The history of PIPS Technology dates back to 1983 when Alan Sefton, PIPS Technology Chairman, founded the Pearpoint Company in the UK. Pearpoint grew its business from Gas Cooled reactor Inspection Cameras for AGR Nuclear plant into a business that became the defacto standard for Pipeline Inspection cameras. In addition to its Inspection cameras, Pearpoint applied its technology into traffic cameras, airborne “head up display” cameras, cryogenically cooled deep borehole cameras, optically scanning intensified, and colour changeover cameras.

Pearpoint developed its traffic camera technology in the early 1990's when they were approached by the Ministry of Defence. As a result of this the patented development of pulsed, narrow wavelength retro-reflective techniques for image capture was created. Pearpoint was appointed video consultants to the UK Ministry of Defense for thirteen consecutive years. At this time Trafficmaster also approached Pearpoint to develop an ANPR camera for a real time journey system.

It was as a result of this that Pearpoint built the World’s first integrated traffic camera.

In 2000 the Pearpoint business was sold to UDI-SPX Corporation, a $6 billion American company. Pearpoint Image Processing Systems (traffic camera activity) was re-acquired by Alan Sefton from SPX in September 2001 and renamed PIPS Technology. SPX Corporation had previously acquired, when PIPS was part of their organisation, the Intellectual Property of Blaze Imaging Ltd. Part of the acquisition was the exclusive rights to the CARDET ANPR engine, which is now recognised as the industry leader and confirmed in independent, comparative trials as the best ANPR software available.

In 2001 the company had 5 people with just a handful of products. Today PIPS has over 50 employees and a multitude of World Class and innovative products with the company achieving significant growth year on year.