UK-based ABLE Instruments & Controls develops and manufactures instrument solutions for a broad range of industries. ABLE offers a comprehensive portfolio of flexible measurement systems, backed up by highly experienced engineers and a support team offering extensive project management services. R&D Manager Tony Skelding and Business Development & Marketing Manager Dave Quelch explained the company’s innovative portfolio, in conversation with Phil Nicholls.
ATthe heart of ABLE Instruments & Controls is the ability to take established sensor technologies, combine them, then enhance them with redundancies and intelligent algorithms to produce a robust package of abilities that stands out from other options available on the market.
“ABLE was founded on the basis that the company would always go the extra yard for the customer,” Business Development & Marketing Manager Dave Quelch explained. “Our ethos is to deliver solutions, not just products.”
Established in 1985, ABLE steadily grew by following these guiding principles. ISO
9002 accreditation in 1991 highlighted a commitment to quality, with products meeting both customer and regulatory requirements. In 2002, ABLE achieved ISO 9001 certification, with the company continuing to evolve, culminating in switching to an Employee-Owned Trust model in 2020.
A comprehensive portfolio
Today, ABLE employs 33 people and enjoys an annual turnover in the region of £10 million. At the core of this achievement is a portfolio of instrument solutions capable of measuring flow, level, pressure, temperature, toxic gases, moisture and so much more.
“Within our range are several products where we own the IP,” Mr Quelch explained. “For example, the ABLE SlugMaster combines two different ultrasonic flow metering technologies. These are combined into an intelligent
flow meter, so that the flow meter itself makes the decision about which of those two technologies to apply, depending on what it sees in the process being measured. The changeover between the metering technologies is calculated with unique mathematical software, which enables exceptional measurement accuracy.”
“A primary use for our SlugMaster is for measuring the produced water discharged into the sea from an offshore platform,” said R & D Manager Tony Skelding. “This wastewater is notoriously very difficult to measure because it's not just water: it can include gas, solids, particulates. Due to these challenging process factors and the operator’s typical reticence to cut pipe to
achieve reliable measurement, a clamp-on solution like the ABLE SlugMaster is ideal.”
The value of the SlugMaster’s dual technology has been amply demonstrated on several offshore platforms and the multimillion-pound project in the Kashagan Field in Kazakhstan.
Instruments from ABLE can be deployed in a wide range of industries, from oil and gas to automotive, and from pharmaceutical to food and beverage.
Customer satisfaction is a primary goal at ABLE, so the commitment to customers does not end once the equipment is delivered. ABLE offers additional services to provide exceptional customer support, including surveys, maintenance, training and more.
“We have always seen our service engineers as some of our greatest assets,” Mr Quelch continued. “They are vital for creating a level of trust with the client.
It is these engineers who are party to conversations with customers – helping them in the field with problem solving – and those conversations often bear fruit for us with the supply of bespoke solutions. Our service engineers are multi-disciplined and qualified to work on the full range of process control equipment.”
Innovative solutions
A distinctive feature of ABLE’s Reading headquarters is a state-of-the-art training facility. This purpose-built rig offers a truly unique process environment for high impact, hands-on training. By working together with leading manufacturers and suppliers, ABLE has fitted the rig with instrumentation ranging from the conventional to the very latest cutting-edge measurement technologies for flow, level, pressure, temperature, density, gas and liquid analysis.
ABLE uses the rig to offer a comprehensive range of dynamic training courses for all levels, with an appropriate balance of theoretical content and hands-on practical elements, covering multiple measurement disciplines.
Innovation at ABLE does not end here, with the company now running a successful e-commerce platform. This model of 24/7 operation has proved very popular with customers, as the £15,000 revenue of the opening year of e-commerce has blossomed to over one million in 2023.
The delivery of creative solutions is at the heart of what makes ABLE unique, according to Mr Skelding: “Providing customers with bespoke solutions is one part of ABLE’s appeal, but I think our ability to solve challenges through innovation is the other part: these are two sides of the same coin.”
An independent future
“Over the years, we have punched well above our weight,” Mr Quelch explained. “I believe we’re the biggest independent process instrumentation company. For example: as part of the Tengizchevroil Future Growth Project, our project management department had to create well over 7,000 documents in Russian, Kazakh and English.”
As the topic of sustainability looms large in all industries, ABLE is confident of having a strong role to play in helping every sector achieve a more environmentally sensitive operation.
“I can quote our MD Richard Sygrove on this topic,” said Mr Skelding: “When there is a problem, then the first thing required
is to measure it. There simply is no way to understand the impact of a solution unless the results are being measured.”
Looking to the future, ABLE has found that working in partnership with other companies has helped to drive growth. ABLE is now the exclusive UK distributor for Magnetrol and offers both radar and guided wave radar gauges alongside an extensive range of innovative level, flow and volume controls for the process industries.
“Our work with Magnetrol has been fantastic for us,” Mr Quelch explained.“ It has opened the door to a lot of new applications and some very innovative new equipment that we're testing at the moment with a couple of customers.”
In a similar vein, ABLE is also M-Flow’s exclusive partner for distribution and support in the UK and Ireland. M-Flow’s cutting-edge water cut meter, the SureCut, is designed for the digital oilfield. This analyser is ideal for pipeline and terminal n etworks, where high precision is required, applying progressive density compensation and slug management.
The outlook for ABLE remains strong, combining innovative solutions with the enthusiasm and dedication of their highly qualified team. “There’s always something new here,” Mr Skelding said, in conclusion. “We are part of a very successful enterprise – one that’s actually got a personality. It is a good culture here and our products are the key to the future.” n
