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Technology firm to rock all over the world

A fledgling technology firm has revealed ambitious plans to become a £12m-a-year enterprise within five years as it helps rock bands all over the world make themselves heard.

KBO Dynamics, based in Consett, County Durham, has developed an electronics component which allows guitarists to produce sounds reminiscent of classic amplifiers, without the unreliability associated with older technology.

The firm’s TubeSync product has been backed by £130,000 in external investment throughout the research and development stage and has now emerged with its first commercial orders to amplifier manufacturers.

The company plans to launch the product in the US market once it has completed the patent process and is confident of becoming a multimillion-pound operation as the technology takes off.

The duo behind the firm are working closely with a number of heavyweight amplifier brands in the UK and, if negotiations at home and abroad are successful, they could soon be helping the likes of The Killers, Coldplay and the Arctic Monkeys keep their fans happy.

The product was initially developed to overcome many of the problems associated with conventional valve amplification and its goal is to improve amplifier design without changing the fundamental amplification process, so tone and sound remains unchanged.

Andy Fallon, who runs the firm with his business partner Colin Arrowsmith, said the product was targeted at a niche in a hugely lucrative global market and would be rolled out across the world if it takes off in the UK and US market.

He said: “Neither of us know anything about guitars but we were looking for a niche market. We see the company growing over the next five years and gradually taking on additional staff on the technical side in the North East and manufacturing staff overseas.”

KBO received a £90,000 Proof of Concept grant in 2008 from NStar and more recently £20,000 in funding from North East England Investment Centre and £20,000 funding from regional development agency One North East.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .