With some 70% of the UK ventilator flow measurement market, GAMBICA members MPB are worth getting to know

MPB INDUSTRIES (MPB) designs and manufactures flowmeters, flow alarms, flow indicators, flow switches, calibration cylinders and sight glasses for the measurement of liquids and gases by well-

known industrial and scientific users. Based in East Peckham, UK, MPB operates across a broad range of applications including water treatment, oil and gas production, medical ventilators, medical anaesthesia, and scientific analysis. It has been a major contributor to the manufacture of ventilators for the UK at the outbreak of COVID-19. MPB supplies many companies in the lab, medical gases, petrochem and water treatment industries with tubes and flow meters, which they OEM for some of the best-known brands.

MPB is a smallish company with just 21 people and is hugely adaptable. “Many bigger companies offer a much smaller range,” says MD Jason Bennion, “and are often quite restricted in what they will offer. But we have 4000 to 5000 different glass tubes for gases and liquids and if we don't have what you want - we'll adapt something for you. We can do small batches on a very quick turn-around. The company works in four different sectors; medical anaesthesia providing medical and veterinary anaesthetic gases, water treatment (often on chlorine dosing), 20% of its market is in the scientific and laboratory research areas and a further 20% is for the petrochem industry, including large calibration cylinders for pumps and lines for crude oil.

MPB became exceptionally well known during the COVID era as their flow tubes are for anaesthetic trolleys which go into medical theatres. With as many as six tubes on a trolley, demand was huge. MPB give their tubes a special conductive coating which allows any static charges to be earthed away and they flute the float, which has a silver dot on it,  to make it spin and the anaesthetist has a visual check that gas is actually flowing and there can be no mis-readings due to debris, which will be comforting to all those who fear waking up on the operating table.

MPB tubes go into other people's equipment for human anaesthesiology, but for veterinary supplies, MPB also make the flow meters that house the tubes as the legislation covering veterinary medical equipment is somewhat lighter than that for human medical equipment.

The company’s main client in the human medical gas area is Penlon of Abingdon, the company which was successful in the government's Covid ventilator challenge, but in fact many of the companies competing in the ventilator challenge came to MPB for their tubes. MPB were able to make 30,000 high quality tubes in just under four months well ahead of their nearest competitor. MPB has about 70% of the UK market for tubes for anaesthesia.

The company’s strength, according to Jason Bennion, is to offer a very wide range of options for laboratory companies. Because they can produce items in very small numbers the scientists using the Large Hadron Collider specified them, but they do lots of work with Edwards Vacuum, one of the UK’s largest suppliers of vacuum pump and exhaust gas product manufacturers.

Jason Bennion rose to his position as MD after starting as a tool-making apprentice with Pilkington Ophthalmics. He later went on to work for two specialist engineering companies before joining MPB in 1992 as its first employee in the role of engineering technician first. He worked his way up to engineering manager and after leaving for a short while he was asked to return to MPB industries by the former MD with a view of taking the helm. He formally became MD in 2019 when the business was sold to the SDI group. SDI group will be well known to many GAMBICA members as it has recently purchased LTE and Monmouth Scientific.

The company was an early target for SDI Group which has been acquiring successful science and technology companies since 2015 and which now has 15 companies in its digital imaging and sensors and control groups. “They liked our healthy turnover and profit margins and they saw the future potential and we just fit,” says Jason. “We weren't too big at the time, although SDI is now making larger acquisitions.  We really enjoy being part of SDI because decisions are now made commercially without having to worry too much about the family purse strings. Being part of SDI means we can share information and knowledge with our sister companies.”

“We are an ambitious company,” says Jason. “We've got into the northern United States with our veterinary products via distributor and we're now supplying human anaesthesia flow tubes to Brazil, which is interesting given the level of tariffs. We are very much hoping that the government will pursue a free trade agreement with Brazil and we want to grow our exports particularly to slightly underdeveloped countries, which are a good market for us they're not moving to digital metering yet and our range and prices make us ideal for those territories.”

Most people in the company have some engineering background, including the Sales team and this helps them understand the product and speak with credibility. “Lab buyers don't suffer fools gladly,” says Jason, “so we find that having engineers to talk to them as the best bet. We're very honest with people, especially when they want the impossible. But we make sure we can offer them the best viable alternative and we prove it by producing prototypes and getting them to the prospective purchaser usually within 48 hours. That has helped us win lots of sales because when you get a working prototype on your desk so quickly – that really does the talking.”

 MPB wanted other Lab companies to know who they are and where to find them, “Because if we were starting out again we might choose a name which said what we do, we’ve given ourselves an uphill task with MPB. But we can genuinely help.” Marketing manager Zoe Green agrees: “We are known for our fast turnaround and bespoke work.  We are so passionate about quality that we manufacture the machines that manufacture the tubes!”

Jason will be joining the GAMBICA Business Growth Community, so do look out for him there.