Datum Alloys Ltd was started in Kingsbridge in the South West of England in 1994. Our founder, Ben Scott, spotted and opportunity to import and distribute small quantities of controlled thermal expansion alloys while working at a local engineering company. He set out on his own and began sourcing nickel iron alloys from the USA and marketing them to the telecommunications industry.
In 1998 Ben spotted another gap in the market to supply precision stainless steel strip (or foil) to the surface mount technology (SMT) industry. Around this time the SMT sector was moving towards printing solder paste to enable the rapid assembly and production of printed circuit boards. The stainless steel foil that Ben began sourcing was an ideal substrate for the production of laser cut and chemically etched stencils. Datum Alloys has since developed these materials further to improve their performance and characteristics and now supplies the best materials for this application.
Around 2001 a further opportunity arose to produce tailor made nickel and nickel plated connectors for the rechargeable battery pack industry. This by supplying simple straight connectors or ‘tags’ and has developed to include a range of custom made link connectors and wire crimps.
In 2005 we opened our facility in Singapore and early 2011 saw the start of our USA operations in Endicott, New York State. This allows us to provide a first class service to our global customer base giving them the service levels and quick deliveries they have grown to expect from Datum Alloys.
Although no longer directly involved with Datum Alloys Ben remains the major shareholder. The global operation now functions under the guidance of the UK based directors and local general managers.
Over the years we have continued to develop the business and expand and improve our product. We have our own high quality internal processing and manufacturing capabilities. We continue to deal with some of the largest and most technically proficient steel mills that can supply the quality of material we require and we engage with other specialist manufacturers.
The service we provide has ensured we've retained many of the same customers we started with and we continue to grow our market share in all sectors. We continue to offer technical support and advice and our knowledge has enabled us to develop a number of products that are now recognised as industry standards.