About Bretby Gammatech

Over the past 20 years, Bretby Gammatech has pioneered coal monitoring technology.

Our business was established in 1994 by a number of technical experts from British Coal, who set up Bretby Gammatech and developed the early prototype for our Ash Probe.

Since then the Ash Probe has become renowned internationally for its ease of use and accuracy, saving hundreds of mines and coal processing plants money every day.  In many cases, our technology can pay for itself in just one month!

We have developed a number of different products over the years, such as the Lab Ash, Ash Eye, Heat Eye and Gamma Eye.  In recent years, we have updated the product range, which is now available with interactive digital displays that feature touch screen technology.  This is making them more user friendly with the ability to display function keys in languages other than English.

In 2012, Bretby Gammatech was acquired by the President Engineering Group Ltd (PEGL), a worldwide group that manufactures valve technology for a wide range of different markets from mining to marine.  Since then, PEGL has invested in our systems and technologies to further enhance our services to customers across the world. Our company has a very new team – with all staff appointed within the last two years since the previous Directors retired following a buyout by PEGL of Sheffield in September 2012.  Since then we have continued to deliver excellent customer care and as a result have not lost one single customer.

Environmental sustainability

As a business, we are committed to good environmental stewardship. This includes working with local suppliers for everything from metal fabrication to the freight forwarding company we use, which helps to minimise our carbon footprint.  We are also committed to cleaning up and maintaining our environment here in Derbyshire, England.  Our staff carry out twice monthly litter picks along Route 6 of the National Cycle Network, which runs alongside the back of our premises in an effort to keep the track clear and promote the Keep Britain Tidy campaign to track users.

We have a network of agents and distributors in all the major coal producing countries around the world, providing that essential knowledge of the home markets to support our customers. For more details of our agents click here.

Our use of natural gamma radiation to measure the ash or dirt content of coal is a much safer, more cost-effective option.  It involves no health and safety issues, no specialist de-commissioning procedures that are necessary with radioactive techniques and it therefore minimises risks and protects workers and ultimately the business.

Because our products are being sold in very harsh environments, down to -30°C for Siberia and -50°C for Mongolia up to 40°C+ in some African countries, our equipment is designed to maintain product quality and performance against these very extreme temperature changes.

We have invested in developing software systems for the automated testing of critical system components.  This means quality can be monitored during the manufacturing process to enable us to provide records for shipped components, maintaining traceability throughout for the benefit of the customer. 

Our company has the backing of the worldwide President Engineering Group Ltd, which acquired Bretby Gammatech in 2012, and is headquartered in Sheffield, England.