York business leads revolution in microscope technology

A pioneering York business is leading the way in cutting-edge microscope technology, thanks to support from City of York Council and the York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub.

Poppleton-based business York Probe Sources (YPS) make parts for powerful electron microscopes, which use electron beams to generate high-resolution images of samples as small as viruses and nanofibres.

The company specialises in refurbishing older microscopes to make high-tech microscopy more sustainable and accessible for researchers worldwide. This initiative will have far-reaching impacts in areas such as research into viruses like COVID-19, and in materials science, medical diagnostics and renewable energy technologies.

Since 2023, YPS’ Director Omar El-Gomati and his team have been supported by the council’s Business Growth Manager, Louise Saw, who has provided the business with advice on their next steps to growth – including taking on more staff and expanding into new premises - and helped them access finance and training.

Louise referred YPS to Mike Pennington, a Business Relationship Manager at the York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub, who helped the business secure £20,000 in grant funding from the national Made Smarter scheme to scale up their business. The grant covered half of the cost of a new machine.

The new machine will automate the manufacture of field emitters – the part of the microscope which produces and emits a beam of electrons. Until now, this process had been undertaken by older machines in a slow and delicate process which could only produce one unit at a time and which had a high failure rate.

Investing in the new machine has made the manufacturing process more productive and efficient, by allowing multiple units to be produced simultaneously whilst helping to reduce costly waste.

This has allowed the company to scale up production and offer more competitive pricing to customers as part of its ambition to make electron microscopy more affordable and accessible.

Omar El-Gomati, Director at York Probe Sources, said:

“Having built our business in York and developed our unique offer of refurbishing microscopes in a cost-effective and sustainable way, we’re now looking to scale up our production to remain competitive in a fast-moving industry dominated by large international players.

“By investing in new technology with automation and computer control, we’re replacing a tedious, manual process with a faster and more precise method. This allows us to produce higher-quality products more quickly and cost-effectively.

“Thanks to the investment from Made Smarter and the support we’ve received from City of York Council and the Combined Authority, we’re now better placed to grow our business, making optical instruments here in York to sell to researchers around the world.”

Louise also helped YPS access a wide range of programmes, including supporting Omar in successfully applying to the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses UK programme, which helped him develop a clear strategy for the direction of his business’ future growth, and the Innovate York scheme, which will enable Omar’s team to adapt to changing trends, expand their market reach and gain competitive advantage.

Mohamed El-Gomati, Founder of York Probe Sources, said:

“As our business grows, it’s wonderful to be playing our part in York’s rich history of contributing to vital scientific research by manufacturing high-quality optical instruments.

“I can remember using a York-built Vickers microscope myself earlier in my career, and we’re very proud to be following in the footsteps of these earlier businesses and to be contributing to research that makes a real difference across the globe.”

YPS is poised to recruit more technical staff, including apprentices, as they aim to nurture the next generation of engineering talent.

The company is also expanding into bigger lab premises, adjoining their existing facility, and is looking to continue to automate more of its processes in the future.

YPS are the latest business in York’s long history of manufacturing innovative scientific instruments, beginning with Thomas Cooke’s Bishophill factory in 1837. Cooke’s business was later acquired by Vickers Instruments, who built a larger site on Haxby Road.

David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, said:

“The diversity of our business community is one of York and North Yorkshire’s greatest strengths. York Probe Sources are among our future focussed, high growth businesses, who are leading innovation and creating new and higher paid jobs. It’s great to see the positive impact of the support they have had, and the partnership working behind it all.

“The business community play a vital role in ensuring our region has a connected and thriving economy and I am keen businesses from around the region help to shape the Combined Authority’s economic plans by joining my new Business Board to make sure all businesses are able to benefit from devolution”.

Cllr Pete Kilbane, City of York Council’s Executive Member for Economy and Culture, said:  

“In our Council Plan, we committed to building a fair, thriving, green economy for all. It’s wonderful to see first-hand the impact of our support for York Probe Sources as they continue to create well-paid jobs for the next generation and lead the way in making vital scientific research more sustainable and more accessible the world over.

“The work Omar, Mohamed and their team are doing is locally vital and globally significant, building on a rich history in York of manufacturing cutting-edge optical instruments, dating all the way back to Cooke & Sons in 1837. I’m proud to see that our city continues to play a real part in making the UK a world leader in scientific engineering.

“The success of York Probe Sources in securing investment demonstrates the real-world impact of the personalised business support we offer in partnership with our Combined Authority colleagues, and I’d encourage any businesses looking for help to grow to get in touch with our team.”