The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Former apprentice takes helm of automation solutions firm
New era at Dundee’s SP Technology after management buy-out
Dundee-based automation business SP Technology is under new ownership following a management buyout (MBO).
The pair in charge are managing director Roy Henderson and technical director Lee Nixon.
Mr Henderson has a long history with SP Technology, having been its first apprentice more than three decades ago.
Mr Henderson and Mr Nixon, who started with the business as a project design engineer 17 years ago, successfully carried out the MBO from the two founding directors, Rod Chisholm and Allan Morrison.
SP Technology has provided bespoke automation solutions since 1984.
It services companies worldwide across a number of sectors, including pharmaceutical, automotive and electronic from its purpose-built premises.
The 35 staff consist of specialist mechanical design, manufacturing, software and control engineers as well as in-house manufacturing, build and installation teams.
“We help our customers to identify their challenges and design a machine that solves their problem,” Mr Nixon said.
“We work with them to fully train staff and implement our automated machinery at their location.
“We work on a variety of projects in a number of industries, ranging from development tooling to multi-millionpound automated systems.
“Our highly-skilled workforce and approach to problem solving allows for a truly diversified approach.”
SP Technology has partnerships with Universal Robots and ABB machine loading.
The Universal Robot tie-up allows SP Technology to provide clients with robotic systems, which can work safely and unguarded alongside human operators for machine loading and product manipulation.
The ABB partnership has led to a solution in the area of high-volume manufacturing by enabling robotic machine loading systems to feed and load challenging products.
“Since starting as an apprentice over 31 years ago, I can honestly say that no two projects have ever been the same,” Mr Henderson said.
“What makes us different is our ability to look at manufacturing problems and solve them with a clean-sheet approach.
“We are currently designing and manufacturing machines which automatically process contact lenses, efficiently handle pharmaceutical products and develop a new approach to car parking aid components. This is to name just a few.
“These are all completely bespoke solutions to very real challenges faced by our clients. Our machines provide their workforce with an automated solution that greatly increases their efficiency and enables them to keep pace with complex technologies.
“The potential for our engineering is limitless and very exciting.
“We have an experienced and loyal workforce and I’m proud to be working alongside Lee to develop SP Technology in the years to come.”
SP Technology will be holding an automation expo on November 1 and 2 at its premises in the Camperdown Industrial Park, Dundee.
It will exhibit some of its own products, alongside the latest automation equipment on the market.