Alphasense celebrates 25 years of sensor technology development 

Alphasense, the UK-based manufacturer of gas detection sensors, is celebrating its 25th anniversary in October 2021.  

Originally founded by Scientist and Entrepreneur Paul Gotley OBE in 1996, the company started life in small premises in Great Dunmow, Essex. Paul’s daughter, Andrea Gotley, soon took over day-to-day business operations with her father overseeing proceedings in his role as Chairman. 

A series of astute joint ventures and key research links with British universities enabled Alphasense to develop new technologies and sensor products that opened the door to opportunities in air quality and gas safety markets.  

Today, Alphasense operates from a purpose-built manufacturing facility in Great Notley, Essex. The company is profitable, with an annual turnover in excess of £20m, largely due to the operational efficiency and global business development established over the last decade or so. The Alphasense product range still includes the company’s bestselling gas safety Oxygen and PPM toxic sensors but is now complemented by a suite of PPB sensors allied with Optical Particle Counters and Photo Ionisation Detectors for air quality applications.  

Research and Development is led by Technical Director, Ronan Baron, whose passion for environmental air quality monitoring fuels much of the product innovation and technical strategy at Alphasense. One such air quality innovation project recently led to the launch of two new VOC electrochemical sensors, strengthening the company’s growing air quality product range and offering a lower-maintenance air quality sensor option at an affordable price.  

Commercially focused innovation is just one of the reasons customers choose to work with Alphasense. Sensor performance and reliability are key focuses for the Operations team, whose ‘LEAN manufacturing’ approach prioritises efficiency without compromising quality. The ‘LEAN’ methodology allows the team to manufacture and stock a comprehensive range of sensor products. Customer orders are dispatched quickly to a global customer base by an in-house fulfilment team.  

The Alphasense Technical Support team is always on hand to assist with further product support, offering a consultative service when customers enquire about a new product idea or adaptation to an existing product. The company’s growth strategy revolves around three core pillars: science, sales, and manufacturing. The fusion of these three elements will remain a foundation that current Alphasense CEO, Peter Saxton, who Andrea Gotley brought in to oversee and implement her succession plan, believes is key to the company’s continued success.  

A recent recruitment drive is further evidence of Saxton’s confidence in the long-term success of Alphasense. As well as bringing onboard new members of the Sales & Marketing team to help service and grow the company’s global sales territories, the Technical team has also invested in several new in-house scientists who each bring their own specialist knowledge and expertise to the table.  

Alphasense is a business very much looking to the future but with an appreciation of its past. Twenty-five years after Paul Gotley started the company, his daughter Andrea has total confidence that her father’s dedication to high-quality sensor products and excellent customer service is in safe hands. With public awareness of air quality issues at an all-time high, Alphasense is well-placed to continue supporting its customers by designing and manufacturing high-performance gas and air quality sensors that improve living conditions for communities worldwide and, ultimately, save lives.  

To find out more about Alphasense and the company’s range of gas detection and air quality sensors, visit alphasense.com or email sensors@alphasense.com