To mark “Made in UK” day, 9th March 2026, Timespace Technology’s founder and Managing Director, Robert Heylen, explains why Timespace’s entirely UK-based design, manufacturing and post-sales support are central to product quality and customer satisfaction.
How does having Timespace’s R&D and manufacturing under one roof improve product quality and innovation?
Everything we do with our digital video recorders – product design, development, manufacturing and support – happens at our Cambridgeshire base. That closeness really matters.
Our R&D, production and test teams work side-by-side, which means ideas move quickly from suggestion to reality. Our in-house Test team effectively acts as the end-user, feeding back on our DVRs’ features, ease of installation, usability and reliability – exactly the things that matter to bus and coach operators.
Many of our product innovations have come directly from the Test team’s’ suggestions. Because we’re all in the same place, we can make improvements quickly, for example, refining hardware design, developing bespoke production tools to streamline manufacturing, or building in software settings to aid testing.
What are the benefits of having software development in-house?
Timespace products have bespoke software, developed by us in-house. We are in charge of our own development timescales and priorities, and can respond quickly to customer feedback and feature requests.
Being close to Cambridge gives us access to a strong pool of high-tech software expertise. For our customers, that means ongoing product refinement, long-term support and confidence that the software in their systems doesn’t depend on external third parties.
How does a UK-based supply chain benefit your customers?
We have very close control over our purchasing process, and can deal with issues or opportunities quickly. We purchase all components ourselves and provide kits to our UK PCB assembly partners – relatively unusual in our sector. Because we liaise directly with component suppliers, we can act very quickly if parts are becoming obsolete or there’s a last-time buy situation.
What lessons have recent global disruptions taught you about local manufacturing?
Recent global events have highlighted how vulnerable international supply chains can be. We hold buffer stock to protect against regional disruptions, and operating in the UK’s stable political and trading environment has allowed us to continue manufacturing throughout major events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and more recent international trade challenges.
Why does “Made in the UK” matter to your customers?
In the security and CCTV sector, we’re also seeing growing demand for products with clearly defined supply chains and non-Chinese manufacturing origins. Many operators now have internal procurement policies or customer expectations around equipment provenance.
Our UK model allows us to provide that clarity and reassurance.
Our customers have confidence in knowing that we control every aspect of our product development and post-sales support. They have security of supply, and know where their equipment is designed, where it is built and who to call for assistance. Our support is very responsive and hands-on, with site visits and close working relationships with fleet operators across the UK.
This article was originally written by Timespace Technology.
