations on our technology at numerous events. Over the next two years I expect to see us making considerable headway in the US and the States is set to be our biggest market. We have already sold HEMP products there and are
benefiting from the high failure rates that customers are seeing from filters supplied by our US competitors. “We can talk with confidence about our quality and reliability – that sets us apart. We have shipped over 600 HEMP filters around the globe to date and not seen one failure to date, that compares with failure rates in excess of 30 per cent among some of our competitors.” According to Currie if MPE is successful
in breaking into the US market then turnover could double within the next few years and if the Shield Act is passed then the market opportunities could be massive. “If we make real inroads with HEMP and the Shield legislation is passed then the market will be huge, because not only will it impact on the defence industry it will need to be addressed by the energy and water industries and banking. It could be worth billions.” Now that’s a company with ambition. ■
www.cieonline.co.uk
Components in Electronics
September 2012 29
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