Sarsen Technology Christmas Office Hours

The Sarsen Technology offices will be closed over the festive period.

If there is anything we can help you with before the end of the year please let us know.

Friday 14th December - Limited Availability

Friday 21st December - Open

Monday 24th December - Closed

Tuesday 25th December - Closed

Wednesday 26th December - Closed

Thursday 27th December - Closed

Friday 28th December - Closed

Monday 31st January 2019 - Closed

Tuesday 1st January 2019 - Closed

Wednesday 2nd January 2019 - Open

Emails will be monitored, and technical support will be provided directly by our manufacturers.

Click for Out of Hours Support

From everyone at Sarsen Technology, we wish you and your families a very

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

 

A Walk Down Christmas Memory Lane...

There are only 13 sleeps to Santa, and here at Sarsen we do like to celebrate Christmas. This year we have a beautiful tree from Val and the lovely elves at Nature at Work, and Angela has planned a cracker (get it!?) of a Christmas do.

We've done a lot of different things over the last 17 years, from fancy dress parties to burlesque nights, extraordinary gastronomic experiences to cosy pub lunches. There are always plenty of photos/evidence to remember them by and there's normally a silly hat or two involved!

 This year we are taking a trip to Salisbury Plain to see the Great Bustards, which have been reintroduced back into the wild thanks to the hard work of The Great Bustard Group.

We'll be ready for a good feed after spending time in the bird hide, so we're stopping off for a festive feast at The Red Lion in East Chisenbury where all the Secret Santa fun and games will commence!

If you have any photos of your Christmas parties we'd love to see them! Ours will be posted here next Friday for your festive viewing pleasure :)

Best wishes to all friends and colleagues, old and new (especially to those who managed to avoid being in any photos!!).
Thanks for the memories!
Team Sarsen

Have You Got The Skills We Need?

WANTED: Sales Engineer / Business Development Manager
SKILLS REQUIRED: 
• Effective written and verbal communications skills
• The desire to take your career to the next stage and flourish in an SME environment
• Degree in Electronic Engineering, Physics, Computer Science or a related field
• FPGA and/or ARM CPU architecture experience an advantage
• The ability to work effectively as part of a small team
• The ability to build long-term and effective relationships with clients quickly
• Strong, proven analytical and problem-solving skills
• Resilience and tenacity
• Energy and drive
• Independent and creative
• A full driving licence
FULL JOB SPEC: Download pdf

Sarsen Technology is a leading distributor of embedded hardware and software solutions, and is proud to be a part of the exciting and diverse technology industry in the UK.

We are looking for a motivated and adaptable Sales Engineer or Business Development Manager to join our friendly team based in Marlborough, UK.

This role is key to the next stage of the development of Sarsen Technology. We are looking for someone with the ambition, skills and drive to work towards a significant leadership role within a well-established technology SME.

The new role is due to business growth across a number of the markets we operate in. In order to support our growth we need to add exceptional people to our fantastic team. We are looking for a dynamic and socially confident Engineer who is able to demonstrate a positive attitude to clients, suppliers and the rest of the Sarsen team.

If you have any questions or would like to apply please send your CV and covering letter to:
Nigel Norman
Managing Director
Sarsen Technology Limited
Tel: 01672 511166
Email: nigel.norman@sarsen.net

13 Years A Sarsen Technology Employee...

13 years. That's a long time in anyone's book. 2004 doesn't seem that long ago, but lots has happened since then. Britney Spears got married, divorced, married and divorced again, Marvel released 36 movies,  Roger Federer won Wimbledon 6 times and we all sat through six seasons of Lost. Was it a dream? Does anyone even care?

Here at Sarsen Technology the last 13 years have been pretty great, because we've been lucky enough to have had Lynn as part of the team.

Lynn is an integral part of the company, providing all the accounting and financial processes including invoicing and banking, but more importantly she looks after holiday administration and salaries! Lynn's input is essential to the smooth running of the office day to day.

The traditional gift for a thirteenth anniversary is lace, but we couldn't find anything suitable (or appropriate) so to celebrate this special anniversary we visited The Polly Tea Rooms for a spot of afternoon tea.

If you're ever in Marlborough we definitely recommend a visit. Their scones are some of the best we've ever had. And we eat a lot of cake...

Thank you Lynn for all your hard work and support over the last 13 years, we look forward to working with you for many more.

Best wishes,
Nigel, Angela,
Laura, Christos & Kevin.

 

Sarsen Technology Pumpkin Challenge 2015

This year we decided to celebrate Hallowe'en with a little bit of pumpkin carving. It turns out we all have hidden artistic talents. Some are just more deeply hidden than others!

The use of the Jack O'Lantern originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed “Stingy Jack.”

As the story goes, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn’t want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. 

Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree’s bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years.

Soon after, Jack died. God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as “Jack of the Lantern,” and then, simply “Jack O’Lantern.” 

The very nice people at the Food Gallery (a fabulous establishment in Marlborough for the most discerning of coffee drinkers) send two of their best and fairest to judge the competition. I think they picked a worthy winner. Well done Lynn!

Check out the rest of the pictures below, including some wonderful fancy dress!

Sarsen Technology Christmas Opening Hours

author - Laura

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

The Sarsen Technology offices will be closed over the festive period, so if there is anything we can help you with before the end of the year please let us know.

We will also be wearing our Christmas jumpers on December 22nd, just for fun, so if you want to send us any pictures of you and your team in all your Christmas finery please email them to me at laurab@sarsen.net.

Sarsen Technology is Hiring!

We've started the New Year with a lot of focus on the United Electronic Industries product line.

To support this focus we're on the lookout for someone to join the team in an FAE/Sales Engineer

role. We want someone who can provide sales and technical support to both new prospects and existing customers.

If you have a solid technical background and a strong drive to succeed, we're looking for you. The products we supply and support are industry-leading and complex. You would be responsible for sales activity within specified current key accounts and for sales activity at prospects from assigned sales leads.

The skills and experience we are looking for include:

• 2+ years’ experience in an engineering or technical position
• LabVIEW, MATLAB or Simulink programming experience
• Effective written and verbal communications skills
• Programming experience in a PC environment
• Degree in Electronic Engineering, Physics, Computer Science or a related field
• Instrumentation, DAQ or Control system experience
• Linux, QNX, VxWorks or other Real-Time OS experience
• Prior technical support or technical sales experience
• Sound business judgement to quickly identify strong opportunities and action plans
• The ability to work effectively as part of a team
• The ability to quickly build long-term and effective relationships with clients
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Resilience and tenacity
• Independent and creative sales technique
• A full driving licence

If you think you tick these boxes we want to talk to you. Please contact Nigel Norman on +44 1672 511166 or send us an email. 

NO AGENCIES PLEASE

Sarsen Technology is Open for Business!

Following a lovely Christmas break, filled with too much wine and chocolate (what exactly is 'too much'?), we are back in the office ready to help with your data acquistion worries, your FPGA hardware headaches and your DSP disasters.

With coffers full of hardware, software and support know-how from the likes of BittWare, Trenton Systems, UEI and ZNYX Networks (not forgetting Dave Embedded Systems, Conduant, Danville, Ecrin, X-ES, VersaLogic, General Standards and Tech Source!) Sarsen Technology is a one-stop-shop for all your embedded system requirements.

You can call us on +44 1672 511166, or drop us an email - info@sarsen.net.

We look forward to working with you in 2014!

BittWare	General Standards
Conduant	Tech Source
Danville Signal Processing	Trenton Systems
Dave Embedded Systems	United Electronic Industries
Ecrin Systems	VersaLogic
Extreme Engineering Solutions	ZNYX Networks

Sarsen Technology Christmas Hours

The Sarsen Technology elves will be having a well-earned rest from Christmas Eve through to 2nd January 2014.

If there is anything we can help you with before next Tuesday please get in touch with the team on +44 1672 511166, or drop us an email - info@sarsen.net

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

From everyone at Sarsen Technology.

Marlborough High Street plays host to 4 Military Intelligence Battalion - 28th November 2013

Thursday was a very special day in Marlborough.

The Chief of the Defence staff and the Marlborough Mayor presented 37 soldiers from 45 Company, 4 Military Intelligence Battalion (4MI Bn), based in Bulford, Wiltshire with their Operational Service Medal for service in Afghanistan.

Eighty soldiers of 45 Company, 4MI, were joined by 150 of their colleagues, and Blue, their greyhound mascot, exercising the Battalion’s right as holders of the Freedom of Marlborough to march through the town’s streets. They were accompanied by the band of the Grenadier Guards, who played some fabulous music, including Thriller and the Mission Impossible theme.

4MI Bn was formed on 3 September 2001 but can trace its roots back to the D-Day landings of the Second World War. 4 MI Bn’s mission is to deliver intelligence and counter intelligence support to the Army. In Afghanistan, the Battalion provided vital information to the Chain of Command in order for tactical decisions to be made.

The parade was watched by Marlborough Town Council dignitaries, families and friends, and hundreds of school children who turned out to wave their flags and cheer the troops. The close ties between the town and the Battalion is underlined by the Battalion’s use of the greyhound as its emblem as illustrated in the Town’s coat of arms.

It was a moving and heartfelt celebration of the final 4 MI Bn homecoming for soldiers returning from Afghanistan.

It Ain’t What You Do It’s The Place That You Do It!

We have a big window in the Sarsen Technology front office, giving us fabulous views of Marlborough High Street. This gives us a premium vantage point to witness all the day to day activity and sometimes even dramas that occur right outside our door.

Marlborough High Street view from our office

This morning we have witnessed an irate builder getting a parking ticket, a couple of near misses with a bus and a fabulous lady dressed head to foot in red, from her hat to her shoes. Better than daytime TV anyway!

Working here has plenty of benefits. It’s not a swanky office block with a slide rather than stairs (note to the boss – can we have a slide pleeeease?) but it’s a fabulous old building with loads of character - high ceilings, slightly wonky stairs and a terrifying dungeon. I mean, basement!

Slide Slide Slide!!

It can be cold in the winter – original wooden sash windows don’t really insulate, but the balcony makes up for it in the summer. We have prime seating for local events like the Jazz Festival and Olympic Torch Relay, and with 8 pubs within walking distance Friday lunchtimes are catered for as well!

Tim on the balcony for the Olympic Torch Relay

We have been in this office for about 6 years, and we’ve decided it’s time for a little facelift. So we’re looking at new artwork, some new photos for our Rogues Gallery, and possibly a little paint splashed around here and there. It’s a great place to work, but like everything good, it needs a little helping hand to stay at its best.

Decor ideas on a postcard to Sarsen Technology!

Have a great weekend.

Debbie's Marathon des Sables Diary 2013 - Part 2!

105km down, 126 still to go.....

So far, Debbie has crossed searing sands, suffered blisters and bruises, and discovered the wonder that is mint tea.

Her adventure continues...

Stage 4 – 75.7km - Taourirt Mouchanne to Oued el Jdaid

(AKA The Big Nasty!)

Slept badly, began with queasy tummy and nausea, slogged the first 36km feeling sick so forcing insufficient intake of water, salt and calories .. temperature 54C - reached Check Point (CP)3 and collapsed in medical tent with heat stroke and dehydration - my lowest point of the week .. took 2 hours to rehydrate enough to get back on my feet - staggered every step of the remaining 40km on verge of D and V. Extremely hard to maintain hydration.

Crossed 10km of sand dunes between CP4 and CP5 around midnight, amazingly twinkly night sky. Buddied with 2 American guys as nervous about my condition and erratic visibility of glow sticks which disappeared amongst the mountainous dunes (biggest height and distance of dunes all week). Navigation to CP5 assisted by Star Trek-esque laser beam pointing into the night sky, visible for 20 miles. Managed hot food at CP5 but collapsed again at CP6 taking refuge in sleeping bag for an hour.

Set off on last 10km around 4am .. quite surreal as shuffling alone, following pin pricks of marker glow sticks - when I felt lonely I could turn and see a tiny trail of head torch lights behind me. Dawn and sunrise were beautiful and the sight of camp made me weep .. finally hobbled over finish line around 7.20am. Learnt later that Laurence Klein, favourite to win ladies, had retired from race at CP4 with heat stroke..

Rest Day
A can of chilled coke - bloody miraculous!!
Rehydrated fully and doubled my salt intake.

Stage 5 – 42.2km- Oued el Jdaid to Erg Znaigui
Feeling so much stronger, temperatures still over 50C but fully hydrated and no nausea. Remained on double dose of salt tablets. Doused my Union Jack with water and draped over my shoulders to help ward off baking heat. Realised I was maintaining quicker pace as didn't recognise those around me. Finally glimpsed the Finish Line, seemed to take forever to reach and so euphoric on crossing the line I ran past Patrick Bauer waiting to present my medal and had to be ushered back .. Tent buddies probably have it about right naming me Dipsy!! Ranking = 483 .. saved my best for last!

Final Ranking – 736

Charity Stage - 8km – Erg Znaigui to Merzouga
8km of sand dunes on Saturday in support of UNICEF, rather weary but enjoyed waving my flag decorated with Luke, Katie, Max and Toms' names .. finally managed to feature in the official photos - the Union Jack is such a distinctive flag!

Debbie will be in the Sarsen office on Friday to collect her cheque for Facing Africa.

Debbie's Marathon des Sables Diary 2013 - Part 1

“Huge thanks to everyone for such fantastic support - sponsorship for Facing Africa is now up to £11,564.51! Tremendously appreciative of your good luck wishes, emails in the desert and congrats messages .. the highlight of each day was crossing the finish line for a cup of sweet mint tea and the tearful anticipation of emails from home ...”

Known simply as the MdS, the race is a brutal six-day adventure across one of the world’s most inhospitable locations - the Sahara desert. The rules require you to be self-sufficient, to carry with you on your back everything except water that you need to survive. You are given a place in a bivouac to sleep at night, but any other equipment and food must be carried.

There are 6 stages in the MdS, each with it's own challenges. It starts with a 37.2km hike from the start at Ihrs to Khermou in Errachidia......

Stage One - 37.2km - Irhs to Khermou
"Biggest challenge was weight of 10kg pack, struggled with searing heat, adapting to typical terrain, mixture of ascents up djebels (a hill or mountain in an Arab country), mountain passes, sand mounds, camel grass, rock, crevasses, sand dunes … 1st blister (left instep), hands like 2 bunches of bananas .. glad to reach bivouac for first cup of legendary mint tea!"
Ranking = 732

MdS 2013 bivouac

Stage Two - 30.7km - Khermou to Jebel el Otfal
"Most technical day with greatest ascent = 1000m: my favourite day for the views from the high mountain ridges .. 2nd, 3rd and 4th blisters plus 2 bruised big toenails .. feeling stronger by using poles which helped offload weight of pack and enabled my Saharan shuffle to increase a little in pace, gave me better balance scrambling over rocks and boulders, helped reduce swelling of hands.
Ranking = 625

Blisters 2, 3 and 4!!

Stage Three - 38km - Jebel el Otfal to Taourirt Mouchanne
"Acclimatising better to heat, pack and terrain. 5th blister - oh the joys of wonder drug paracetamol! Feet and ankles grossly swollen, prickly heat unpleasant but everyone suffering so time to grit teeth and keep going.....".
Ranking = 594

The MdS route covers many different types of landscape.

105km down, 126 still to go..... Check back on Monday to read the rest of Debbie's account of her epic Saharan adventure!

Meet the Sarsen Team!!

A recurring thought when working with our partners round the globe is that it would be great to be able to put a face to a name, especially when you’re speaking to the same people every day.

So, by popular request, here is our guide to the main players at Sarsen Technology, in no particular order….

Colleen Jameson – Colleen is our Office Administrator. She manages the day to day administration for the sales team to ensure things run smoothly, as well as all the business admin that goes on behind the scenes. She is first point of contact for our manufacturers and organises all of the events and exhibitions we attend. She is also organising our Christmas party this year, which is probably the most important job she will have to do in 2012!

Tim Norris
Twitter - @embedded_tim
Tim is one of our UK account managers. His role is to engage with a set of key accounts and to understand their technical requirements in terms of embedded hardware. Tim has been working with Sarsen Technology for 6 years and has experience providing solutions on the complete range of products.

Lynn Scholefield – Lynn is our ‘numbers lady’. She is very popular with the team because she arranges payment of salaries. She also has to channel her inner terrier to chase up the overdue invoices and hound customers for payment! Lynn juggles cash flows and foreign currency requirements, and analyses the many pages of data that summarises how the company is doing financially.


Robbie Burns 
Twitter - @Robbie_Sarsen

Robbie is one of our UK account managers, and is responsible for some of our largest customers. Robbie works remotely, spending a lot of time on the road meeting with existing and potential customers, and attending local industry events including WEAF.  Also answers to Vic.

 

Laura Jeffs
Twitter - @laura_sarsen

Laura is both the newest member of the team, and one of the longest serving.  Laura was promoted to Product Manager in December 2011, having represented another service for Sarsen previously. Laura is the liaison for United Electronic Industries and VersaLogic Corp, and coordinates the marketing activity and sales support for these manufacturers.

Nigel Norman
Twitter - @nigel_sarsen

Nigel is the captain of the Sarsen ship. Nigel started Sarsen Technology in 2000, and the company has grown significantly in the last 12 years. He has lived in the Marlborough area for 15 years and enjoys developing the business, working with his colleagues at Sarsen, sailing, music festivals with his teenage kids (when the sun is shining), football and playing cricket for the village team.

There are lots of other people who help Sarsen stay a well oiled machine, but these are the people you will speak to day to day at the Sarsen Technology office in Marlborough, Wiltshire.

We're a nice bunch - give us a call on +44 1672 511166 and we'll tell you all about our products and services.

Friday 13th. Unlucky for some?

Paraskevidekatriaphobia, or the morbid, irrational fear of Friday 13th, affects as many as 21 million people across the world. Fortunately the fear of a date, and it's lucky or unlucky effect, doesn't affect educated, sophisticated business professionals.
. . . . . . Or does it?

Not at Sarsen Technology! Friday 13th July is the day that culminates a great week for the team. And there's not a black cat in sight!

This week we have had the pleasure of hosting Dwight Justice - VP Sales at Trenton Technology. We have taken him all over the country, talking to customers about the fantastic Trenton product range. We've spoken to a range of markets, including Communications, Displays, High Speed Finance and Military. Trenton have released some brand new products, check them out here - Newsletter.


It's the Marlborough Jazz Festival this weekend. It kicks off tonight with performances from the fantastically named The Filthy Six, and Brewin Dolphin Newcomer nominee the Jessica Mary York Quintet. Saturday sees performances from a Sarsen Technology favourite Eduardo Niebla Trio, and The Jive Aces, fresh from the finals of Britains Got Talent. You can buy tickets here - Tickets

With another full week of appointments coming up, we are all looking forward to a well deserved rest this weekend.


Have a good one!
 

Sarsen Technology Kit Sponsors for Marlborough Youth FC U10s

Sarsen Technology is delighted to be the kit sponsors for the Marlborough Youth FC Under 10s football club.

Link to the Marlborough Youth FC web site: Marlborough Youth FC.

Marlborough News Online

The Sarsen Technology office is pictured right in the middle of the Marlborough News Online web site banner.

Visit to St. John's School & Community College in Marlborough

A number of the Sarsen Technology team visited the new St. John's School & Community College in Marlborough to meet the school staff and view the physics laboratory that Sarsen Technology has sponsored. Details of the brand new school & community college buildings and facilities can be found on the St. John's web site http://www.stjohns.wilts.sch.uk Pictured above are Dr. Patrick Hazelwood (Headteacher) , Mr. Luke Henderson (Science Teacher), Nigel Norman (Sarsen Technology MD), Lynn Scholefield (Sarsen Technology Office Manager), James Rickwood (Sarsen Technology Sales), Angela Boyce (Sarsen Technology Marketing Director) and Tim Norris (Sarsen Technology Sales).

Sarsen Technology sponsors St John’s College science room

Sarsen Technology sponsors St John’s College science room

A Marlborough-based company whose technological solutions include sonar equipment to survey the polar ice cap, next-generation mobile phone systems, and controls for wave-energy machines has sponsored one of the two physics laboratories at the new St John’s School, which opens in 6 weeks’ time.

Nigel Norman, Managing Director of Sarsen Technology, says the company wanted to show its support for the school as it needs extra funding to put the finishing touches to its state-of–the-art science department.

“We have children at the school, and I can’t think of a better way of putting something back into our local community at this moment in time” said Mr Norman. “ Moreover, I firmly believe that the UK’s future as a successful economy lies in its ability stay ahead in the global technology race by continuing to turn out highly-skilled and extremely knowledgeable scientists and engineers.”

Sarsen Technology Limited is an industry-leading distributor of embedded hardware and software, supplying some of Europe’s leading players in the telecommunications, security, instrumentation, research and aerospace industries.
“Sarsen is a specialist provider at the cutting edge of technology solutions working with some of the UK’s leading scientists and engineers” explained Mr Norman “so it seems appropriate that the funding should be directed at this area of education”.

The science department in the new St John’s school is based in the northern end of the new building, overlooking the town. The laboratories and classrooms have been carefully designed to make learning an exciting experience for the school’s 1,600 students. St John’s has been raising funds for almost two years to buy furniture & equipment for the new school building, and a number of classrooms have already been sponsored by businesses and by private individuals. The Sarsen Technology room is the second science room to have been sponsored and will have a plaque fitted to recognise the company’s support.

Headteacher Dr Patrick Hazlewood met Nigel Norman to thank him for his support and to explain how important corporate sponsorship is to the new school. “I am delighted that Sarsen Technology has sponsored one of the state-of-the-art science rooms in our new school. It has been a great boost to us to be able to meet and thank so many people who have given donations to help make our new school a reality. We are all looking forward to opening the doors to students on 7th December and being able to give them the benefit of such a marvellous new building.”

St John’s School & Community College in Marlborough has a catchment area of over 250 square miles from a primarily rural area of Wiltshire, and has more than 1,500 students age 11-18. In 2009 73% of students achieved five or more A* to C grade GCSEs placing St John’s as one of the top performing state schools in the county. The ALPS (Advanced Level Performance Systems) data for 2009 ranks St Johns as Outstanding, placed in the top 10% of schools, based on the progress made by students from GCSE to A-level and the quality of teaching& learning.
Currently based on two 1960s sites in the town, 50% of students are being taught in ageing “temporary” classrooms, some of which have been in place for over 30 years. Following a Turf-cutting ceremony performed by England football legend Stuart Pearce in May 08 building work on a new single-site school commenced and the new building will open to students in December 2009.
Uniquely, the school has funded the development itself by selling land for development, preferring this route to waiting another decade for government funding to become available. The new St John’s is a single-site, purpose-built school with excellent facilities that will give students, as well as the wider community, a place to be proud of.