Newt International has won
the Bond Pearce Business Innovation Award
as part of the Hampshire Business Awards 2000.

Newt finds those cracks   *1

Innovative technology developed by Southsea-based, Newt International, can save lives. Set up in 1997 by Mike Bentley and Frank Lund, the company made a major breakthrough in the examination of engineering structures, and has even made the academic world sit up . Electromagnetic array technology (EMA) was initially developed to detect cracks on the structure of oilrigs, but its application has also been transferred to the rail and marine industries. It replaces previously inaccurate and laborious means of detection. The EMA System uses an electromagnetic field from a probe which induces currents to flow along the surface being tested. The interaction of these circulating currents around the crack or defect is captured by the sensors within the probe and assesses the presence and magnitude of the defect. A further development of EMA technology has provided the ability to generate a real-time three-dimensional image of a defect in an engineering structure. The device can see through coatings such as paint or dirt, producing a visual image. Now in its third year of trading, Newt is on track for a turnover of £1.3 million with a projected profit of £200,000. The technology has won Newt the Millennium Award for Innovation, which was presented to director Mike Bentley by Tony Blair at the Millennium Dome in December. Newt’s inventions have a wide commercial application. For example, while participating in the Paddington Rail Crash Inquiry, the company is also developing a product to survey railway tracks by installing devices on trains. Government bodies around the world have taken advantage of the technology. Last year, Newt teamed up with the UK’s MoD marine design for the inspection of ship hulls mostly to detect cracks.

*1

Michael and Frank.

Andy, Justin, Lorna, Paul and Ben, Research and Development Team.

*1 - Editorial and photograph supplied courtesy of Southampton Daily Echo.