Detector manufactures gas detection equipment in the Kärsämäki district of Turku. Its gas detectors are primarily designed for industrial use, but they are also used on ships, at research institutions, in various cleanrooms, and in places like central warehouses of retailers.
– Actually, ‘gas detector’ is a bit of a misleading term, as these detectors are needed in any building where you have or store easily flammable or explosive gaseous materials”, says Business Development Director Sini Maunu-Carrion.
Detector’s sensors can also be found, for example, in car parks. There, the detectors help save energy, as ventilation can be adjusted according to the usage of the building.
– Some buildings near Turku railway station are fitted with our devices, because dangerous chemicals travel by rail, says Maunu-Carrion.
Overall, Detector’s products are used to ensure a safe working environment for employees, prevent property damage and production shutdowns, and promote the well-being of the environment.
Gas detection as a turnkey service
Detector’s story began in the early 1980s in half a garage where Maunu-Carrion’s father, with his business partner, began assembling gas detectors by hand. Production took off when the company started exporting detectors to the Soviet Union, and according to Maunu-Carrion, they were assembling devices almost around the clock.
The following decade, after the fall of the Soviet Union, was considerably more difficult for Detector. However, the equipment the company had sold by then was reaching a point where customers began to enquire about maintenance services for the detectors they had purchased.
This was the start of Detector’s maintenance and service business, which, today, accounts for more than half of the company’s turnover. Currently, Detector increasingly offers its customers a comprehensive gas detection service on a turnkey basis.
– This is such a narrow niche that our busy customers don’t have the capability to dig deeper into it, says Maunu-Carrion, comparing the situation to when an SME outsources its payroll.
– By outsourcing the complete gas detection service, the customer knows they have the support of a knowledgeable product manufacturer available to them at all times.
Stricter standards drive development
The actual technology used in the devices has not developed much during the company’s entire history, and unlike in many other fields, the technological development cycles in gas detection last up to a couple of decades.
When the company took its first steps in its founders’ garage, gas detectors still used analogue technology. Twenty years later, in the early 2000s, the detectors became digital.
Today, more than twenty years later, the product range has been enhanced with the introduction of the Internet of Things (IoT), remote monitoring, and artificial intelligence. Today, Detector offers its customers real-time, remote gas monitoring, which, in addition to making daily life smoother, speeds up the resolution of fault situations and increases safety in potential leakage scenarios.
The input for development usually comes from customers, as the requirements of increasingly stringent standards affecting customers’ operations are passed to Detector. Environmental friendliness, for example, has been enhanced with the use of recyclable and reusable materials, and the products have also been made as long-lasting and maintainable as possible.
– We aim to keep materials in circulation for as long as possible, and as a new service, we offer equipment rental”, says CEO Sami Heinonen.
Forward-looking operations
Thanks to changing requirements, Detector has made a habit of looking far into the future. The organisation has been restructured from a traditional engineering-driven team to a multidisciplinary one, enabling the company to develop new ways of operating.
The company’s aim to offer the best possible service also requires functional products that use high-quality technology. For an SME of Detector’s size, developing products like these requires a broad network of partners.
– We can’t hire all the experts ourselves, so we collaborate with various designers”, says Heinonen.
Detector is also keen to utilise the latest industry information, so it collaborates with universities and schools. A few years ago, an engineering thesis explored whether more environmentally friendly alternatives could be found for gas detection sensors at the company.
Detector’s business development director and CEO see the company as a relatively modern SME. The company has made an exceptional commitment to circular economy; for example, the detector housings are recyclable.
– In this way, we strive to do our part to reduce the throwaway culture. This forward-looking approach is positive because it allows us to make an impact on the bigger picture, togetherwith our customers”, says Maunu-Carrion, delighted.
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Text: Katja Hautoniemi
Photos: Jarno Hiltunen
Business Turku: Pia Lappalainen
This article is part of the TKI-kompassi project, funded by the Regional Council of Southwest Finland.
