National Manufacturing Day with HORIBA UK
We had a chat with Daniel Greenwell CEng, Research & Development Supervisor over at HORIBA UK about their new benchtop fuel cell test station to mark National Manufacturing Day 2025. Read on to hear the impact this product will have, it’s innovative features, and the impact of being based in West Northants as a manufacturing business.
What is the new benchtop fuel cell test station, and what makes it unique in the market?
The C05-LT is a next-generation fuel cell test station and the latest addition to the wider alternative energy product range of HORIBA for testing, developing and validating hydrogen fuel cells and its constituent components.
With advanced temperature and pressure control systems, high-accuracy mass flow controllers and robust real-time monitoring, the C05-LT ensures repeatable and reliable results across all testing scenarios.
The C05-LT uses HORIBA’s TestWork® test automation software that streamlines test sequence creation, data acquisition, analysis, and reporting, empowering users to achieve high-quality insights with greater efficiency and consistency.
Building on the foundation of proven HORIBA expertise, the system offers best-in-class performance for 100W PEM fuel cell testing with a comprehensive feature set, catering to the evolving needs of single-cell MEA (Membrane Electrode Assembly) / catalyst research. The all-in-one C05-LT is compact, robust, and versatile, and is expected to
become a cornerstone for fuel cell research and innovation globally.
Who is this product designed for, and what kind of impact do you hope it will have?
The C05-LT was developed with two key user groups in mind:
• Researchers, engineers, and innovators working in hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.
• Academic labs, R&D teams, and startups focused on PEM single-cell testing.
By working closely with UK university researchers, we identified the need for a cost-effective, precise, and easy-to-use instrument that could democratise advanced fuel cell testing.
The final product produced by HORIBA at our UK production facility in Northampton has proven precision, repeatability and robustness, which can support the creation of high-quality fuel cell research, whereby the confidence and accuracy of process control and data acquisition directly underpin the quality and confidence of the research.
Our ambition is for the C05-LT to become the go-to choice for university researchers and innovators worldwide, helping to accelerate the transition to clean energy through high-quality and reliable research.
How has being based in West Northamptonshire supported your work on this project and manufacturing in general?
West Northamptonshire has played a pivotal role in the success of the C05-LT. The region’s access to top-tier engineering talent has been instrumental in driving innovation and precision throughout the product’s development. Its proximity to leading universities and innovation hubs has fostered valuable collaborations and knowledge exchange, enriching the research and design process.
Moreover, the area’s strong logistics and manufacturing infrastructure, supported by a network of reliable local suppliers, enabled us to optimise the product design, reduce material costs, and enhance overall quality. Being able to assemble locally at our R&D and production base in Moulton Park, Northampton has allowed HORIBA UK to remain agile and efficient, delivering a world-class product to the global market with confidence and speed.
How do you see this product evolving in the future?
In a rapidly advancing and ever-changing alternative energy sector, we are already identifying accessories and add-ons that will seamlessly integrate with HORIBA’s wider product portfolio—allowing customers to scale their testing capabilities and unlock new research potential.
The C05-LT is a flagship product of HORIBA UK with global demand. It has the potential of significant evolution, including modular upgrades to support emerging fuel cell formats, ensuring the system remains adaptable and future-proof. The next phase of its evolution will also focus on the release of additional product hardware and software options, test capability and sensing equipment to support advanced fuel cell research. Other areas we are looking into, include expansion of test capabilities for stack-level testing and hybrid energy systems, cloud-based data analytics and remote monitoring, enhanced automation and AI-driven diagnostics, offering users smarter, more connected testing environments.
This new and innovative product provides us with new and exciting opportunities in the UK’s Alternative Energy Solutions market, as part of our wider business strategy.