AboutUs.

Learn more about the company that was founded in 1984 by the late George Porter.

Established in 1984

​Pacific Data Systems Australia Pty Ltd (PDS) offers reliable, cost effective and timely solutions in the areas of environmental monitoring, data acquisition, scientific and industrial instrumentation remote computing and systems integration.

Since 1984, we have been providing data acquisition and data processing solutions for customers in the industrial, manufacturing, scientific, geophysical, engineering, mining and defence industries has been our primary focus.

Today that same focus continues, but our range of products and services has expanded substantially, to the extent that we are now one of the major specialist providers of these products and services in the Southern Hemisphere.

With the assistance of our technology partners we work with our customers to design, develop and implement systems and solutions that take a structured and disciplined approach to fulfilling their needs.
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Where possible, we seek to take advantage of newly-emerging technologies that improve their operational capabilities. This approach lowers the customer's total cost of ownership and assists them in managing and maximising their organisations' performance and capabilities.

Our Vision...

'To be your number one global partner for interactive solutions.'​

Our Purpose...

'To provide the most comprehensive range of quality solutions for our partners and deliver the best outcomes.'

Our  Commitment

​Our business model is centred on serving the needs of sophisticated users who work in a range of environments from complex, mission-critical applications to the field-oriented needs of engineering professionals. Maintaining our ability to both meet and exceed the performance expectations of the market is a constant goal for the company.

Our  Background

Who We Represent

​We work with our customers to ensure that their projects move to completion on-time and on-budget.

A very large part of our business is also spent in the provision of service and maintenance for equipment. No job is too large (or too small) for our dedicated team of engineers and technicians. We maintain a modern well-equipped workshop and manufacturing facilities, incorporating the latest machinery and tools, which enables us to conduct our business in a professional and competent manner.

Pacific Data Systems Australia staff comprises a team of industry executives with professional backgrounds in manufacturing, mechanical, environmental and electrical engineering, combined with a mature sales and marketing group with experience in industrial, corporate and government sector programs.

​Pacific Data Systems Australia sources instrumentation from a diverse range of manufacturers, including the following major suppliers

• Drug Detection Solutions
• FreshView Postharvest Technology Solutions
• dataTaker data loggers and equipment
• Kestrel weather/wind instruments including the Intrinsically Safe IS-1000 / IS-3500
• Miatech Bio Turbo range
• Felix Instruments Handheld Portable Analysers
• Vaisala weather sensors
• Gill Windsonic ultrasonic weather sensors
• Littlemore Scientific
• ELSEC environmental monitors
• Panasonic Toughbooks

Our Leadership Team

Paul Gapes
General Manager

Paul is the General Manager and driving force behind the company’s practical, solution-focused approach.  

Gaining his first exposure to smart electronics as an Electronic Warfare Analyst in the Royal Australian Navy, Paul has acquired unique insights into project management, product certification and supplier networks in the electronics field, and a deep respect for client companies’ requirements for practical solutions that work in the field, not just in theory. His work with State and Federal Governments, Energex, NQBP and LendLease has provided detailed industry knowledge with great relevance for PDS.  

In addition to his role steering PDS, Paul plays a pivotal role liaising between mining, exploration, transport, environmental and government entities with unique needs for smart devices, and the company’s internal Research & Development team.

Under Paul’s guidance, Pacific Data Systems Australia continues to lead the industry by developing innovative products that are technically advanced, fit for purpose and easy to use in the field.

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Susan Rathbone 
Logistics Supervisor

Susan is the Logistics Manager and a key shaper of the company’s culture.

Susan is in charge of the vital logistics function at Pacific Data Systems Australia, ensuring that components and completed PDS products and third party products, as well as PDS devices for return, replacement, repair, reconfiguration or modification for new purposes, are received or dispatched on time to the right place. 

Susan has been with the company since the early 1990s, fulfilling senior roles in administration, procurement, customer service, stock control, service management and partner management. Working initially with founder, George Porter, Susan has seen the company grow from staff of just 6 to over 25, and has been instrumental in its growth and success.

Susan loves working with people who are practical, straight forward and industrious and her strong work ethic has helped to shape a distinct culture for PDS.

Matt Weychardt
Financial Controller

Matt is the Financial Controller and designer of many of Pacific Data Systems Australia’s processes and procedures.

Having previously worked with Budget Direct and Collection House, Matt brings to PDS deep experience in ERP integration, development and training,  foreign currency risk, import costing, customs processing, budgeting, financial reporting, financial analysis, sales data analytics, ISO9001, auditing, surveillance and logistics. At PDS, Matt is responsible for managing  the administration, Quality Assurance (ISO9001) and accounting functions.

Matt is fascinated by processes, especially process strategy, planning and ongoing improvement. He also has a keen interest in ERP data and how it can be used to manage technical scope of works, maximise business opportunities, achieve greater customer satisfaction and value, and improve sales and business forecasting.
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Matt is a CPA (Certified Practising Accountant) and holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) from the University of Queensland. He is also part of the Queensland Leaders.

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Mark Fergusson
Research & Development Manager

​Mark Fergusson heads up the R&D team at Pacific Data Systems Australia and is responsible for converting ideas into real world working solutions, based on low powered electronics and software.

Mark's fascination with electronics goes back a long way; he's been experimenting with and designing devices at home since he was twelve. As a child, he wanted to know how things work, where the potential problems lay, and how to avoid them by thinking 'outside the box'.

Originally repairing video players, TVs and computers for other companies, Mark added medical devices to his areas of expertise, including hearing aids, audiometers and Cochlear's Bionic Ear, before joining PDS in 2010. At first Mark was focused on alcohol testing devices until he was asked by PDS's founder, George Porter, to turn his mind to design; George wanted Mark to create the first FreshView Ripening Controller. When it was a success, Mark was quickly appointed to head up the new R&D division.

Mark's technical areas of expertise are in PCB design, C ++/assembly, software development for Microsoft Windows®, GUI software development, embedded control firmware development, web and database application development, and hardware and software design in a multi-core processor environment.

Mark is fascinated by simplicity; he likes devices to be simple in design, easy to assemble and install, and intuitive to use. He's looking forward to supporting PDS’s continued growth by devising further practical electronic and software solutions to customers' problems.

David Hugman
​​Production Manager

David is the Production Manger and champion of quality manufacturing at Pacific Data Systems Australia.

David‘s title as production manager understates his role which is broad-reaching, and includes responsibility for manufacturing, installation and repair of a variety of PDS products. His particular speciality is electronics, and his skills include schematics, PCB (printed circuit board) manufacturing, assembly and wiring, and manufacturing resource planning.

With former employers including Queensland University of Technology and Video Pro, David’s main interest before PDS was in installation and maintenance of professional and broadcast video equipment. Being complex and intricate, the skills learned in this field have been of great practical benefit to PDS. 

David’s passion is quality in manufacturing. It is important to him that, if customers have to travel 10 hours to install PDS’s devices, they can leave them on site with confidence, knowing they will operate reliably with minimum need for maintenance. His down-to-earth, practical approach translates to high performance and reliability for PDS products.

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