What SDI Group does

SDI Group plc is a Cambridge, UK-headquartered buy-and-build holding company founded in September 2008 and listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange (ticker: SDI). Through 20+ wholly-owned subsidiary brands, the group designs and manufactures specialist lab equipment (LTE Scientific, Monmouth Scientific, Safelab, Synoptics, Severn Thermal Solutions), industrial and scientific sensors (Astles Control Systems, Chell Instruments, MPB Industries, Peak Sensors, PRP Optoelectronics, Sentek), and industrial and scientific products (Atik Cameras, Applied Thermal Control, Fraser Anti Static Techniques, Graticules Optics, InspecVision, Scientific Vacuum Systems, Collins Walker). Each subsidiary operates autonomously with its own brand, sales channels, and engineering teams, serving end-markets including life sciences, healthcare, aerospace and defence, motorsport, astronomy, water treatment, art conservation, semiconductor manufacturing, and general industrial process control. Notable program qualifications include Eurofighter Typhoon, F-16, F-22 Raptor, Airbus A320, the Tempest future combat air system, and 10 of 11 current Formula One teams.

SDI generates revenue through direct B2B sales of hardware, with pricing typically quote-based given the custom and engineered nature of most products (autoclaves, microLEDs, precision inspection machines, bespoke boilers, calibration-grade sensors). The group operates manufacturing or office sites across the UK (Cambridge, Swindon, Tonbridge, Oldham, North Walsham, Kempston, Newtownabbey) and Lisbon, Portugal, with distribution reaching Europe, North America and EMEA. GTM is sales-led, relying on direct technical sales engineers and long-standing customer relationships rather than digital channels. Revenue is hardware-driven with multi-year program cycles in regulated end-markets.

The business model is a serial-acquirer platform: SDI identifies niche industrial and scientific manufacturers with established reputations, acquires 100% ownership (LTE Scientific 2022, InspecVision 2024, Collins Walker 2025, Severn Thermal Solutions 2025, PRP Optoelectronics 2026), and provides shared capital, governance and acquisition funding while preserving subsidiary autonomy and brand identity. Acquisition consideration has ranged from £1.95m (Collins Walker) to £9.3m+ (PRP Optoelectronics), funded through a combination of operating cash flow and debt facilities including a ~£33m HSBC UK facility arranged in December 2025. The group has over 500 employees and 104,573,126 ordinary shares in issue as of September 2025.

Name

SDI Group

Legal name

SDI Group plc

Website

https://sdigroup.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SDI Group plc is a Cambridge-headquartered, AIM-listed buy-and-build holding company that designs and manufactures specialist lab equipment, industrial and scientific sensors, and scientific products through 20+ wholly-owned subsidiary brands serving life sciences, aerospace & defence, motorsport, semiconductor and industrial markets globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Instruments and Industrial Sensors

NAICS

Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Process Automation Instrumentation & Control (DCS, Valves, Actuators, Analyzers) (IMAHAHAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sensors & Instrumentation Electronics Manufacturing Services (Transmitters, analyzers, industrial sensors) (IMAGAGAL), Test, Measurement & Calibration Equipment Manufacturing Services (ATE, DAQ, metrology electronics) (IMAGAGAH), Industrial Controllers & Control Systems (PLCs, PACs, CNC Controllers) (IMAHAHAH)

Keywords

• Scientific instruments
• Industrial sensors
• Lab equipment
• Precision measurement
• LED optoelectronics

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: SDI Group generates revenue through the sale of specialist lab equipment, industrial and scientific sensors, and scientific products manufactured by its portfolio of subsidiary companies. Revenue comes from direct sales to industrial customers in various sectors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SDI Group plc is a buy-and-build holding company that designs and manufactures specialist scientific products through a portfolio of wholly-owned subsidiary brands. Its offerings span three categories: lab equipment (autoclaves, clean air solutions, fume cupboards, scientific imaging and gel documentation systems), industrial and scientific sensors (thermocouples, pressure scanners, capacitance manometers, electrochemical sensors, custom micro LEDs), and industrial and scientific products (precision inspection machines, anti-static equipment, scientific cameras, electric boilers, PVD coating systems). Products are sold B2B to customers in life sciences, healthcare, aerospace and defence, motorsport, industrial manufacturing, water treatment, astronomy and art conservation.

Product overview

SDI Group operates as a buy-and-build holding company with a portfolio of 20+ subsidiary brands across three main categories: Lab Equipment (LTE Scientific, Monmouth Scientific, Safelab Systems, Synoptics with sub-brands Syngene/Synbiosis/Fistreem, Severn Thermal Solutions), Industrial & Scientific Sensors (Astles Control Systems, Chell Instruments, MPB Industries, Peak Sensors, PRP Optoelectronics, Sentek), and Industrial & Scientific Products (Atik Cameras with Opus Instruments and Quantum Scientific Imaging, Applied Thermal Control, Fraser Anti Static Techniques, Graticules Optics, InspecVision, Scientific Vacuum Systems, Collins Walker). Each subsidiary operates independently with its own brand identity while benefiting from SDI Group's acquisition strategy and shared resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Graticules Optics: Precision micropattern products and photolithographic products on glass, film and metal foil
• LTE Scientific
• MPB Industries
• Safelab Systems
• Scientific Vacuum Systems
• Astles Control Systems
• Atik Cameras
• Monmouth Scientific
• Peak Sensors
• Sentek
• Synoptics
• Applied Thermal Control
• Chell Instruments
• Fraser Anti Static Techniques
• InspecVision
• Collins Walker
• PRP Optoelectronics
• Severn Thermal Solutions
• Opus Instruments
• Syngene
• Synbiosis
• Fistreem International
• Quantum Scientific Imaging

Products and services

• LTE Scientific Sterilization and Decontamination Equipment Manufactures and supplies life science, research and medical sterilization and decontamination equipment including autoclaves, environmental rooms, endoscope drying cabinets, thermal processing equipment, ovens, incubators, and solution/blanket warming cabinets for laboratories and healthcare facilities.
• Monmouth Scientific Clean Air Solutions Designs, manufactures and supplies clean air solutions for laboratory and industrial applications, including fume cupboards, laminar flow cabinets and containment equipment.
• Safelab Systems Fume Cupboards Manufactures BS EN compliant fume cupboards with 40 years of experience, offering nationwide installation and servicing capabilities for laboratory and industrial customers.
• Synoptics Scientific Imaging and Analysis Systems Manufactures and develops scientific instruments based on digital imaging technology, including gel documentation and analysis (Syngene), automated colony counting and zone sizing (Synbiosis), water purification products and vacuum ovens (Fistreem International).
• Severn Thermal Solutions High and Low Temperature Equipment Designs and manufactures standard and bespoke high and low temperature equipment including furnaces and environmental chambers ranging from -196C to +3000C, used in materials testing, nuclear, aerospace, semiconductors and research applications.
• Chell Instruments Pressure Scanning and Data Acquisition Manufactures thermal mass flow meters, capacitance manometers, leak rate monitors, and pressure scanning applications for Formula One, nuclear power, and aerospace industries. Offers ISO17025 accredited UKAS calibration facilities.
• Peak Sensors Temperature Sensors and Thermocouples Designs and manufactures temperature sensors specializing in standard and bespoke thermocouples and resistance thermometers, serving glass, ceramic, incinerators, cement and oven industries across 6 continents.
• PRP Optoelectronics Custom Micro LEDs and LED Light Engines Designs and manufactures custom high-performance micro LEDs, LED light engines and monolithic LEDs for defence, avionics and industrial applications, including optical sight reticule displays, imaging systems and high density print heads. Products are used in Eurofighter Typhoon, F-16, F-22 Raptor and Airbus A320 programmes.
• MPB Industries Flowmeters and Control Instrumentation Designs, manufactures and sells flowmeters and control instrumentation with applications in water treatment, power generation, gas and oil production, human medical anaesthesia, aviation, pharmaceutical, pollution control, and scientific analysis.
• Sentek Electrochemical Sensors Manufactures and markets off-the-shelf and custom-made electrochemical sensors for water-based applications used in laboratory analysis, food and beverage manufacture, and leisure industry water testing.
• Astles Control Systems Chemical Dosing Equipment Supplies chemical dosing and control systems to manufacturing industries including beverage cans, engineering, motor components, white goods, architectural aluminium and steel.
• InspecVision Precision Inspection Machines Develops precision inspection machines for industrial applications including the Planar inspection system for quality control and reverse engineering, using computer vision. Products sold in over 30 countries. Recipient of the Queen's Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2021.
• Atik Cameras Scientific Imaging Cameras Designs and manufactures highly sensitive cameras for life science, industrial applications and deep-sky astronomy imaging. Includes sub-brands Opus Instruments (infrared reflectography for art conservation) and Quantum Scientific Imaging (astronomical and life science cameras). Based in Lisbon, Portugal.
• Collins Walker Industrial Electric Boilers Leading brand in the industrial electric boiler market offering bespoke steam and hot water solutions for healthcare, industrial processing, distillation, brewing, commercial buildings and distributed heating applications.
• Fraser Anti Static Techniques Industrial Equipment Manufactures anti-static equipment and customized solutions for OEMs and manufacturers, addressing electrostatic challenges in industrial processes with cost-effective equipment.
• Graticules Optics Precision Micropattern Products World-class designer and manufacturer of precision micropattern products with over 70 years of pedigree, offering photolithographic products on glass, film and metal foil with coatings, cementing, mounting and optical assembly.
• Scientific Vacuum Systems PVD Coating Equipment Manufactures Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) systems since 1990, specializing in electron beam evaporation systems, production sputter coaters, and sputtering and evaporation techniques for thin-film coating applications.
• Applied Thermal Control Chillers and Heat Exchangers Manufactures and supplies chillers, coolers and heat exchangers used within the scientific instrument support market for cooling systems that protect instrumentation and improve analytical repeatability.

Quantifiable outcome

• Chell Instruments now supplies 10 of 11 Formula One teams
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Regional players

• Calian Group Ltd. Canadian-listed technology solutions company with a buy-and-build approach in industrial and scientific markets. Operates a multi-brand, decentralised model comparable to SDI but primarily serving North American customers.

Direct peers

• Judges Scientific plc: AIM-listed UK group acquiring and operating specialist scientific instrument businesses. Highly comparable model to SDI in targeting niche, profitable, founder-led laboratory and industrial instrumentation companies.
• Halma plc: FTSE 100-listed UK group pursuing an identical buy-and-build model in safety, sensor, and environmental instrumentation markets. SDI's decentralised structure, AIM listing, and niche acquisition strategy mirror Halma's earlier-stage profile, making it the closest comparable.
• Vitec Group plc: AIM-listed UK group operating a federation of specialist technology brands in niche markets. The decentralised portfolio model and acquisition-led growth strategy closely parallel SDI's structure.
• discoverIE Group plc: AIM-listed UK designer and supplier of customised electronic components and industrial sensors. Directly comparable to SDI's sensor subsidiaries (Peak Sensors, MPB Industries, Sentek) in B2B industrial sensor distribution and design.
• Porvair plc: AIM-listed UK specialist filtration and laboratory products manufacturer. The current SDI Audit Chair (Mark Fryer) has Porvair board ties, and the portfolio focus on lab/industrial consumables overlaps with SDI's LTE Scientific and Synoptics subsidiaries.

Broad incumbents

• Renishaw plc: FTSE 250-listed UK metrology and precision measurement specialist. Directly comparable to SDI's InspecVision subsidiary in industrial quality control and precision inspection.
• AMETEK Inc. US-listed electronic instruments and electromechanical devices manufacturer with a strong buy-and-build M&A track record. Comparable in providing measurement, calibration, and sensor technologies across industrial markets.
• Mettler-Toledo International: Global leader in precision instruments and laboratory equipment. Comparable in lab/analytical instrumentation end-markets but at much larger scale than SDI's portfolio.
• Spectris plc: FTSE 250-listed UK precision instrumentation group with brands like Malvern Panalytical and HBK. Comparable in serving industrial test & measurement end-markets (similar to Chell Instruments and InspecVision) but at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sdigroup
• Xx.com/sdigroupltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries23 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A17 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SDI Group