New ‘Bertioli Innovation Centre’ honours Druck founder Mike Bertioli and showcases five decades of innovation, including pressure indicator used in World Land Speed Record
LEICESTER, U.K. – 3 September 2026 – Druck, a Crane Company business and global leader in pressure measurement technology, announced today that one of its instruments has returned home to Druck’s Groby, Leicester, global headquarters nearly 30 years after helping support the historic world land speed record.
The DPI 300A pressure indicator, used by the Thrust SSC team during its record-breaking world land speed attempt in the Nevada Desert in 1997, has been reunited with Druck after being discovered on eBay by Druck Sales Representative, Leo Deacon.
The DPI 300A played a critical role providing highly accurate barometric pressure measurements that the team relied on throughout the testing and record attempts. The DPI 300A helped inspire future generations of Druck technology, with its legacy continuing today in products such as the DPI610E portable pressure calibrator, DPI705E pressure indicator and PACE1000E precision pressure indicator.
Recognising the instrument’s significance, Deacon purchased the DPI 300A in 2021 for just £25 from a former member of the Thrust SSC team and has now donated it to Druck. The instrument will take pride of place in the newly named Bertioli Innovation Centre at Druck’s Groby, headquarters in Leicestershire, where it will form the centrepiece of a new heritage exhibition celebrating more than 50 years of Druck’s pressure measurement and calibration innovation.
“It was exciting enough to discover an example of one of the very first Druck instruments ever produced, but to find one with such a remarkable story behind it made it even more special,” said Leo Deacon. “This DPI 300A played a role in one of Britain’s greatest engineering achievements, which makes it a unique piece of Druck’s heritage. When I heard the company was creating this new exhibition, I knew this was its fitting home and I’m delighted it will now be preserved and shared with future generations.”
The Bertioli Innovation Centre was formally renamed today in honour of Druck co-founder Mike Bertioli. Mike established Druck alongside fellow co-founder John Salmon in 1972 and went on to invent many of the technologies that shaped the modern pressure measurement industry, including the world’s first silicon piezoresistive pressure sensors. Mike passed away in 2021 at the age of 88. His daughter, Caryn Hibbert, attended today’s unveiling ceremony on behalf of the Bertioli family.
Alongside the DPI 300A, the Bertioli Innovation Centre features a permanent exhibition showcasing the people, products and innovations that have shaped Druck’s journey since its founding in 1972. Through a collection of Druck instruments and milestones, the exhibition highlights how Druck technology has enabled critical applications across aerospace, energy, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, transport, meteorology and industry for more than five decades, while celebrating the pioneering spirit and engineering excellence that continue to inspire future generations of innovators.
“Mike Bertioli’s inventions helped create a company that has grown from a small Leicester start-up into a global leader in pressure measurement technology,” said Druck President, Gordon Docherty. “I hope Mike would be proud of the global business Druck has become and the impact its technology continues to have around the world. The return of the DPI 300A and the naming of the Bertioli Innovation Centre in his honour connect us directly to the pioneering spirit that built this company and remind us that the innovation, ambition and engineering excellence Mike championed remain at the heart of Druck today.”
Caryn Hibbert added: “My father would have been incredibly proud to see his name associated with a centre that celebrates Druck’s history and innovation. The return of the DPI 300A, with its link to the world land speed record, makes it especially meaningful for our family.”
About the World Land Speed Record
On 15 October 1997, Thrust SSC set the official world land speed with a speed of 763.035 mph (1,227.986 km/h) in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert and in the process become the first and only land vehicle to officially break the sound barrier. Driven by Royal Air Force pilot Andy Green, the record remains unbeaten nearly 30 years later and is widely regarded as one of the greatest achievements in British engineering.
About the DPI 300A
Introduced in 1979, the DPI 300A was a variant of the DPI 100 series, Druck’s first generation of digital pressure indicator and helped establish the company’s reputation for precision pressure measurement. Combining advanced silicon sensing technology with exceptional accuracy and stability, this product series became widely used in wide range of applications and markers such as aerospace, defence, industrial, research and environmental. Its success helped lay the foundations for Druck’s modern pressure measurement and calibration portfolio, which today includes products such as the PACE1000E precision pressure indicator, DPI705E handheld pressure indicator and DPI610E portable pressure calibrator.
The DPI 300A’s role in the World Land Speed Record
The DPI 300A played a critical role as the team’s reference standard, providing highly accurate barometric pressure measurements they relied on throughout testing and the record attempts to calculate the car’s projected speeds including when it would break the sound barrier, as atmospheric pressure directly affects air density, which influences aerodynamic performance and engine thrust. The instrument was also used to provide the local pressure readings given to light aircraft for them to safely land at the desert site where the record-breaking runs took place.
ENDS
About Druck:
Druck, a Crane Company business, designs, develops and manufactures high quality pressure measurement technology and instrumentation. With more than 50 years of experience, our pressure sensors and test and calibration instrumentation provide customers with advanced levels of accuracy, reliability and stability, enabling safer, more efficient operations. Druck technology is trusted by customers in critical applications across many industries including aerospace, automotive, semiconductor, oil and gas, power generation, meteorology and hydrology. Druck forms part of Crane Company’s Aerospace & Advanced Technologies segment. druck.com I Druck LinkedIn.
About Crane Company:
Crane Company has delivered innovation and technology-led solutions for customers since its founding in 1855. Today, Crane Company is a leading manufacturer of highly engineered components for challenging, mission-critical applications focused on the aerospace, defense, space and process industry end markets. The Company is comprised of two strategic growth platforms, Aerospace & Advanced Technologies and Process Flow Technologies. Crane has approximately 8,300 employees in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. Crane Company is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:CR). For more information, visit www.craneco.com.
