On the back of a passion for motor sport racing, Kiwi ingenuity and excellent science, ETS Instruments has positioned itself as a global leader in converting data acquisition into a critical industrial and commercial tool for verification, validation and control.

The company’s systems range from real-time data display units to remote access ‘black box’ data reporting loggers. They are being used as a tracking and management tool for the road, rail, marine and aviation industries and by industrial companies with equipment that needs detailed monitoring.

In the motor sport industry the technology is used to scrutinise engine and vehicle set up, preparation and performance including evaluating both the vehicle and the driver and comparing new parts and settings.

In more recent applications it is being used by trucking firms in Auckland to monitor the exact location and movement of each vehicle in their fleet and to remotely track the progress of rail cars carrying perishable food in the US. New business opportunities are being cemented in verifying the time-in-motion flying hours of aircraft.

Ashburton company, DesignLine City Buses is one company that recognises the huge benefits from adopting the technology. The utilisation of the ETS data logger technology, interfaced with Designline’s protocol, now enable Designline engineers sitting at their workstations in Ashburton, to monitor and analyse vital operational data from the vehicles anywhere in the world in real or logged time.

This enables Designline to provide immediate support, develop strategies and solutions, or provide clients with updated performance reports which assists in providing greater confidence in their total package, whilst also validating warranties.

The latest innovation from ETS Instruments is an advanced Controller Area Network (CAN) data platform which will replace the bulky cable entry to the data logging box with a small plug connecting a twin twisted and shielded wire. As well as being compact and robust, the new platform is suitable for both motor sport and industrial applications and speeds up data processing, increasing the number of signals copied for simultaneous data acquisition from just a few to up to 182.

Murray Tippins, ETS Instruments managing director, says this platform capability is unique on the international market, bringing both OEMs and smaller businesses flocking to ETS’s door, for help with anything from simple tasks, such as vehicle or temperature tracking, to sophisticated monitoring and control solutions.

Belief in the company’s technology and a commitment to innovation have kept ETS going through some difficult years when it battled to gain a foothold in the tough US market and fought off potential IP grabs by hungry competitors.

Support from the government has also been crucial to the company’s ongoing R&D. A new investment of $216,000, through the Technology New Zealand Technology for Business Growth (TBG) scheme, has just been confirmed for a sophisticated electronic control development that will enable ETS to release innovative performance and industrial products next year. ETS recently secured a US partner, Competition Cams Inc, a leading North American automotive performance parts manufacturer and distributor, which has bought a 50 percent shareholding and given ETS Instruments a base in Memphis, with a 24 hour call centre and access to established accounts.