Brompton folding bicycles are a British urban icon. So when we heard they had been using Raspberry Pi in their production since 2013, we just had to go and have a look.

Jack, Brian, Roger, and Helen travelled from Pi Towers down to Brompton’s London factory to see our tiny computers in action. And despite our Helen riding an obnoxiously large bike, even she fell for Brompton’s sleek, compact designs. (Lots of folks ride these giant contraptions around Cambridge, taking kids to school or doing entire weekly shops with them. It’s not a strange sight at all round these parts. But you definitely can’t fold them up and hop on the train with them.)

Growing with the business

Our original Raspberry Pi 1 Model B tracked activity at each of the nine production stations that Brompton started out with in 2013. Fast forward to today and there are over 100 Raspberry Pi computers all over the factory. As well as monitoring production lines, they keep an eye on all sorts of things, including air quality. And they’re crucial in helping staff meet their targets.

Brompton philosophy

We especially liked senior software engineer Kane Tracey’s philosophy: “throw a Pi at it” whenever data needs to be captured anywhere on the factory floor. And we were chuffed to hear CEO Will Butler-Adams talking about the “slick” system Brompton has managed to create with our affordable computers.

Raspberry Pi for industry

Up in the top navigation of this website you’ll see a tab labelled For industry, and that’s the place to go for information and resources that can help you use Raspberry Pi in commercial or industrial contexts. It’s where you’ll find success stories showcasing some of the variety of ways businesses use Raspberry Pi products to solve problems and meet their goals. Brompton’s story is the latest to join them.

Check out Brompton’s success story for a closer look at the Raspberry Pi-based solutions that this iconic British business relies on to get things done.