Breakthrough magazine - Issue Four

breakthrough INNOVATION IN ENGINEERING AND MANUFACTURING

Autumn 2017

The cash flow king Experience is everything

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Supporting manufacturing growth 149001

ISSN 2514-149X

772514

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Give your mobile phone nine lives

£5.99

The Tech Talk Show broadcast live every Thursday and available as a weekly podcast at www.techtalkshow.co.uk

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This season’s colour... yellow Suzanne Callander wonders if construction-industry-chic could become a ‘thing’ as she explores the features in this issue of Breakthrough magazine.

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s you should have come to know by now, Breakthrough magazine loves to look at some of the more inspirational, nonconformist and disruptive ideas from innovators.

Those from visionaries who have looked at longstanding problems with a completely fresh pair of eyes and who have created a solution that makes you wonder why no one had ever thought of it before! In this issue, we bring you the stories behind another clutch of these brilliant ideas—a good few of which are aimed at the construction industry.

The Hooka, for example, is making life easier and safer for construction workers, providing them with a great time and cost saving solution to help move materials around construction sites.

Construction-industry-chic really could become a ‘thing’. Did you know that you can now finish off your Caterpillar branded boots and clothes look with a CAT branded smartphone?

The device was created by one of our innovators to cope with all the challenges that construction workers might throw at it. There was no compromise on quality or design, yet the phone is still able to survive and work in these extreme environments. I know a few teenagers who might benefit from one of these devices too!

Another article in this issue which particularly impressed me was the creation of a remote control gate for farmers. Along with many of you, I have to admit that it was not a problem to which I had previously given much thought. But once I started reading about the issues facing farmers as they traverse around their farms, it brought back memories of my horse riding years and the problems that I had encountered in simply getting through a gate on horseback.

For farmers who may pass through many times every day the problem became clear, and the solution impressive. As is the case with many of our featured inventions, once the idea is ‘out there’

the potential uses for it spiral. The opening and closing gate, for example, is now also finding uses on construction sites, in schools and for traffic control applications too—a testament to my opening statement that I am surprised no one had thought of it before!

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Telephone: 01233 211 538 If you know of any innovations you think should be featured please contact Paul Dunn at paul@breakthroughpress.co.uk

Publisher Sue Nelson

Managing Editor Suzanne Callander Editor Chris Callander

Publication Manager Paul Dunn Production G and C Media Ltd

Sponsored by

breakthrough funding

The content of Breakthrough magazine does not necessarily reflect the views of the editor or publishers. The publishers accept no legal responsibility for loss arising from information in this publication and do not endorse any products or processes mentioned within it. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system without the publisher’s written consent. Š Breakthrough Press.

All rights reserved.

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Contents

Breakthrough magazine is published quarterly by: Breakthrough Press Breakthrough Innovation Hub 13 The Glenmore Centre Moat Way Ashford TN24 0TL

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Innovation in short

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Seeing in the dark, and not a carrot in sight

Are seatbelts safe for kids?

With this clever device they are

It’s a watching brief

Belt and braces

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Tread the less risky path

10 The BIG issue

Eliminating the second biggest cause of injury in the transport sector

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We talk to the cash flow king

The phone with nine lives

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Its one tough kitty!

Exploring the science of team

An unexpected legacy

Ask the expert

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Meet the founder Pearls of wisdom from Innovation Tribe’s Adam Fagg

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Spotlight on…

The Manufacturing Growth Programme

Taking care of business Familiarity breeds contentment

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The London Olympics— improving the lives of builders everywhere

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Connecting the future Will a broken pair of headphones turn robotics on its head?

85 Don’t fence me in They’re growing innovations down on the farm

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A rose by any other name

There’s something in the air

The most important marketing decisions you will ever make?

Saving lives, one breath at a time

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64 Thanks for the ride A good small bike? No, it’s a good bike, made small

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Experience is everything

If it’s good enough for NASA…

If you believe in what you are doing, you can achieve anything

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Towering above the competition

Talking tech Rounding up the highlights from the TechTalk radio show

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Will your business be named top of the techs?

The Breakthrough team launch the Tech22

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Mad for tech What can manufacturing businesses learn from their tech cousins?

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Innovation in short

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Certified Made in the UK, an organisation that supports UK design, manufacturing and craftsmanship, has launched a new online platform to support this thriving sector.

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he organisation has also developed a product trademark for any business that designs or manufactures products here in the UK. Certified Made in the UK helps businesses to improve sustainablility, develop

education and skills initiatives, and supports product development by connecting businesses with UK production.

"UK design and manufacturing is World renowned and is often synonymous with quality. The ‘Certified Made’product mark

enables businesses to promote supply chain transparency and helps consumers who want to buy UK made products and want to know how their purchases were produced," says organisation co-founder Debbie Moorhouse. "Through our online network, businesses can create and manage their company profile, advertise jobs, access marketing tools and receive sales and business opportunities. We also offer a free online sourcing service for businesses and professionals who want to find UK suppliers.

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Innovation in short

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Labelled by its makers as the World’s smartest luxury handbag, a new product from startup FYB London, points the way to the future of wearable tech and fashion.

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YB is thought to be the first to combine fashion and technology in this way and hopes to provide aspirational women with both style and powered functionality.

FYB integrates the latest technology into its collection of

SMART handbags and luggage, to enhance both usability and security.

Features include a wireless phone charging pocket (with a wired option also available), allowing users to charge their phone on the move and stay

connected. An integrated fingerprint recognition lock offers increased security without needing to remember combinations.

Bluetooth capability allows customers to open their bag with their smartphone in hand.

The Bluetooth connectivity also enables the bags to pair with a proximity alert app which lets the owner know if their bag strays a certain distance away, ensuring it is never left behind or simply picked up and taken away.

www.fyblondon.com

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The BIG issue

THE CASH FLOW KING Depending on which statistics you are looking at, cash flow pressures are the reason for anywhere between 25% and 90% of small business failures. What is certain is that, for a significant number of companies, the seemingly ever increasing delays in payments, often from larger corporations, can be devastating. Even those organisations that can survive are severely impacted, as they find a constant lack of working capital seriously hampers their growth potential.

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ccording to the payment service, Bacs, over ÂŁ26 billion is owed to SMEs in late payments. It is a major issue for the business community and one that has been identified as a barrier to innovation by a large proportion of the businesses we speak to at Breakthrough magazine.

Although the traditional lending platforms are slowly increasing their appetite for risk and opening up debt opportunities, it is still not enough for many businesses. Nor, as some will argue, should the requirement for these firms to take on debt, and the potential for recourse if the payer subsequently defaults, be an acceptable solution.

In tackling the issue, one option is to try and reverse the trend by increasing pressure on larger businesses who impose increasingly disadvantageous

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terms on their suppliers. The Government is starting to do this with initiatives such as the Prompt Payment Code and forcing larger businesses to publicly report how quickly they pay suppliers. But the larger companies will resist for their own financial reasons.

Another option is to find a solution that works with large corporations' desire to stretch terms, and supports the needs of smaller firms for faster payment and improved cash flow.

That is exactly what a newly introduced platform, URICA, aims to do, creating an entirely new product category in the business-to-business finance sector.

URICA’s founder is Lindsay Whitelaw, one of the founding partners in the highly respected city fund manager, Artemis.

"At the time of the financial crisis, there was a lot of talk around how new channels of debt could be opened up to businesses. To me, that seemed to be missing the point. It was only looking to fill a gap in the market with something that was essentially the same," Lindsay explained.

"I could see a way to get funding to businesses that needed it, without the need for them to take on additional debt, or provide personal guarantees.

To me that seemed like a much more helpful solution to businesses."

The principles behind the URICA platform are straightforward. Suppliers to credit worthy businesses can access funds from their invoices as soon as they are approved by their customer.

The customer then has up to 120 days to pay URICA.

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I could see a way to get funding to businesses that needed it, without the need for them to take on additional debt

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The first thing to note is that URICA is not an invoice discounting platform.

In conventional invoice discounting models, guarantees will be required from the supplier. If the supplier's customer defaults, the lender will then look to the supplier for recourse.

The model Lindsay developed doesn't rely on the supplier's ability to repay at all.

It turns the traditional approach on its head with a focus entirely on the financial strength of the supplier's customers Seeking guarantees from the supplier's

customers would not work, of course, so the model operates on the ability to obtain thirdparty credit insurance on each invoice URICA buys.

This is one of the big advantages of the URICA approach, as the financially stronger customer companies will, in the main, be a lower credit risk enabling smaller businesses to leverage the strength of their customers’ balance sheets to secure early payment of their invoices.

While the model is simple, in practice it requires sophisticated IT infrastructure

to manage the fact that every single invoice that URICA buys and credit insures is a separate legal contract. The process is automated and it happens in real time. Doing this for thousands of individual invoices requires a significant capability.

This invoice-by-invoice approach has been made even more relevant by a change in the credit insurance market.

As in other sectors, where the trend is moving towards paying only for what you use—take car-pooling services or music streaming as an example— so is the insurance industry.

Pay-per-journey policies are emerging as an alternative to annual automotive policies.

The same is happening in the credit insurance market, where the historical norm of taking an annual policy is being challenged by insuring individual transactions.

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Norton joined URICA to support its supply chain and its suppliers now get paid through the platform as soon as invoices are agreed This novel approach is not an easily replicable model. As well as the strong relationship with the credit insurer it relies heavily on technology. URICA has a direct, automated, IT link with the largest credit insurer in the world. This enables the risk, and cost, of insuring each transaction to be established in close to real-time. So, while the principles of the model can be followed manually, scaling it requires the significant automation that URICA already has in place.

It also means suppliers don't have to run all their business through the URICA model. They can select the transactions where they will benefit from receiving an early payment.

If a supplier’s customer is not on URICA’s database already, this itself is not a problem.

Thanks to the automated links and the credit insurer's huge scale, finding out if the new customer can be credit insured is a quick and straightforward process. And it's one that the larger 'customer' should see as a benefit, allowing them the extended terms they are looking for while still enabling their suppliers to be paid early.

In fact, for larger companies working with the platform, it should be seen as a clean and effective way of responding to the pressure from Government to reduce the financial stress they are placing on their smaller suppliers.

Of course, there is a cost to the supplier business but it is relatively small and for that they eliminate their risk of nonpayment and boost the strength of their balance sheet. So you

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would think businesses would be queuing up at URICA's door.

Well, they do have hundreds of businesses signed up to the platform and numbers are increasing on a daily basis, but it’s not without its challenges.

"There's always a certain amount of scepticism around a new financial product," Lindsay added. "And the model, where there is no recourse on the beneficiary, is contrary to what people are used to here in the UK. On the continent, where we also operate, it is the norm, so is much easier for people to quickly grasp."

An excellent example of how the URICA platform can support a business and its supply chain is demonstrated by Norton Motorcycles. The British brand is keen to use British suppliers wherever possible, but it has always found it a challenge to identify suppliers willing to make small batches of bespoke parts without upfront payment. Norton joined URICA to support its supply chain and its suppliers now get paid through the platform as soon as invoices are agreed, while the motorcycle manufacturer gains 60 days credit on all of its purchases.

Will the URICA platform herald a wider shift in the finance sector, from recourse based lending secured by collateral to a greater focus on insured risk? That remains to be seen. But, in the meantime, URICA, and others that follow offer the SME community, in particular, a lifeline in today's tough economic climate.

URICA urica.com

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Ask the expert

THE SCIENCE OF TEAM

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The performance of a team can make or break a project. This is as true of a start-up business assembling its first group of employees as it is for an established business pulling together a team to develop and drive a new innovation. However, in most cases, critical insight is missing from the information used to select members of these teams.

Breakthrough magazine sat down with team performance expert, Simon Teague, of New Level Results, to find out what an organisation can do to significantly improve their chances of success.

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imon, what is the missing piece of the jigsaw in most team creation scenarios?

The biggest challenge for most companies, particularly when they are project orientated, is not that the team doesn't have the skills and experience; they generally do. The biggest challenge is the cognitive mix of those people.

For example, two individuals may get on, and work well together, but put a third person into the mix and the team dynamics can completely change. This is because we all have a particular archetype within our subconscious.

The idea of archetypes goes back to research carried out by psychiatrist, Carl Yung, in the early 1900s. His psychological model suggested that when we take our characteristics, behaviours and thought patterns, we prefer to think and behave in a certain way. So, it’s in our DNA.

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Yung identified 16 different archetypes that can be defined in an individual. How the different archetypes mix and interact can also be understood. In a business context this insight can show how a group of people will work together; to identify the best team combination to successfully drive a project and highlight areas where the team or individuals within it may need support.

It is this level of understanding that is often missing from the decision making process around building a project team.

How do you establish archetypes, and assess their impact on a potential team?

At New Level Results we use a platform developed over the past five years in partnership with a group of Canadian researchers. It is cloudbased, so is easier for larger organisations with a distributed workforce to access, and also

practical for smaller ones with flexible workforces.

The platform first identifies an individual’s archetype and then uses an algorithm to take all the individual user profiles, match them together and predict the likely success that these team members will have when working together.

How does the platform get the information it needs to draw the analysis?

The users—the potential team members—have to complete a survey that presents a series of 30-50 statements which they have to either ‘like’ or ‘not like’. This is similar to other tools, but where ours differs is that it also times the responses. So the platform can bring in a factor based around how much thought a user had to put into their answer. As long as the user works through the survey in one sitting this can give additional insight into how easily they responded, and in

turn how strongly they agreed with the statements.

The results enable the platform to identify which archetype the respondent falls into. This is then used to make the comparison between individuals, based on an understanding of how the different archetypes interact and their strengths and vulnerabilities.

But other tools, like Myers Briggs for example, can match individuals and compare them. How does your approach differ?

Our platform takes the comparisons to a whole new level; a team level. Most other tools don’t go further than matching pairs or tiny groups.

Where they do do it, they are not as easy to draw the analysis from, and they are not as flexible in how the team permutations can be adjusted.

So how might that work?

Let's say we are looking at a team of ten engineers needed to carry out a project. We might

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We can see who will bring the greatest contribution to the team, and therefore which groups of people are far more likely to work well together

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have a pool of 20 engineers to draw from. We know they have the skills and the experience from previous projects, so that is a given.

Traditionally, the team manager, HR de partment or others will build the team based on that information. Or worse still, establishing ‘cultural fit’.

This approach is widely based on gut feel, and they don’t always know which of the 20 engineers are, in fact, most likely to succeed.

Bringing in the information around the individual engineer's archetypes, we can see who will bring the greatest contribution to the team, and therefore which groups of people are far more likely to work well together. We can

say, for example, these three people are not a good fit for this team, and the chances of success are low, but swap them for these other three, and the chances are high. Now that is not specifically about the three engineers, they may be ideal for another group, with a different mix of archetypes. Instead, it's about how their traits sit alongside those of others in the unique group.

In this example, the tool can model all the permutations across the pool of 20 engineers and identify the group with the greatest chance of success.

It still amazes me when you see the range in this type of scenario, where the best group could have an 80% chance of success—which would be classified as a high performing team—and the worst as low as 10%. And yet, in the majority of cases, where a platform like ours is not being used, what level of success a project team has is mostly left to chance. It's pot luck whether the team is the 10% one or the 80% one.

You said ‘worse still, cultural fit’, why?

Well, that is an interesting point. We find with a lot of businesses we work with— from the very largest to small start-up teams—the primary driver for choosing a team

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member, beyond the skills down on paper, is most often the cultural fit. But this can be dangerous as you end up with a team all with very similar attributes. A successful team needs varying perspectives and qualities. It needs members that will challenge thoughts and decisions, that will offer alternative ideas into the mix.

And if a team is made up of individuals that are too similar, there is more likelihood of there being a clash of personalities than if the group were more diverse.

What level of impact can your approach deliver then? Is it worth the effort?

Absolutely. We are currently working with a large

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multinational in the renewable energy sector. It regularly brings teams of between 60 and 100 people together to work on large scale projects. These are teams of engineers, all with different skills needed for the project. But these are major contracts, and if the team completes the project late, there are huge penalties.

A delay of just one day can cost the company hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The company came to us after one project proved to be very challenging and the main reasons for this were based around team compatibility. The company hadn’t had problems with logistics or equipment issues; it was because the people working on the project had not communicated effectively and hadn’t interacted well. The project overran, due to the team’s inefficiencies, and it cost the company £millions in lost productivity and penalties.

We are now working with the company to build its teams based on understanding the wider group dynamic and through careful selection of the teams will be able to minimise and indeed eliminate the human issues from the broader project.

That sounds great when you have a vast pool of resource to select from. How does an approach like this help when you have a team that is fixed?

The information we get from the platform can assist in this situation too. It enables a coaching programme to be shaped to the exact needs of the team. We can identify vulnerabilities within individual team members, where support can be given and even establish individual relationships within the team when some additional focus may be needed. So, in this case, you may not be able to change the team, but we

can identify the right people development activity, which can be focussed on improving the results that would have been generated had we not had the insight.

This is in fact how we approach nearly every case.

Even where there is a large resource pool at the outset, there are always ways to improve results with further development of the team members.

How else can an organisation improve the success of a project team?

In the early stages, it is important to be very clear about the requirements and responsibilities of each role within the team. I often see a vague, and even non-existent understanding of this aspect, but, it is critical to the selection of individuals with the right skill sets and traits.

Then don’t assume that, because a team did a great job on the last project they will automatically be a high performing team on the next one. It may well be the case, but it is not guaranteed. I’ve seen projects fail because of this. Because the differences between the project, the skills needed and the archetypes required were not understood and factored in.

Finally, I would say always take the time to capture the lessons learned at the end of a project. This is such an important step, but it is often missed when the pressure to move onto the next thing takes over. But, do spare the time as this information can be used to support and enhance the working dynamics of future projects.

New Level Results www.teamculture.uk

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Meet the founder

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ADAM FAGG: INNOVATION TRIBE Innovation Tribe’s co-founder, Adam Fagg, has been involved in product development throughout his career to date. It was while working in his most recent role—developing a payroll giving product for a national charity— that he discovered that innovation support and product development ‘specialists’ were falling short.

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ealising his frustrations presented an opportunity, he came together with his co-founder and business partner, Joanne Pullen—an expert in insights and behavioural research—and Innovation Tribe was formed.

The business works with organisations in all sectors to support the development of innovative products and services through the application of Joanne’s expertise and Adam’s specialisms in areas such as design thinking, lean, and agile project management.

Unlike a lot of ‘consultants’, they are very much hands-on and can often be found with their sleeves rolled up, acting as a pop-up project team for their clients.

Breakthrough magazine caught up with Adam to find out more about Innovation Tribe’s approach and how Adam believes businesses can support their own innovations.

Why is innovation so important to today’s businesses?

It’s the lifeblood of all businesses. Industries and markets move so quickly today; much faster than at any time in the past. Consumers expect a constant evolution of the products and services they are being offered. Any business that is not innovating—in what it offers or how it offers what it does—is quickly going to get left behind. It’s something that could prove fatal. You only have to look at high profile examples, such as Kodak, to see the implications, even for highly successful businesses.

So, it is critical that businesses get it right. What is the biggest mistake you see companies make when approaching innovation?

The thing we see time and time again is a project team, or an entire organisation, losing

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sight of the opportunity. That may be due to missing the real opportunity in the first place, or because they are getting bogged down in the process and over complicating what is in fact quite simple. There are also occasions when egos and strong personalities somewhere in a project team can force the direction of travel away from the opportunity.

How can this be avoided?

Every journey has to start with insight. Good reliable insight.

Without it, huge amounts of time and resources will be wasted.

OK, so how should an organisation go about gathering those insights?

Well the critical thing is that they are reliable insights, as I say. So many organisations guess, draw assumptions or worse still listen to ill-informed views of self-proclaimed experts. It is essential that all information used to inform decisions at this stage can be evidenced: it needs to be backed up by verifiable research. If the information is coming from existing research, it is important to understand its background. In the majority of cases, though, dedicated research will be the best option.

We do a lot of work with our clients’ customers to understand their needs, wants expectations, etc. We find ethnographic research—where we observe participants in their own environment—is a powerful approach to avoid bias in our findings. It places subjects at ease and generates more natural responses.

Once an organisation is confident that it has identified a true opportunity, what should it do?

The opportunities need to be turned into ideas. We hold what we call ‘ideation

sessions’ which are essentially brainstorming sessions.

Although we hope that the way we approach it is nowhere near as painful as some may have experienced in the past.

Before we hold the workshops, we carry out significant desk research.

We frame the session and opportunity alongside market, sector and technology information to give it some direction. It is also important to always create personas that allow all those involved to fully appreciate who the opportunity is designed to serve.

Then for the sessions themselves, we will look to get as broad a cross section of company representatives involved as possible. Of course, the senior management team will have deep strategic understanding, but individuals from lower tiers can bring hugely valuable experience about customers, processes and other important aspects.

Doing this well requires strong facilitation to keep everyone engaged. Allow all members of the group a voice, and ultimately it will result in narrowing down the ideas to those with real potential—based on the insights and other information.

With a shortlist of ideas what happens next?

In my experience, it is better to prototype ideas and get them in front of customers for feedback quickly.

It’s better to have something as a starting point which

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Give the customers what they want as quickly and efficiently as possible

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can be evolved iteratively, rather than to obsess over presenting a perfectly formed solution.

At the prototyping stage, it is also valuable to include a broad spread of staff within the team. At this point, it can also be extremely beneficial to get customer input. Co-creation, with input from all these groups, can help to significantly speed up this stage of the journey.

After a series of cycles between prototyping and feedback, you should quickly home in on a viable solution that gets customer approval.

Is that the point at which you would push the button?

Not quite. The commercial viability of the chosen solution needs to be assessed through the development of a business case that looks at aspects such as resource requirements, market size and a range of other factors.

If that exercise shows that the solution makes sound business sense, then it’s time to push the button.

And move to delivery of the final solution?

Yes. This stage is where the agile project management approach is key. It revolves around keeping the customer’s requirements at the heart of everything you do; to deliver a solution quickly and react to feedback equally fast.

I’ve seen many projects get bogged down even at this relatively late stage; losing sight of everything that has been established.

I was recently brought into a project that was 18 months behind schedule and massively over budget. The solution in

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development had become bloated, adding layer upon layer to the relatively straightforward product specification that had been identified and tested earlier on in the project. It had lost sight of the opportunity and was incorporating a raft of features that were neither needed nor wanted.

I immediately stripped the project back to the core requirements and within six weeks we had a product in the hands of their customers. They were happy customers, who would have been no happier had they also gained a series of features that they didn’t want.

At this final stage in the journey, the focus remains as important as at any other stage.

Give the customers what they want as quickly and efficiently as possible. Don’t waste time and resources where they will bring no benefit to the business.

Finally, if you could boil down everything you have described into three key tips for any organisation to follow, what would they be?

Never lose sight of these three things: 1. Make sure you are solving the right problem. Don’t guess. The risks of getting it wrong are high.

2. Know your audience. Know them as well as you possibly can.

3. Keep it simple. Yes, you could add that extra feature or offer a new colour, but if your customers don’t care you are wasting your time. And you are delaying the point at which your innovation is on the market— making money for the business.

Innovation Tribe

www.innovationtribe.co.uk

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Spotlight on...

THE MANUFACTURING GROWTH PROGRAMME The demise of the Manufacturing Advisory Service, as part of the Government’s dissolution of the Business Growth Services early in 2016, left a huge gap for manufacturers who previously benefited from independent support and advice. However, an initiative, funded by the European Regional Development Fund, looks to plug that gap in several regions across the UK. We spoke to Daren Booth from Economic Growth Solutions, which delivers the Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP), and found out how this scheme can help.

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ike its predecessor, the MGP is a scheme that is free to access. Its overarching aim is to help the manufacturing sector prosper and grow by identifying the barriers faced by individual business and developing plans to overcome them. Beyond the direct support of the MGP team, the scheme can also provide access to grants that cover a proportion of the costs of engaging experts, from outside the programme, to help bring the company’s plan to life.

“Our starting point is to look right across the business.

We explore areas including the overall strategy, the skills base—especially among the leadership team—systems and procedures, resources and a host of other areas,” explained Daren. “From this, we can identify areas for development, support and improvement.

This, in turn, leads to an action plan that we create for the business, with clear goals and objectives.”

For organisations that are eligible, this review is entirely free of charge. To be eligible, a company needs, of course, to be a manufacturer. They also need to be an SME—small to medium-sized enterprise— which means having fewer than 250 employees and a turnover less than, or equal to, €50 million or a balance sheet total of no more than €43 million.

Finally, the business needs to demonstrate the intention to grow.

The initial process can give valuable insight into the risks the business may face and the opportunities open to it. The benefits of a business review and the clear and impartial action plan that results may be all that is needed for an organisation to focus activity

For organisations that are eligible, the review is entirely free of charge on the areas required to drive growth.

But, where skills and knowledge which are not already available within the company are needed, then the MGP can also match the business with industry experts that can provide consultancy or coaching. Because the programme is not tied to any group of experts the MGP is able to link manufacturers with whoever is best suited to helping them achieve their goals. The programme can also identify a variety of different specialists to enable the business to choose the one that is the ‘best fit’. Companies can also identify their own experts to help support their growth ambitions.

While the scope of the MGP does not cover the cost of the third-party experts, it can help participating manufacturers to access a grant which can cover up to 35% of the specialists’ fees.

By working with the MGP, manufacturers have identified continuous improvement as a barrier to growth more than any other area. Environmental considerations and marketing follow close behind, before overall strategy, leadership and management, finance and quality, in that order.

“It’s incredibly satisfying to see the programme’s impact,” continued Daren. “An excellent example of this is a company I worked with recently called The Juice Executive, led by founder Alex Auger. The business was doing well and growing steadily.

But the owner had reached

a point where growing much further was a strain on her, personally. There was simply becoming too much for her to do.

“She knew she needed to support her senior team to enable them to take on more, but wasn’t sure how to achieve this. Through our review, we were able to identify the areas to focus on and then engage the expertise required to upskill her team. We were also able to help her work on her ability to let go—to delegate tasks to the newly skilled senior team.

This is something that many entrepreneurs struggle with as they grow their business and realise they can no longer do it all.”

Before Daren and the MGP team became involved, The Juice Executive had been struggling to maximise new client enquiries. The newly equipped and empowered senior team have freed up growth potential, new contracts have been secured, and Alex has gone on to win a regional entrepreneurship award.

The Juice Executive is just one example from over 1,290 manufacturers that the MGP has helped since its launch in October 2016. More than 500 new jobs have been created, 355 new products developed, and £1.6 million in grant contributions have been made.

If you would like to find out whether the MGP is available in your area and to discover how it might be able to help unlock your organisation’s growth potential, you can find out more through their website, detailed below.

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THERE’S SOMETHING IN THE AIR

We are in the privileged position of talking to the people behind some amazing innovations here at Breakthrough magazine. While many are having a significant impact in their field, it is rare to find something with the potential offered by a new product under development by Ancon Medical.

We spoke to Wesley Baker, the company’s CEO, to learn more.

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he technology that medical device manufacturer Ancon Medical has been developing is called nanoparticle biometric tagging. In essence, it is designed to detect deadly diseases in a patient's breath through the identification of molecular biomarkers.

Detecting biomarkers in air samples is not new in itself. What is different about Ancon’s solution, however, is its sensitivity and how compact the equipment can be.

The prototypes being trialled by the company today are the size of a small suitcase, as opposed to alternatives which can take up the space of a small room.

In time, the company aims to bring the size down even further, closer to the form of a toaster, but without any negative impact on its sensitivity.

It is the sensitivity which helps Ancon’s solution to stand out from other diagnostic tools. The device can break a sample down small enough to analyse a single molecule. To give this some context, it is several thousand times more sensitive than a dog's sense of smell—something we know to be one of the most sensitive, natural, nasal organs.

It struck Dr Gorbunov that breath could be used to detect diseases at an earlier stage than traditional methods The idea for the technology came when nanotechnology specialist, Dr Boris Gorbunov, was looking through a window one winter's day.

He noticed his breath condensing on the cold glass and the water that resulted rolling down the pane. As his mind wandered, he started thinking about what that water—his breath—contained and what he might be able to learn from it.

As he thought about the concept more, and with recent experience of a relative suffering from cancer, it struck Dr Gorbunov that breath could be used to detect diseases at an earlier stage than traditional methods; at a stage when treatment could have a greater chance of success.

It was a few years after Dr Gorbunov began to work on the concept that Wesley joined the business. His role is to drive the business side, while Dr Gorbunov and his team focus on the technical developments. He was also drawn to the project through personal experience. His son has been diagnosed with a life-changing condition, and as a result, Wesley is also driven to explore

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technology that can help identify diseases early on.

The team also acknowledged that the technology has applications beyond the medical sector too. The principles of detecting particles could also apply to testing for explosives, drugs and a range of other nanoparticle ‘markers’.

Following this train of thought, the early stages of Ancon’s technology development have been supported by the introduction of products for applications in areas such as security, environmental monitoring and occupational health. However, healthcare remains a core objective of the business, despite proving to be a tough sector to crack.

“I’m driven by the number of lives our technology could save,” said Wesley. “Many forms of cancer are only diagnosed once symptoms present themselves. At that stage, the likelihood of a full recovery is, unfortunately, small. Our technology can detect cancers at stage one, long before the patient is experiencing any ill effects and where treatment is significantly more effective. We can also identify a range of other diseases from an ever-growing list of biomarkers, which currently stands in the hundreds.”

In the case of disease, biomarkers originate either as a mutation in a patient's cells or in invading microorganisms spreading a disease.

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The technology Ancon is developing can break an air sample—breath in the case of disease screening—down to individual molecules and detect a condition from a single instance of the marker.

Alternative technologies and methods already in use require much larger samples. As a result, the equipment is significantly bigger, it is more costly, and acquiring the suitably large samples for it to analyse is much harder.

The difference between Ancon’s solution and those of alternative technologies is at the very core of its functionality. The sampling methods are completely different to what has, until now, been considered the norm.

“The size, cost and practicality have always been limiting factors where this technology has been concerned. With our innovative technical approach, we aim to remove that and make the potential benefits more widely available. We aim to have tabletop devices available within around three years. They will be much more accessible as they can be placed in health centres, pharmacies and a range of other locations,” continued Wesley.

In time, Wesley and the team see a point when the devices can be kept in the home and used to monitor the progression of diseases and other markers as part of the emerging capabilities within telehealth.

However, there are challenges to be overcome. Maintaining the sensitivity of the equipment, as its size is reduced, remains one of the biggest. It’s an area of constant focus for Dr Gorbunov and his team.

The regulatory frameworks surrounding the medical sector also present enormous challenges, as they slow the development process down. This, in turn, makes raising finance harder, with potential investors being put off by the length of time it can take to make a return on their investment.

But Wesley and the team have strategies in place to minimise the impact of these obstacles.

Initially, the team has opted to release the equipment as a screening device, rather than a diagnostic tool, to ease the impact of the regulations. This is a subtle difference but means the equipment will not make a final diagnosis and trigger the resultant treatments.

Instead, it will identify the need for deeper testing to be carried out.

This approach means the company can bring the products to market sooner, as the extra step in the overall diagnosis means it needs to comply with a less stringent set of regulations. It also means becoming classified as a diagnosis tool further down the line will be easier, once a history of screening has been established to demonstrate the accuracy of the equipment.

“

I’m driven by the number of lives our technology could save

”

Ancon’s other tactic is to develop versions of the equipment for animal care. The regulatory framework is less complex in this case, allowing the company to move to generating income from product sales sooner than it will in the human medical sector. The revenues being developed from this equipment can then be used to support the slower process of bringing the humanfocused products to market.

The potential this new technology offers is mind-boggling. The number of lives it could save or improve are staggering, and yet it could do so much more. With clinical trials due to begin in the next 24 months, Wesley’s aim of having it widely available within three years is very much a reality.

When it is available, the concept of a scanning device to detect diseases, popularised in sci-fi movies like Star Trek, seems somewhat less futuristic.

Ancon Medical anconmedical.com

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EXPERIENCE IS

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EVERYTHING The Royal College of Art (RCA) has been the backdrop to several of the innovations featured in recent issues of Breakthrough magazine. It is, quite understandably, an inspirational place that has seen notable product designers, such as James Dyson, David Mellor and Allen Boothroyd, pass through its doors.

Great design is, of course, vital to any product based business. However, the latest RCA alumni to feature in Breakthrough magazine, Jason Iftakhar, argues that brand experience is equally important. Indeed, he credits it as playing a significant role in the success of his growing business, Swifty Scooters.

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t is not an understatement to say that the RCA has had a huge influence on Jason and his business. Not least because it is where he met his life and business partner, Camilla. While attending the university, they collaborated on several projects, drawing on their complementary skills in fashion and product design. These principles—sharing different skillsets for collective benefit—have been carried through to how they run their business today.

After University, both Jason and Camilla moved on to new projects. But everything they did carried a thread of health, activity and mobility. So, it was no surprise that they should end up launching a business producing and selling adult scooters.

The concept behind the scooter came after both Jason and Camilla had cycling accidents in London which put them off riding on the road.

While trying to find an alternative way of travelling around their city, they looked at the adult scooters available on the market, but found that they were just children’s scooters, poorly adapted to fit a larger user.

The duo recognise that designers have a responsibility in terms of environmental sustainability. Both were passionate about addressing the challenges of congestion in cities, accessible active transport and air quality. So, to

to support this belief, they started to look at what they would want in a true adult scooter—a quality product, larger wheels, an adult-friendly riding experience and a folding design to suit the space restrictions in the flat they were living in—and the concept for Swifty was born.

“I suppose it was a relatively selfish idea at the time. We looked at how bicycles fold, and the finished form is generally a cube-like volume. We wanted a slim volume when the scooter was folded, so it took up less room in our hallway.” said Jason. “So, one of the first things we had to do was design an entirely new folding mechanism.”

Even at this early stage both Jason and Camila were very aware of the importance of getting the brand right and delivering an exceptional customer experience.

“Designing the product is the fun bit. Getting the business and brand set up right is far more challenging,” added Jason. “If you are doing it right customers love the product and the service, and they become passionate advocates.

Customer advocacy and loyalty is one the most valuable assets any business can have, so, achieving that became a primary focus for us and the business.”

The importance Jason places on brand is evident in his language. He repeatedly refers to ‘brand and business’ alongside each other. But it is clear that he has a strong understanding of both areas.

Their product choice brought with it some unique challenges, but also some advantages, as Jason went on to explain: “Back in 2011, our first folding scooter was a niche product. It had wow factor because it was different to anything else on

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“

When you open a box and get that new product smell you are turning on synapses in the brain and conjuring up memories

”

the market, but that meant retailers were cautious as they did not have any experience on which to judge potential sales figures. However, it also meant that, to a degree, it flew under the radar as far as the major bicycle manufacturers were concerned. They didn’t see it as a threat, and so we were left to get on with it.”

Jason and Camilla have taken all the challenges in their stride, and now they have a great team around them, a strong network of partners to support the business, and a product which is growing in popularity at a significant pace. This year, across a range which spans five models, the company is achieving sales growth of 30%.

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It is clear that the Jason and Camilla’s approach is getting results. If you look at the company’s Trustpilot review ratings, they are all authentic, five-star reviews. Every other one mentions great service or a positive experience. You even see one praising Jason for delivering the customer’s scooter and setting it up in person.

This focus on the customer journey is ingrained in what the Swifty brand represents and how its products are designed and developed. It was a key aspect of the training that Jason and Camila undertook during their time at the RCA. As part of the process, they were taught that, when you design a product, you have to do so with all of the senses in mind; how it feels, look and even how it smells.

“For example, when you open a box and get that new product smell you are turning on synapses in the brain and conjuring up memories. Get this right, and you can give the customer an amazing experience,” Jason added.

“If you do that on all sensory levels then you have a massive advantage.”

Social media channels also play a vital role in the company’s customer interaction. Not in the all too common sense that you have to push every message through every outlet, but as a way to add to the client's experience.

“The social platforms should not be a catalogue extension, or worse still a collection of adverts,” explains Jason. “They are a twoway communication tool and should be used like that. Our channels are honest and raw, and focus on the interests and values that our brand represents—our customers relate to that.”

Listening to customer feedback, through their social channels and other mechanisms, has also supported the expansion of the Swifty brand. A rugged, off-road version called Swifty Air was introduced after customers started taking the first scooters to skateparks. A junior scooter is also now part of the range, which responds to customer’s calls for a refined look that is not stereotyped like so many children’s products.

But is all the effort and energy that goes into developing a great brand and customer experience worthwhile? The marketing impact

it has generated would suggest it is. Sales and marketing are challenging areas for any new business, often requiring huge budgets. And yet Swifty have spent very little on traditional promotional activities.

Most of the company’s new clients come from word of mouth; from strong advocates spreading the word on their behalf. So, instead of spending money on advertising and PR, Jason and his team have been more creative, producing business cards that their customers willingly hand out, and QR code labels to attach to the scooters, so interested onlookers can scan them to find out more.

So, the lesson to be learned from the Swifty story is not to lose sight of your customers and the power if your brand. Jason sums it up in his final comment: “If you believe in what you are doing, and your customers do too, you can achieve anything.”

Swifty Scooters swiftyscooters.com

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IT’S A WATCHING BRIEF

Security camera specialist, Silent Sentinel, was formed 17 years ago, initially developing and manufacturing products as a partner of the surveillance industry giant, CBC Ganz. However, after eight successful years, CBC Ganz took a change of direction, that presented Silent Sentinel with a huge problem. Without its primary customer, there was, in effect, no business. Thankfully, today the company is doing better than ever.

Technical Sales Manager, RobDrewery, explainied.

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ften, in such circumstances, companies will simply be wound down, or worse still wither and die. This was something that Silent Sentinel refused to let happen to it. The senior management team knew it had a wealth of knowledge and experience and they were convinced the company could carve itself a niche.

The first major decision the company made was to supply the market direct. It gave the business far greater control over its direction and destiny. But it wasn’t going to be easy in what was, and still is, a highly competitive sector.

The market for standard vision security cameras was the main area where competition was high. Cheap products from China were forcing prices down in this product category and making it increasingly difficult for UK companies to compete. However, the team at Silent Sentinel could see an area where it would be hard for the Chinese companies to operate—thermal imaging.

At the time, thermal imaging was a growing part of the security vision market, and it remains so today. It is a highly technical area, with sophisticated equipment requirements. This meant competitors who were used to driving down prices using mass production techniques and incorporating cheap components, found it much harder to gain a competitive advantage. It was an ideal area for Sentinel to focus its expertise.

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The applications many people think of for thermal imaging cameras typically centre around heat measurement. This may include measuring thermal efficiency or the thermal performance of machinery and equipment. But, in security surveillance and monitoring applications, thermal imaging can offer a range of benefits over traditional cameras.

They can, of course, work in low and no-light situations with far greater range and higher image quality than cameras using infra-red illumination.

They are also still effective in extreme weather, including fog. They are also unaffected by factors such as glare which can interfere with images on a traditional camera and have the ability to ‘see through’ obstructions such a foliage.

Thermal imaging cameras can also provide a highly effective solution in visual monitoring scenarios. They are increasingly being used in

An installation that utilises 360° cameras can cost around 60% less than where fixed cameras are specified

military applications such as border control; for monitoring traffic on highways; in the marine industry; and managing fire risk in factories, energy plants and waste management depots.

When the thermal cameras are integrated with specialist software, the monitoring capabilities really come alive. A typical camera can be set up to monitor up to 10 zones, and is able to identify very subtle changes within these areas.

This could be movement to support security applications or temperature changes when a facility such as a power plant is being monitored.

Events can then be programmed into the software, which, if they occur will trigger alarms.

This could be the detection of an intruder, the temperature of a pipe exceeding specification in a plant, or the temperature of a pile of waste rising beyond a safe level with the resultant threat of a fire breaking out.

Traditional cameras cannot do any of these things, and this has been the key to a growth in popularity of thermal imaging.

It was the monitoring applications that drove what is possibly Silent Sentinel’s most innovative

product, a range of PTZ (pan, tilt, zoom) thermal cameras. Fixed thermal imaging cameras were available to the market, but not ones that could also pan, tilt and rotate a full 360°.

To make the product idea a reality, the company partnered with one of the leading producers of thermal imaging camera units, who had recently introduced a small, and less costly, camera unit which would deliver the required technical specification. Its lower cost meant that using this camera unit would also allow the team to produce a finished product that was competitively priced.

However, the camera unit’s compact dimensions meant that developing the pan and tilt mechanisms, and the casing that encapsulated everything, was a significant engineering project. As well as the challenges created by its compact form, the thermal camera unit required higher speeds and levels of accuracy from the mechanisms’ movement, compared to traditional cameras.

The camera units also needed to be ruggedised to cope with extreme weather conditions and they had to be reliable as they are, primarily, non-serviceable products.

It was something that hadn’t been done before, and so the team were breaking new ground at every stage of the product development journey.

The enhanced capabilities of the 360° thermal cameras mean they are more expensive than their fixed position counterparts, as you would imagine.

However, their ability to rotate does give them a significant advantage where their range and field of view are concerned. Depending on the application, one 360° camera can cover an area that could require up to eight fixed cameras.

With this in mind, an installation that utilises 360° cameras can cost around 60% less than if fixed cameras are specified.

What may have resulted in disaster for Sentinel, when its principal customer pulled out of the UK market, has turned out to be a hugely positive event. Without it, the company may not have decided to go it alone and develop groundbreaking security solutions.

There are more applications emerging, where thermal cameras are being found to provide the best solution and, as the cost of the equipment continues to improve, demand is growing. Thanks to a positive strategic decision, Sentinel is well placed to thrive as a result.

Silent Sentinel silentsentinel.com

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THE PHONE WITH NINE LIVES Have you ever dropped your smartphone? Did you experience that slowmotion moment of panic, anticipating a cracked screen—or worse—as your device headed to the floor? If you have, statistics from YouGov would suggest that you are far from alone. However, thanks to a company that you probably haven’t heard of, even though you may have bought their products, there is a way to avoid that period of dread, as Breakthrough magazine discovered when we spoke to Tim Shepherd, Director of Applications and Market Intelligence at Bullitt Group.

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or parents with teenagers, the results of the research YouGov carried out on behalf of Bullitt will probably come as no surprise, for everyone else they could well prove shocking.

The survey found that in the last three years, 20% of mobile phone users had cracked their screen by dropping their phone. In young phone users, that figure rises to one-third. And yet threequarters of those surveyed have no insurance for their devices and have to pay the full cost of repairs. When you match these figures against the total number of UK phone users, then the repair bill for cracked screens alone tops £1 billion.

In 2009, as a result of figures like these, three communications industry experts, Colin Batt, Dave Floyd and Richard Wharton, realised there was an opportunity, and they came together to form Bullitt Group.

Initially, the aim was to supply ruggedised smartphone handsets to industries such as construction, where design trends being adopted by traditional smartphones meant they were increasingly less practical for use.

Users could add a bulky case, but these were not as effective as they could be, and they had a significantly adverse effect on the user’s experience of their device.

The Bullitt team realised that a smartphone, designed from the outset with harsh environments in mind, could be so much better than the alternatives. A testament to this thinking has been a steady growth in sales to non-business clients. The smartphone’s capabilities and form factor have appealed to a growing range of users for whom a rugged device is a benefit. This expanding group includes extreme sports fans, hikers and participants in a wide variety of other leisure activities.

Setting up a smartphone business was never going to be a simple undertaking. Far from it. In broad terms, Bullitt was going up against some pretty stiff competition—the likes of Apple and Samsung. So the team quickly realised that an incredibly clever approach was needed.

The first challenge was to establish a brand out of nothing. The scale of that task would be massive. After Apple and Samsung, do you know who the third biggest smartphone handset manufacturer is globally? No? Neither did we, but it turns out it is Huawei. Or at least it was in quarter four of 2016. In that period Huawei shipped over 45 million handsets. And yet they are a brand that many people have never heard of.

The second major challenge for the Bullitt team was one of resources. Establishing the manufacturing, supply chain and distribution capabilities of a smartphone manufacturer was also no easy task.

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The answer to both conundrums came from partnerships.

To quickly gain the brand leverage it needed, the Bullitt team developed partnerships with a series of well-established companies, all associated with the markets at which they were aiming their products. It has worked with JCB, Land Rover, and most recently, Caterpillar.

These are all brands with significant reach and reputation, brands that resonate with their prospective customer bases and who represent similar values, in terms of quality and service, to those that Bullitt wanted to convey.

Of course, these are very much two-way relationships and Bullitt—and its products—have to live up to the expectations of the brands they are representing in return for the benefits the associations bring. The longevity of some of these relationships would suggest they do.

To develop the infrastructure needed to deliver the products that their brand partners deserved Bullit again chose a collaborative approach.

From gathering insights, through to product design, manufacturing and distribution, Bullit has identified some of the best companies in each field and brought them together to help it take its

Shock is tested by dropping the devices onto a solid surface, from a height of 1.8m products from concept to customer.

This partnership-based approach means that Bullitt, with a workfoce of 150, which is relatively small when compared to other smartphone manufacturers, can punch well above its weight.

This is all good and well, but even with the strongest brands and the most capable manufacturing partners, the products have to deliver. They also have to be something users are happy to work with. The majority of customers will simply be using them as a tool, but there is no reason why that has to be a compromised experience. Indeed, if it were, then the smartphones would not be increasingly adopted by recreational users too.

Bullitt’s flagship range of phones—the Cat phones manufactured for Caterpillar— demonstrate this.

Of course, they are less sleek than the latest iPhone, but they look far from industrial even though the standards that the phones are designed to meet include MIL-SPEC 810G—a military standard that covers 29 tests to simulate extreme environments or handling characteristics.

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The areas tested include reaction to a range of temperatures, the presence of dust and even fungus and salt. But two of the toughest areas are immersion and shock.

Shock is tested by dropping the devices from a height of 1.8m, onto a solid surface, in every possible orientation—some 26 times in all. Making the handsets able to withstand this test is a significant undertaking for the designers working with Bullitt. The handset’s enclosure is carefully designed to protect the screen, and then the screen itself is reinforced. Gorilla Glass is used, as it is by most smartphone manufacturers.

But, where those seeking lightweight and thin designs might use a piece that is 0.3mm thick, To gain extra strength, Bullitt use glass which can be three times thicker.

Of course, the current trend for thinner devices is something that simply cannot be achieved in a rugged device. But Bullitt is using this, and other constraints, to its advantage. For example, the extra thickness allows larger capacity batteries to be used. The Cat S41 smartphone has a 5000mAh battery which gives it a massive 44 days standby time.

The smartphones are also waterproof thanks to a significant amount of time and expertise that has gone into the design of the case. This doesn’t mean splashproof as some other handsets are. They can be submerged.

In the case of the S41, this can be at 2m for as long as an hour.

This capability also means that the handsets can be used to film and take photographs underwater.

You may be wondering what these handsets are like as smartphones— asking yourself what the trade-off is? Well, they perform well. They are Android-based, running the latest version of the operating system. They use powerful processors with expandable storage capacities and include some of the most recent communication protocols for wifi and Bluetooth.

One of the Bullitt handsets has a trick up its sleeve. The flagship Cat S60 also includes a thermal imaging camera. It is a real coup for the manufacturer as it is the first handset have such functionality built-in. Well suited to the core target market this feature opens up a range of new applications.

Using this feature, plumbers can see pipes behind walls and track system temperatures, while electricians can monitor the temperature of components and identify faults. A range of users can also see in complete darkness or when normal vision is obscured. This is a real boon for emergency services, for whom this specialist

One of the Bullitt handsets has a trick up its sleeve—a thermal imaging camera capability was previously less accessible.

The S60 Cat phone is even being used by a sheep farmer who has saved huge amounts of time using the feature to track down his flock when bringing them in from pasture at nightfall.

Bullitt’s Cat phones are a far cry from the rugged equipment of recent years, where performance was poor, and aesthetics were even worse. Performance wise the Bullitt offerings are now on a par with most traditional smartphones and are pleasant to look at too.

Could you persuade your teenage offspring to have one? Possibly not quite yet, but the handsets are heading in that direction, and it would certainly save on the repair costs.

Bullitt Group bullitt-group.com

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AN UNEXPECTED LEGACY

When you think of Olympic legacy, you don’t immediately consider the impact on your local builders. But in a roundabout way, if it weren’t for the 2012 Olympics, a product that saves time and money in a wide range of building applications may never have been created.

Charles Sterling, Director of Hook-up Solutions, explained how the global sporting event inspired a breakthrough product.

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he idea that went on to become the Hooka—a one metre wide, ultra compact, lift and carry crawler for bulk building materials, plant and equipment— came when a member of the original team was watching Great Britain’s ‘Super Saturday’ on an outdoor TV screen in Winchester. Whilst watching the events unfold, they noticed a team of wheelbarrow bearing labourers struggling to move a huge quantity of materials down a narrow alley—over a four hour period.

Upon taking a closer look, it was clear that the bulk bags that the material had been delivered in would have just fitted down the alley without being emptied. In a lightbulb moment, this observation triggered the thought that there had to be a better way to get bulk building materials into sites with restricted access.

Further investigations showed, surprisingly, that there was no good existing solution. There were some tricks that were used, but they were a compromise and were often unsafe. So, on most restricted access construction sites materials were moved by wheelbarrow from the kerbside to where they were needed.

The key issue with the compromise solutions was a high risk of the machine tipping over. Using a mini digger to carry a bulk bag was common,

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There were some tricks that were used, but they were a compromise and often unsafe but, when a 900kg bulk bag swings it carries significant pendular momentum. This momentum can easily topple a mini digger or small forklift if it is on all but the most level of surfaces. To compensate for the load, the standard solution is to use a large rough terrain forklift, but this is an impractical solution for many smaller construction sites.

Taking this insight forward the team behind the Hooka developed a solution that had a tracked base to cope with the terrain, but which also incorporated a bed that the load could be lifted on to. A small crane, not unlike the ones used on flatbed lorries was attached to lift a bulk bag from the side of the delivery vehicle and place it on its flatbed.

With the load no longer suspended, and therefore not a threat to the stability of the vehicle, it allowed the Hooka to be miniaturised to a point where it could fit through gaps the

same size as the bulk bags, or indeed pallets of materials such as bricks.

Charles refers to the first prototype as the ‘Scrapheap Challenge’ version: “It was crude and built using reclaimed parts and components,” he explained. “But it proved our concept and gave us a great deal of valuable feedback.”

The next stage of development was to produce a working prototype that the team could show to potential customers. They began working with a production partner, but this proved to be a challenging, and costly, stage of the development.

“The goal was to have the prototype ready for the Saltex show,” continued Charles. “It’s a leading exhibition for the landscaping sector, and alongside our initial targets in the plant hire trade, we expected a significant portion of our prospective customers to be there.”

But, things didn’t go smoothly. Costs were spiralling, and deadlines slipped. As the exhibition grew ever closer, it looked like the prototype wouldn’t be ready. But thankfully the team were able to take the Hooka to the show despite it not being entirely complete.

“

It was crude and built using reclaimed parts, but it proved our concept and gave us a great deal of valuable feedback

”

The reaction the prototype received was excellent, and the Hooka’s presence brought some valuable trade publicity. The team also captured valuable feedback from prospective customers, insights that would go on to help fine tune the product.

However, it was three key relationships, forged at the event, that would prove pivotal in Hooka’s development journey The international head of Hinowa was the first. The company manufacture market leading track bases and the team had tried to work with the organisation. However, the UK representative was unable to help them due to the small volumes needed during the early stages of development. However, the team’s new international contact was able to see the potential and agreed to work with them.

They also met representatives from Honda engines, also a market leader. The team had used a Honda engine in the prototype but had self-installed a reclaimed unit. The Honda representatives were also intrigued by the

project and agreed to help select and install an appropriate power unit to suit the application.

Aside from ensuring a perfect specification, this meant the Hooka could be sold with a valuable engine warranty from Honda.

The last of the valuable relationships formed at the exhibition was with a CE consultant.

He broght valuable knowledge to the project, identifying areas where the Hooka would need to be improved to support the demands of compliance legislation.

After the issues faced working with the initial manufacturing partner, the team decided to part ways with the supplier. Overall it was the best decision for the project, but, it caused a significant problem when the manufacturer refused to release the CAD drawings for the vehicle. Thankfully, one of the team carrying out some internet research, came across Lee Scott, from Kingston CAD Solutions. Lee was able to spend an intensive week with the team during which he completely re-drew the entire vehicle, component by component. Not only did he carry out the redraw but at the same time all the feedback and design suggestions—from the exhibition attendees and the CE consultant— were incorporated into this new iteration.

Lots of blood sweat and tears later— after several increasingly refined versions were developed, and a new, more reliable, manufacturing partner was found—a final production version was launched at Hire Expo in February 2015.

The design had evolved from the initial prototype to include stabiliser legs which also help secure the load once it has been placed on the Hooka’s bed. There is also a platform to allow the operator to ride on the vehicle. An uprated crane gives the Hooka a 1,500kg lifting capacity.

While a range of accessories, including an I-beam installation attachment, give the Hooka even greater versatility.

A steady stream of sales have followed in the two years since the Hooka was formally launched, and the team are continually refining and expanding routes to market for the product.

Direct sales to hire companies and end users are still part of the company’s sales strategy.

However, in a development that was not expected at the outset, the business is hiring the Hookas to trade users in their local area.

They have built relationships with independent builders merchants and can work with their customers on a contract basis. In time, the team plan to extend this operation by establishing franchises in other areas.

Charles and the team have also developed some direct hire accounts such as the Canals and Rivers Trust. It wasn’t an application the

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team had previously envisaged. But, the Hooka turned out to be the ideal vehicle to navigate the narrow tow paths that lead to the Trust’s locks, while loaded up with heavy materials needed to carry out repairs. Packs of canal damming timbers weighing 650kg and coping stones of some 350kg were moved with far greater ease and safety than they had been possible previously when manual handling had been the only real option.

As is so often the case, nothing in the journey from the Olympic summer of 2012 to today has been as expected.

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What have the team learned from their experience? “Get professional advice, especially when the company formation is concerned,” said Charles. “We set up as a Limited Liability Partnership, something I had done with another business. But, I later discovered that this ruled us out of claiming R&D tax credits, financial support that would have helped us move the project along much faster.”

“Additionally make sure, if you are going into a business partnership with others, that you have a carefully worded shareholders agreement to ensure everybody understands their position within the business and what processes are fair to all if they decide to leave.

There will inevitably be tough times in the

business’s journey, where conflicting situations may occur, so, having a proper agreement to resolve these is absolutely essential.�

The Hooka represents a new category of plant vehicle; one with the potential to save significant time and money in the construction sector. It also looks set to open up new opportunities such as the wider use of bulk bags in waste and recycling.

It may not be what was expected when the potential legacy of the 2012 Olympics was being scoped out. But, if the measure is value delivered by the games, then it hits the mark in our book.

Hook-up Solutions hookup-solutions.com

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CONNECTING THE FUTURE

So many ideas that go on to change the way we do things are elegantly simple. Many also emanate from the most unexpected situations. This was very much the case for a connector solution, Supple, which has been developed by Greg Cox and David Fowler of Voltrics. We spoke to Greg and David about the unique concept and how they see it changing the world of robotics.

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hen Greg was recuperating from a Rugby injury, and spending a lot of time using headphones, he became frustrated by how fragile the connectors were.

Being a product design student, in the middle of his master’s degree, he felt sure that he could devise a better solution.

Greg researched the market looking at what already existed, but found nothing to do the job as well as he wanted. So, he put pen to paper and spent weeks sketching out concepts that could solve what he felt was a big problem.

The design concept Greg settled on for what is now known as the Supple connector, is based on a human ball and socket joint, but one that can pass signals across it—without connected wires. Greg’s concept added a new dimension, by making it spherical. As a result, the connector allows a 360° rotation, but it also makes a side to side tilt of up to 140° possible, with no strain on the cable or connections.

Greg was advised to take the product development forward himself, rather than join

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one of his University’s incubator programmes, to avoid the need to release too much equity too early on in the project. Looking back, he thinks this is one of the best pieces of advice he had on his journey. Following the guidance, he kept the concept to one side, occasionally returning to it to fine tune the design while continuing with his studies.

Once he had graduated, Greg quickly moved into full-time employment, saving as much money as he could to support the development of his concept. As he was busy with his day job, he contracted a specialist design house to turn his idea into a working prototype. This is where he met David, the Chief Operating Officer at the design house, who took immediate interest in the concept. The pair worked together for a year before the project reached the point where Greg could take the plunge and officially start Voltrics.

At this point, David left the consultancy and came on board as a business partner.

With the concept developed, attention turned to raising investment and developing a partnership

Greg describes it as ‘robotic Lego’ that allows the construction of a robot arm with unrivalled levels of movement to move from the design stage into a working product. The initial response from the investment community was disappointing, with many people unable to see beyond the move towards wireless technologies in the consumer space.

Thankfully, Greg could. While the initial application was for headphones, he could see a broad range of other examples where a cable is put under strain through repetitive, harsh, movement. In some cases, the implications of a connection failure were high; in military applications, for example, the need for a more secure solution was far greater.

Determined to make a success of the project, Greg persevered, and it was the military sector where he had his first breakthrough.

Early in 2016, Greg met a UK representative from Geneva-based Fischer Connectors at a trade event and explained the concept to him.

The initial response was good, but follow up efforts to pin the right person down proved difficult. That was until news of the product reached their Swiss head office, and the company’s Chief Technical Officer invited the Voltrics team over to meet with them.

Fischer had a military application that their existing range of connectors was unable to

meet and they could see how the Supple connector could solve the problem.

To develop the Supple idea so it could be applied to the project a licensing agreement was reached whereby Fischer’s R&D resources were made available while Voltrics retained the intellectual property.

This arrangement suited Voltrics perfectly as it had no plans to produce the Supple connectors itself, seeing licensing the design with manufacturers and OEMs as the best direction for his business. The company has several potential customers waiting for the results from the Fischer project and if the design works in a military application, with its stringent standards and compliance requirements, then it will be suitable for most other applications. However, David and Greg believe that the application where the Supple technology could have the most impact for Voltrics and the sector, is in robotics.

Due to an ongoing patent application at the time we spoke to Greg and David, they were only able to share limited information about the robotics application. However, they did explain that the core principles of the Supple design, combined with proprietary software and control technology, have the potential to change the approach used to build robotic arms completely.

Greg describes it as ‘robotic Lego’ or a modular tentacle that allows the construction of a robot arm with unrivalled levels of movement.

The decision to explore the robotics sector was born out of frustration with the investment community’s lack of buy-in to the core connector concept, and it has proven to be a sound move.

Interest in the high-profile robotics sector is strong, and Greg and his team will be looking to secure a round of investment in the near future.

There are an exciting few months ahead for the Voltrics team, as the robotics concept is developed and they see the Fischer application realised.

We can’t wait to find out more about how the robotic arm works and if you would like to discover more, by the time you read this article details should be available via the company’s website, which you can find below.

Voltrics www.voltrics.co.uk

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When prodcut designer Stuart Lambert hired a folding bike, not unlike the one pictured here, he realised the tradtional designs were fraught with compromises.

Knowing he could do better, he set about designing a bike that could deliver a full size riding experience in a compact form, as Breakthrough magazine found out.

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he idea for the Crosshead came to Stuart after a trip to Brussels. Missing his favourite mode of transport while on his stay he decided to buy himself a bike to explore the area. He needed to bring the bike home after his trip, so he opted for the practicality of a folding bicycle.

The bike did what Stuart needed it to do, but, as a seasoned cyclist, he was far from excited by

the experience. It was very much a compromise, between the ride experience and the practical aspects of a folding bike.

This experience set Stuart’s designer’s mind working and, as the bike sat in his hallway for the following months, he realised there was a gap in the market.

Folding bicycles are generally created around the principles of making a good small bike. Stuart

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wanted to approach the task from the opposite side and make a good bike, small.

The difference is subtle, but Stuart could see how the traditional approach to folding mechanisms created a weak point in the frame which allowed for flexing that impacted on the ride. While the typical wheel size on folding bicycles, 16 inches, also had an adverse impact on the rider’s experience.

These two areas, combined with Stuart’s overall focus on quality and design, became the core criteria for the Crosshead bicycle. It needed to be able to incorporate larger wheels to improve the ride, while employing a folding mechanism that allowed the larger-wheeled form to still become compact, without impacting on the integrity of the frame.

From that point to where Stuart is today has been an eight-year journey which has seen five prototype versions of the Crosshead design, as various aspects have been refined.

The latest version—the CP-05—delivers on those initial design criteria, and more. It uses 20-inch wheels and full-size bicycle geometry that give the bike the feel of a fullsize alternative. A cleverly designed threepoint folding mechanism ensures a rigid frame.

Despite the larger overall form of the bike, the mechanism still allows it to be classed as a ‘compact folder’ by the rail operators when it folds to one-third of its original size. This is a critical point for the commuter market where the operators resist larger fold-in-half bikes.

The ability to deliver a quality ride in a compact form is supported by secondary safety locks incorporated into the folding mechanisms which enhance the rigidity of the hinges. The chosen frame material, aluminium, while hard to work with has also helped by giving the Crosshead a perfect balance between weight and frame stiffness.

Following the principles of performance as well as function, the frame tubes are shaped as aerofoil sections, a technique used on high-end road bikes. The folding mechanisms also sit flush with the frame, drawing inspiration from aircraft door handles to minimise their aerodynamic impact.

Stuart also ensured his design enabled a broad range of ancillary components to be used.

Multiple mounting points allow, for example, for the choice between ten and 20 gear versions, while a variety of other options are available including touring or racing style handlebars and luggage attachment.

The fact that the idea for the Crosshead survived those eight years of development is, in part, down to how prepared Stuart was for the journey. Yes, he was a trained product designer having studied at the Royal College of Art (RCA),

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Folding bicycles are generally created around the principles of making a good small bike. Stuart wanted to make a good bike, small but he had also spent seven years as managing director of his family’s security business—far away from products and indeed manufacturing— and achieved an MBA. All this has given him a keen understanding of what it takes to run a successful business.

His experience and background had also given Stuart two strong beliefs. The first was in the role that design plays at board level. He believes that bringing a design perspective to the board will give a business an edge—the ability to be a challenger business or indeed a leader in its field.

Companies like Apple or Dyson, for example, demonstrate this principle.

Stuart also a firmly believes that ‘you can’t do everything yourself’ and says that bringing the right people into a business is a critical success factor. Stuart is keen to stay involved in all aspects of his business, but he realises there are areas where others can spend their time better than he can. So, from an early stage, he has engaged with individuals who have expertise in the areas he saw a need for, building a board of shareholders to compliment his skills.

Stuart also developed a working relationship with an engineering firm early in his journey, to help support the development of the early versions of the Crosshead.

The importance of a close working relationship between product design and engineering was also something that Stuart had learned in his RCA days. As a result, when the project progress enabled and required it, he teamed up with Alex Kalogroulis, a design engineer with experience in folding bicycles, who also became a shareholder in the business.

Today, at the end of that eight-year development journey, parts are about to be delivered for the assembly of the very first production bikes from Crosshead. And so it seems Stuart’s passion was well placed; that he can realise his vision to make a good bike small; and that convenience doesn’t have to mean compromise.

Crosshead www.crosshead.co.uk

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TOWERING ABOVE THE

COMPETITION

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If you played with Meccano as a child, or indeed as an adult, then you will appreciate the concept behind the LOBO work platform system. We spoke to Robert Bokros, the company’s Managing Director, to discover how the product is saving time and money for some very high-profile engineering and manufacturing firms.

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he LOBO system is a work platform system that sits, rather cleverly, between traditional aluminium work towers and more traditional scaffolding solutions. It isn’t aimed at the construction market, preferring to focus on the engineering and manufacturing sectors—maintenance applications in particular.

There are drawbacks with the traditional tower and scaffolding solutions when used in maintenance application. The majority of aluminium towers are inflexible because they are designed to be set up in very few configurations.

As their name suggests, they are usually just towers. They are fine for giving access at height on flat ground, but aluminium towers are not suitable for applications that require access over, or around, an obstacle.

At the other end of the spectrum, scaffolding is much more flexible in how it can be set up. It can span gaps, can be made to work on uneven surfaces and can cope with a range of other challenges. However, scaffolding requires tools and specialist knowledge to assemble safely.

As a result, in a factory, setting up a scaffolding platform for a maintenance task typically calls for an outside contractor—which can cause delays and is expensive.

If you go on to consider portability, neither option fares well. Aluminium towers are the lightest and can break down into relatively small components. But you would be hardpressed to fit one in a typical estate car. Of course with the length of the scaffold poles, you would never get them into a car or even a small van for that matter.

Almost 20 years ago, when Robert and a colleague were looking at this situation, they realised there was a gap in the market. They could see an opportunity for a solution that could combine the ease of use a tower offers, with the flexibility of a scaffolding solution.

With these core criteria at the forefront of their minds, along with the desire to produce a system

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Possibly one of the most impressive customers—NASA— came very early on in the company’s journey that was also portable and could be assembled by anyone after some basic training, Robert and his colleague began to design their system.

The first component they came up with was a clamp that allowed the length of tubes to be adjusted without the use of tools. When combined with a safety pin, the clamp meant that the tubes could be extended. This unique component gave the system the adjustability needed to support its flexibility while ensuring it remained easy to use.

The pair then designed a coupler that could join tubes at various angles. The design drew on the core principles of a scaffold clip but could be fitted and adjusted without the need for tools.

This component opened up a broad range of options. Vertical ‘legs’ which could be joined to create a tower shape; bars that could be attached to brace the structure or act as barriers; and outriggers which could be added to aid stability.

With a series of platforms, wheels, ladders and other pieces added to the core components the LOBO system was born.

But, it is the clamp and the coupler that make the LOBO system what it is, and patents have ensured that there is nothing on the market quite like it today.

However, that protection hasn’t made the team complacent. Since day one there has been a constant focus on gathering as much customer feedback as possible and using it to develop the range.

Further accessories have been added to aid a range of maintenance tasks, such as lifting bars and vice attachments.

While storage cages have been developed in response to customers reporting ‘bits going missing’ on site.

The core product is also in constant evolution. Various materials have been trialled for the different components to reduce weight and cost without compromising safety.

Then, to further support the product’s safety, the training materials and documentation are regularly updated, having been made freely available.

The LOBO system certainly delivers on those initial objectives. Companies using the system have reported saving significant sums of money simply from being able to build their platforms in-house and eliminating the cost of hiring-in specialist scaffolding teams. They are also saving considerable amounts of time by not having to wait for external contractors to become available.

Thanks to the niche position the LOBO system has filled since it first hit the market, it has developed an impressive customer base that, includes global engineering and processing companies such as Rolls Royce, Nissan and ABV In-Bev. But possibly one of the most impressive customers came very early on in the company's journey.

Back in 1998, Robert received an email from Edwards Air Force Base in California—a facility that is part of NASA. A crew chief at the facility contacted LOBO after finding details of the system online. Being a fixed structure, existing

aviation staging is not particularly flexible so it can’t adjust from one aircraft to the next. The nature of the airbase’s work meant it needed a far more adaptable staging solution.

Robert shipped a system over, flew out to meet it and took it to the base. He met with the crew chief, who loved the product, and a deal was done there and then.

It was a fantastic name for LOBO to have on its client list, especially so early on in the company’s journey. The system must have served them well, as other NASA facilities including the Johnson Space Center and Ames Research Center, also purchased LOBO systems.

Of course, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see its potential. The LOBO system has proven itself in many applications that require workers to be raised off the ground.

LOBO Systems www.lobosystems.com

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BELT AND BRACES

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At first glance, the Huggy Belt looks like any other car seat belt pad. But, in practice, it does so much more as Breakthrough magazine found out when we caught up with its co-inventor, Alex Crawford.

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ike so many innovative products, the idea that led to the Huggy Belt came from personal experience. On almost every car journey he took with his children Alex would find himself telling them to put their seatbelts on correctly as he noticed them pulling the shoulder straps down over their arms and sometimes under their armpits.

The issue is a common one amongst children and adults, known as ‘seat belt syndrome’.

However, it is particularly common with kids as their smaller size is a bad fit for many seat belts, which have been designed for use by adult passengers.

To minimise discomfort, many passengers will resort to pulling the diagonal shoulder belt away from their necks. However, they do not realise the potential dangers they are exposing themselves to by doing this.

Having spent his career in the transport industry, Alex was all too aware of the dangers of ill fitting seat belts. He had seen studies that showed that as many as 3,000 child deaths a year are attributed to this. Indeed it was these statistics that led to the introduction of new booster seat legislation in 2006.

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Determined to find a solution Alex sat down with his friend and colleague, Hugh Thomson, to explore ways to stop children from putting themselves at risk.

The first concept the pair came up with looked nothing like the Huggy Belt we see today. The initial design was based on a jacket—not unlike a hi-visibility vest—that the child wore. The jacket included loops to route the seat belt through, similar to belt loops on a pair of trousers.

The design was effective. It kept the belt in position while holding it away from the wearer’s neck. It also met the requirements of relevant safety standards, except for one key factor.

Seat belts need to be capable of being removed in one motion.

Alex and Hugh started to consider how they could overcome this issue. But as they talked to more people about their design they discovered another aspect of their approach that could have implications on its viability from a business perspective. The jacket based design would need to be available in various sizes to be suitable for a wide age range. It would also, potentially, need to be available in a choice of colours to appeal to a broad

The device holds the seat belt in the optimum position, even if the child leans forward audience who would need to be comfortable wearing it.

The pair realised they would need to include many versions of the product within the range.

They would need ten, or maybe more, options and this would have a significant financial implication where producing, transporting and storing a viable stock holding was concerned.

It was clear to Alex and Hugh that it would need more than just a design tweak to make it easier to remove and so they went back to the drawing board.

A new idea came from an alternative version of the design that was already being developed for the ambulance service. There had been accidents where ambulances were transporting mothers with newborn babies who had pneumonia. The babies needed to be held to the mother’s chest for warmth but if the ambulance was to have an accident the babies were vulnerable.

Alongside the children's safety system Alex and Hugh had also been developing a design, similar to a papoose, that attached to the mother’s seat belt, offering some security in the event of an accident.

They realised that the baby concept—whereby a loop goes over the seat belt shoulder strap—could be applied to their children’s product. Partnering with a local clothing manufacturer, they developed prototypes of this design which were fine tuned into the product that is available today.

The Huggy Belt does have a seat belt pad as the most visible part of its design.

But underneath the pad is a clip which attaches to the shoulder strap of the car’s seat belt. Then, also generally out of view, a new strap that forms part of the device goes down behind the child’s back

diagonally and attaches either to the seat belt buckle or if available, to an ISOFIX point.

The device holds the seat belt in the optimum position even if the child leans forward, and it does not irritate the wearer.

Indeed, tests have shown that wearers of the Huggy Belt are 45% less likely to suffer an injury in the event of an accident.

The Huggy Belt is not the only solution to the problem as Alex and Hugh discovered relatively early on in their journey. But the pair believe that the alternative approaches are flawed. One employs a five-point harness which completely restricts the wearer’s movement. Other designs, based on clipping the seat belts, do not fully eliminate the potential for the seat belt to move.

Unlike other designs, the Huggy Belt is also a fit and forget solution. Once initially adjusted to fit a child it can easily be put on and removed. In fact, it is so simple that a child capable of putting their own seat belt on can still do so when the device is fitted.

Of course, like many products, the version available today has evolved significantly from the first design. The most significant development has been the move from a rigid material for the strap that goes behind the child, to an elastic material. It is still strong enough to ensure the original belt stays in place but the element of give offered by the elastic material reduces the pressure put on the wearer in the event of an accident.

The rigid version resulted in a pressure force of 55g in crash tests; which is the maximum allowable level. The elastic version reduced that pressure force by over 10g which is a significant improvement and a massive benefit, particularly when young wearers are concerned.

It's been a four year long journey to bring the Huggy Belt to market. Alex’s attentions have now turned to marketing the device, and while it is available direct, he is also in discussion with retail and distribution partners both here in the UK and in the USA. He is also exploring licensing options with some potential partners.

Conscious of the benefits of getting acceptance from the young people that need to be wearing the Huggy Belt, Alex sees football teams and other popular children’s characters helping to encourage young people to use a device that could very well save their lives.

“If the Huggy Belt goes on to save just one life—and we expect it will save many more—then it will have been a journey well worth taking,” concluded Alex.

KIDS Innovations Development huggybelt.com

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TREAD THE LESS RISKY PATH

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An innovative new product with the potential to eliminate the second biggest cause of injury in the transport sector has recently been launched

by Northern Trailer Company (NTC). We spoke to the company’s Sales and Marketing Manager, Mark McVeigh, who explained how they would meet this significant ambition.

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arge flatbed trailers typically have no protection. A full trailer delivering steel to a construction site can be piled up to six feet high. When it comes time to unload the trailer, operators have to climb onto it—a height of 1.5m. They will often have to balance themselves to hook on the cranes and enable the load to be transferred from the trailer. It’s a high-risk operation and falls have been a major problem for years. In fact, falling from vehicle height is the second biggest reason for injury in the transport industry.

Aside from the injury, falls from vehicles can result in substantial fines for the haulier and the site operator. Over the years, many solutions have been developed in an attempt to reduce the risk, but they all had their flaws.

Soft landing bags are exactly what they sound like, big bean bags that are placed right around the sides and back or the trailer. They will typically be kept on site and moved around the vehicle when it arrives. If someone does fall from the flatbed, the bean bags soften the blow and due to their height reduce the overall height of the fall. It is a relatively cheap solution and they are an improvement over nothing, but there is still a fall. The operative can still hurt themselves if they

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Aside from injury, falls from vehicles can result in substantial fines for the haulier and the site operator land awkwardly or if they hit something else on the way down.

Some sites have made dedicated loading platforms available. These are permanent platforms, set at the height of a flatbed. They are either fixed in place or are on wheels allowing a vehicle to be positioned alongside. These platforms offer a good solution but are only really practical on significantly large or permanent sites.

Not least because of the space they take up.

Then some systems use ratchet strapping on poles strung down the side of the flatbed. If correctly installed this option can stop a fall. However, they are fitted to the edges of the existing flatbed so offer no extra room for the operative to manoeuvre themselves around the load. If the flatbed is fully loaded, they may even hamper the operation.

Until recently, the best solution to the problem from a safety perspective has been a clamping kit. This option offers additional benefits by creating a platform walkway that extends the side and back of the flatbed.

With a safety barrier then attached to its outer edges, it offers protection against a fall, while providing extra space for the operative to safely navigate around the load. However, the system takes a long time to set up, having over 50 components, and if one part is lost, the platform can be rendered unusable.

Every possible solution to the fall problem had a flaw, until NTC launched the Pathfinder earlier this year.

Loads better The concept behind the Pathfinder originated from a pair of engineers, who developed a solution to the problem for use on their own vehicles, seven years ago. They had hoped to take their solution to market; however, a combination of factors, including health and safety attitudes, a recession, and the engineers’ lack of sales and marketing experience, meant the idea never went any further than their personal use.

The owner of the company behind NTC knew the inventors through his steel fabrication business. When he found out about the trailer idea, he agreed to take on the project, develop it and take it to market.

The Pathfinder system is a permanently fitted platform that, when not in use, can be folded back against the flatbed trailer. When deployed, it creates a full walkway around the vehicle with an integrated safety barrier. It provides the operator with enough room to work safely around the load while protecting the operative against a fall.

Should forklift access be needed, the barrier can be quickly folded out of the way.

The fact that it is permanently fitted means there are no loose parts to be lost. It travels with the vehicle, so wherever the load is heading, it can be safely unloaded. Thanks to the integrated barriers, the risk of a fall is also eliminated, unlike the bean bag systems. Where the Pathfinder stands out, however, is the speed with which it can be put into operation—around five minutes.

NTC has added its own touches to the product. Before taking the Pathfinder to market, the company spent time refining the design and the components used in its manufacture. While it successfully reduced the fall risk, the weight of the original design created a new health and safety issue. It was a two man operation to set up the platform and there was a risk of injury from a section of the device swinging into an operator. So, careful attention was paid to the materials used in the system’s construction.

Along with the introduction of self-lubricating bushes, this made the platform much easier to deploy and reduced the overall weight added to the vehicle. Now, at 700Kg the Pathfinder can easily be operated by one person and its weight has no discernable impact on the vehicle’s overall load-carrying capacity.

Competitive advantage Where bean bag systems and on-site platforms are the responsibility of the site operators, the Pathfinder offers a competitive advantage to the hauliers installing it on their trailers. They can take loads to almost any site and take away the ownership of the fall risk from the site operators.

This capability makes them a more attractive contractor by reducing risk and saving costs.

The team at NTC hope that one day the Pathfinder system becomes a standard requirement specified in haulage contracts and the company is currently in negotiation with some high profile organisations to try and make this happen. In the mean time, the company continues to cut the fall risk, one trailer at a time.

The Northern Trailer Company www.trailersafetysystems.co.uk breakthrough, Autumn 2017

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TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS Scores of studies have shown that helping people live independently in their own homes for as long as possible, has significant benefits. However, enabling people to stay in a familiar environment when their care needs are increasing is far from easy.

Solutions provider, Red Alert Telecare, may make it look easy, but behind the scenes, they are consistently focused on how innovation can improve what they offer their clients, and how they offer it, as Breakthrough magazine found out.

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he team at Red Alert provide a wide selection of solutions to support independent living. A range of monitors can tell if someone has wandered away from their bed at night, fallen over, let the bath overflow or forgotten to switch off the gas supply to the cooker—along with many other potentially worrying things. In addition, connected devices, such as blood pressure and glucose monitors, can be linked to health professionals over the internet, allowing them to carry out a remote assessment.

However, the company takes a different approach to almost every other supplier in the sector—it is entirely supplier agnostic. This means Red Alert can offer any and every product available on the market—if it believes it offers their customers a real benefit.

Red Alert do this not only because it supports the company’s aim of providing the best care support, but also because it enables it to stay at the cutting edge of technology developments in the sector. With the entire market open to them, the team at Red Alert can test and assess the latest product innovations, bringing them into their portfolio immediately, to support their desire to always offer their customers the best solutions available.

In many industries, alignment with a small number of suppliers is often seen as an

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advantage. There can be cost and exclusivity benefits, and advantages in support agreements.

However, contrary to what may be considered the norm in other industries, staying supplier agnostic has not had a weakening effect on Red Alert’s supplier relationships, in fact, it brings several key advantages.

Alongside being able to give the customer what is best, the company can work with any customer and situation—regardless of their existing equipment choices—without a penalty on either party. Other suppliers, tied to a particular manufacturer, are either unable to help in these situations, or the customer is faced with unnecessary charges to replace perfectly good equipment that is not compatible with an exclusive supplier’s range.

The strategic decision to remain supplier agnostic has certainly stood the company in good stead.

As growing pressure is placed on their budgets, local authorities are increasingly turning to telecare as a way to reduce costs. This is in part because the available technology is continually improving, and the costs are coming down as a result. So, telecare is becoming a cost-effective alternative to residential care in a growing number of situations. Red Alert’s flexibility in the support it can offer and its ability

Innovation can deliver major benefits, but helping someone improve the quality of their life has to be up there among the biggest to work with all the latest technology, has seen it become part of an award-winning consortium, called Argenti, which is delivering telecare services on behalf of Hampshire County Council and the London Borough of Barnet.

As part of the Argenti service, specialists from Red Alert carry out assessments in a care user’s home. They can identify the individual’s needs and ensure they are being provided with the solutions they need.

In the first three years of the Argenti programme, over 6,000 people have received telecare as part of their care package, saving Hampshire County Council £4.7million Bringing the latest solutions to customers is not where innovation stops for Red Alert. Its

processes and procedures are also an ongoing focus, as the company continuously looks for ways to improve.

This was recently demonstrated by a project that supported the company’s management of battery stocks, which was led by Stock Control Manager, Paul Weatherall, .

According to the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), battery maintenance is one of the top ten problems faced by biomedical engineer technicians. In a critical system, such as telecare, you can't afford to have batteries fail so timely maintenance and management of stocklife is critical.

At Red Alert, the battery management had previously been handled by spreadsheets, but it was clear that the approach could be improved.

To do this, Paul needed a secure system which could give greater visibility and instant analytical reporting of all aspects of their purchasing, usage and distribution—for both new installations and ongoing maintenance.

This type of system wasn’t available offthe-shelf, and so the Red Alert team had to develop it themselves. Input from all the relevant stakeholders within the business and analysis of the existing process, enabled Paul and his team to come up with an approach that covered everyone’s needs.

The company now has clear and instant access to information that includes complete battery records to support their compliance objectives, stock management and of course, customer safety. But, the system also supports the company’s engineers, giving details of their maintenance schedules to the stock control team and ensuring they always have the right components for a job.

The newly developed system has proved to be a major success for the company. The integration with maintenance schedules saves the engineers significant amounts of time, but, when you consider the impact of streamlining stock control the overall savings are even greater.

However, most importantly, the users of the battery-powered equipment Red Alert supply and maintain, are even better served that they had been before.

In fact, the system has been so successful it is now being used by one of Red ALert’s customers, Philips Telehealth.

In all its forms, innovation can deliver some major benefits, but helping someone improve the quality of their life has to be up there among the biggest.

Red Alert Telecare www.redalerttelecare.co.uk breakthrough, Autumn 2017

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DON’T FENCE ME IN When you imagine a team developing an innovative new product what do you envisage? Most of us will conjure up images of high-tech offices with large open spaces, of slides, pool tables and ‘breakout’ spaces. Did you think about a farm? We certainly didn’t, but perhaps we should, as Breakthrough magazine found out when we spoke to Jim Alston, Director at Dofygate.

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he problem Dofygate set out to solve is one suffered by farmers across the country. Numerous times a day they find themselves passing through gates. It’s a slow process as they need to stop the vehicle, get out and open the gate, before getting back in their vehicle, driving through the gate and then getting out again to close the gate. This timeconsuming task can be made a little quicker with two people, but it’s still a hassle. Then beyond the hassle factor, every trip through a gate is an opportunity for livestock to escape, something that needs to be avoided.

It was years of opening and closing gates that started Jim, a Norfolk based farmer and co Director at Dofygate, thinking about a solution.

He was sure there must be a better way to travel through a gateway quickly, but without making it possible for livestock to leave the area.

The first idea Jim came up with wasn’t, in fact, a gate at all. It was an electrified flexible grid that could be suspended a few inches above the ground. A vehicle passing over the grid would push it to the ground, but at other times it would

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be enough to discourage animals from crossing.

It did work but had issues with weed growth and discarded feed and straw interfering with it. So, the focus of the design moved back to a gate based solution.

At about this time a friend provided some design advice and then decided to join the project. Oliver Chastney was one of the original importers of 3D CAD into the country and this extensive experience in engineering design took the project to a new level.

Automatic gates already existed, of course, but they were too slow to stop a determined sheep from following a vehicle out of a field as Jim explained: “If you look at an actuator on a traditional electric gate, they take 15-25 seconds to close. By the time the gate is closed, you wouldn’t have just lost one animal; you may have lost the whole lot.”

One option was a barrier system like you see at a railway crossing. These are much faster, but when open, at their highest point, they are outside of most animal’s field of vision. If one tried to get through it could

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By the time the gate is closed, you wouldn’t have just lost one animal, you could have lost the lot

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be hit by the barrier as it lowered, injured or spooked into bolting.

Another solution was needed, and Jim drew up his design criteria. A gate had to close within five seconds and move within an animal’s field of vision. It had to operate on a stand alone basis, as running electricity to a field to power it was not an option. It also had to be robust enough to cope with being knocked by passing vehicles and boisterous animals. And, of course, it needed to be remotely controlled.

A barrier approach would give the speed needed. So, Oliver designed a folding mechanism that allowed the gate to pivot in the middle with the movement controlled both on opening and closing. This design meant the unattached end of was always at the same height as the fixed end.

It was then within an animal’s field of vision while the movement also caught their attention and alerted them to the gates presence.

The only viable option to allow the gate to operate on a stand alone basis was solar power.

This, however, limited the energy available for the gate and an energiser—a device that creates the high voltage needed to power an electric fence.

This addition was necessary to compensate for the lightweight frame of the gate and stop animals pushing through.

The folding design helped reduce the strain on, and in turn, the power required by the lifting mechanism. As it folds, it takes a low amount of inertia to get moving, and therefore a smaller actuator could be used.

The material used to build the gate was also key to keeping the weight, and energy requirements, low. Aluminium was trialled, but it became vulnerable to damage. To give strength with a low weight, the final design utilised carbon fibre. By working with the company that produced the material, it was possible to develop the components with a lower than average amount of resin on the outer surface. This meant that the carbon fibre could conduct the electricity from the energiser and electrify the gate without the need for additional wire.

Powering the energiser was also a significant challenge. “We had to build our own,” said Jim. “Energisers are designed to power very long fences of two or even more kilometres. If you put that on a 3m long gate, the shock will be too

strong. If that happens, the animals become scared, not only of the gate but also the space it occupies.

So getting them to move through the gate when you do need them to becomes difficult.”

Jim developed a test rig designed to arouse the animal’s curiosity but provide a shock when they touched it. He set it up on his farm and by varying the power to the rig he was able to establish a voltage that was enough to discourage the animals, but no so much that they were frightened away from it for long periods.

To further reduce the power requirements to a level solar power could supply, a technique called detection/response was employed. A typical energiser unit utilises 20ma every hour through continuously using a high voltage. But this would be too much for a solar unit to power.

The Dofygate can operate on around 0.5ma. It does this by maintaining a relatively low voltage of 100v until it detects something is touching it. When touch is sensed, the energiser puts out three much higher voltage bursts at around 4000v—to provide the deterrent shock.

The requirement for a remote control function was covered by options including fobs, connected buttons and a mobile phone app. The team also tested an approach that would allow the gate to be opened by a vehicle sounding its horn twice in quick succession. On paper, it was a viable approach, but in practice, it became too difficult to make it workable while eliminating false openings. So this method was shelved.

Off to market With a product design that met the criteria set

by Jim, the Dofygate team were able to take the gate system to market. However, the project’s challenges didn’t end here. At the heart of the anticipated customer base were dairy farmers.

But at almost the same time that the gates were formally launched, the price of raw milk crashed.

As a result spending in the sector stopped almost overnight.

Thankfully, the characteristics of the Dofygate—speed, ease of installation and portability—meant it was also able to offer a solution in a range of other applications. The company does have customers in the farming and livestock industry, but the gates have also been adopted in construction for site safety; schools, again for safety; and traffic control.

There have also been a significant number of domestic customers.

“I expect these customers’ neighbours, in particular, are glad we didn’t roll out the ‘beep to open’ function,” concluded Jim.

Dofygate www.dofygate.co.uk breakthrough, Autumn 2017

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A ROSE

BY ANY OTHER NAME

If you’re considering a new name for a company, service or product it could be one of the most important marketing decisions you will ever make. The choice of the name, just like the choice of your branding and styling, is not a subjective decision, nor should it be a political one, as Breakthrough Funding’s Marketing Director, Jane Connolly, explains.

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ou, and your managers, shareholders or board, must resist the interference of others, and choose the name for the right reasons, unfettered by other people’s preferences, but focused on your mission and vision, and your target audience(s). The guiding principle, therefore, must be, ‘will our customers like it?’ They are buying into the brand, so its not a question of whether you like it.

The importance of a strong and distinctive brand name should never be underestimated. A good choice can ensure your brand is memorable and differentiated. It can help with positioning and the communication of key messages.

The internet is the single biggest driver for choosing an internationally acceptable brand names. Increasingly confident consumers are more willing to research and purchase goods, services, and even their education, through the internet. It therefore makes good business sense for brand names to have an immediate impact; to be accessible, clear and globally relevant.

As well as acceptability with your customer base it must be memorable and stick in your

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customers’ minds quickly. In addition there are four principles that need to be ‘cross-referenced’ against the final choice; • • • •

Impact Accessibility Clarity Global relevance

It should also be noted that should you choose a highly controversial name, most especially politically unacceptable, it could have an adverse effect on publicity and staff morale.

On the other hand, the most successful names over the long-term are often those that, initially, are a little controversial or different (Google, Swatch, Ikea). Whilst it’s probably wise not to welcome controversy for the sake of it, an organisation and its brand names need to stand out among competitors. You need to show some creativity and boldness in your choice. If you want to raise awareness and be differentiated against your competitors, you have to have a name that does just that.

Trademark and domain name acceptability A new brand name should be registered in the trademark register of each country in which it will be used. If you feel this is not necessary it can be done solely for the UK. You can go to the Companies House website to check against registered company names, to ensure there isn’t a clash, but the first stop for information is The Patent Office. Their website gives details of intellectual property protection, or you can get a company to give you an initial trademark report on the name you have chosen for as little as £100. A trademark is a sign or text capable of being represented graphically and which distinguishes goods or services. A trademark may consist of words, designs, logos or combinations of letters and/or numbers, but there are some restrictions on certain words or phrases.

Copyright is used to protect the visual identity of the design and text of your new logo. It is not necessary to register this copyright. However, legally it resides with the agency who designs the final logo, and when the contract is given there must be an agreement that on payment, the copyright passes unreservedly to you.

Don’t forget that you need to ensure you can get the domain name you want too. It’s no good starting with a great name like orange, only to find that every derivation of that name from .co.uk, to .com to .biz has been taken. You don’t really want a domain name that ends up being www. orange_limited.com.

What type of name Names come from a variety of sources. Many European languages are derived from either Greek or Latin, and the trend towards global markets make these names easier to transfer across continents. Examples abound, including Hovis from the Latin Hominus Vis, ‘Strength of man’. Nike is Greek for victory and replaced the original name of Blue Ribbon Sports—its easy to work out which is more memorable.

Acronyms and ‘coined’ names incorporating elements from one or more words are often useful tools for avoiding translation difficulties, as they are less likely to have meanings in other languages. Well-known brand names using this formula that have created a new word include:

The inevitable human instinct to shorten any new name must be taken into account

• • • • •

IKEA—founder Ingvar Kampard, his farm Elmtaryd and his village Agunnaryd 7-UP—refers to the seven flavours in the drink Persil—the product’s two main ingredients, percarbonate and silicate ADIDAS—taken directly from founder Adi Dassler’s name Nylon—an abbreviation of New York and London

This is a particularly effective strategy for minimising trademark difficulties. However, the inevitable human instinct to shorten any new name must be taken into account e.g. British Telecommunications (BT), British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) or National Westminster Bank (NatWest), before making the final decision.

Whatever the naming approach, one word brands are most effective. Lengthy, multiple word names lead to truncation and when people inevitably abbreviate your name, control is lost over the brand and identity. Other naming tactics include using brand names that describe (e.g. PowerBook, Burger King, British Airways, Carphone Warehouse, Toys R Us) or words taken straight from the dictionary with no direct correlation to the service or product itself (e.g.

Yahoo, Starbucks, Orange).

You can employ an agency to come up with a brand name, but this will, of course, cost hundreds, if not thousands of pounds, but you may consider that a good investment depending on the size of your organisation.

Additional considerations New names should not be too constrictive and should allow for possible future strategic developments. Commerce and industry are changing at an increasingly rapid rate. It is impossible to predict macro-environmental changes over the coming decades, especially those that will take effect long after you have

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Selecting a name is an emotionally charged decision launched a new product or service. Don’t forget your ambitions too. If you grow quickly it may be too parochial to call yourselves Wrexham Engineering. You might move your main site to another town or establish other centres, not just in the UK but maybe internationally. This may be unthinkable now, but in ten years?

If you plan to sell overseas you will need to have your brand name checked by a translator— after all the Vauxhall Nova seemed like a good name in England, but in Spanish “no va” means won’t go—not a great name for a car. The Toyota MR2 is pronounced “Toyota Merde” in France.

Enough said!

Remember Selecting a name is an emotionally charged decision. Naming decisions are fraught with politics, turf issues, and individual preferences.

You must stick to a strategic internal decision and not entertain the lowest common denominator solution. Along the way there is always someone who will try to derail the process. You need to determine at the outset who the decision makers will be, and then work diligently to keep the decision-making process on track.

The new name will have a degree of controversy, whichever you choose. Everyone will have an opinion, and there will be those in favour and those against. It is a classic no-win situation.

Over time it will become better known. Clients, stakeholders and the local community, will find it more comfortable as time passes and accept it as part of the background noise.

Finally, some howlers . . .

Here are some international brand names that may have worked well but translated badly into English: • • • • • • •

Pocari Sweat–Isotonic sports drink (Japan) Bimbo–bread (Spain) Kräpp–toilet paper (Sweden) Alu-Fanny–aluminium foil (Norway) Pantry-boy–Nissan car (Japan) Bonka–coffee (Spain) Bums–biscuits (Sweden)

A rose by any other name, might smell as sweet, but you’d have difficulty getting anyone to buy it if it was called pocari sweat!

Breakthrough Funding breakthroughfunding.com

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The TechTalk Radio Show

TALKING TECH Innovation is always a hot topic on The TechTalk Show and we chat to brilliant people from across the industry every week. Here are just a few of the tech heroes we’ve met recently.

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hen it comes to shopping, people tend to either love it or hate it. If you’re in the latter camp, you’ll like our July 6 episode, in which GoInStore revealed how they’re taking the pain out of retail therapy by streaming direct from the shop via mobile technology.

On the subject of awkward experiences, meetings aren’t everybody’s favourite activity.

Natalie from Avocor popped into the studio on July 13 to tell us how their products have been specifically designed to enhance the meetings space through collaboration. We also took a look back at Tech XLR8, where we heard from Pavegen about turning footsteps into energy and from Fing App about securing your tech devices.

As well as looking forward to the Unbound tech festival, our presenters had been thinking about safety and security in the July 20 episode. Losing a child in a crowd is any parent’s nightmare, so Tech Sixty Four decided to banish that fear with their Gator Watch safety device.

Meanwhile, Stay Private were ensuring that hackers are kept well away from our emails and

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messaging apps, thanks to their encryption services.

Med tech startups learned how to get some tender loving business care from new company HS on July 27, while Julie Evans from Exonar told us why they’re in the business of tracking companies’ data.

It was an Unbound extravaganza on the August 3 episode, with the team discovering the latest developments in banking, live music events and wearables— thanks to chats with Starling Bank, Festyvent and Doppel.

We also got some more shopping help from Mallzee, sporting updates from Freestak and tips on finding top energy deals from Labrador.

The complex world of online reviews can seem unfathomable, but fortunately Ian Robb from Reputation Builder was on hand to help during the August 10 podcast. Speaking of other worlds, the sky’s not the limit for Peapodicity, the educators who are bringing outer space closer with AR. Plus, Jeremy King from Attest answered all our pressing questions about market research.

The TechTalk team are dedicated followers of fashion,

it seems, with more style tips coming from See Fashion, who help brands to keep consumers hooked on their websites. On the August 17 show, we also found out how to make legal documents less taxing with Seed Legals and why the property business has received a makeover from intelligent investment platform Homegrown.

This is just a taste of the many topics we’ve covered recently—and don’t forget our weekly Unboxing segment, in which the team are over/ underwhelmed by a surprise tech product.

You can tune into The TechTalk Show at 1pm every Thursday or listen again at www.techtalkshow.co.uk Podcasts are available to download from iTunes and all major directories. You can also keep up with the latest tech news by following us on Twitter @techtalkshowuk and on Facebook.

Got a story to tell?

Drop us a line at hello@techtalkshow.co.uk or call the team on 01233 221537

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The TechTalk 22

WILL YOUR BUSINESS BE NAMED TOP TECH? Watch this space as The TechTalk Show gets ready to put the UK’s 22 most innovative companies in the spotlight.

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ech businesses across the country have been watching their inboxes with great anticipation since the launch of TechTalk 22— our selection of the industry’s greatest innovation heroes.

Inspired by the brilliant people they meet on The TechTalk Show every week, the radio show’s production team decided that these geniuses of UK tech deserve a salute on an even bigger stage.

In November 2017 we’ll be publishing our TechTalk 22 list on top news website TechRadar.com and telling

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nearly five million British readers why these companies are the ones to watch in 2018.

The TechTalk Show is all about promoting innovation and supporting those who are making it happen. So, we’re shouting their achievements from the rooftops, so that the most exciting and original SMEs—businesses that might not otherwise catch the world’s eye—have a platform to showcase their amazing work.

This is no ordinary competition and it’s not open for general submissions. We’ve nominated the companies that we think are really making

waves in tech; now, our panel of industry experts will be putting the shortlist under the microscope. So, if you’ve been nominated, you’re in elite company!

Only the 22 most impressive businesses will make the cut.

Visit www.techradar.com on Monday 13 November to see the final list. Good luck to all those nominated…

In the meantime, you can get the latest updates by following us on Twitter @techtalkshowuk and on Facebook and by tuning into the weekly show via:

www.techtalkshow.co.uk

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MAD FOR TECH

Breakthrough Funding’s Sue Nelson considers what manufacturing businesses can learn from the fast moving tech sector

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t the moment, no other industry is fastergrowing, more disruptive, innovative, profitable or volatile than the tech industry. But it doesn’t exist in isolation; the developments can be applied and integrated into many other industries, not least manufacturing and engineering. Perhaps all of us should spend some time working in the sector or sending some of our colleagues to get a better understanding of how the learnings could be applied in our own businesses.

Every tech company seems to reinvent itself every so often—or die. This way of thinking is known as ‘pivoting’ In the digital world and is accepted as a way of life. Tech’s industrial cycles are on speed compared with manufacturing.

It feels as if nothing endures, and everything is possible. BrainLabs a digital agency grew by 8255% in 2016 and GoCardless, the direct debit provider, by 6661%. On the other hand yesterday’s highly-profitable heroes, such as Kodak or BlackBerry, suddenly become today’s lame ducks. Did you know that Apple calls any product more than five years old ‘vintage’?

In the tech world, old-fashioned corporates can quickly be overtaken by brilliant upstarts that have found a quicker, more productive and costeffective way to do things. The whole business is a giant research and development cauldron.

The key though, is that they innovate, but look to fail quickly if it’s necessary. That is, they try new things regularly, but if they don’t work, they quickly shut them down and move on to the next thing. No worries about blaming anyone for the lack of success or moaning about the waste of time or effort involved. To them it’s a fact of life that R&D or process improvements don’t always work, it’s trying them that counts and moving on quickly if they don’t.

So what can the manufacturing sector learn from the tech cousins? In particular, there are three areas that business owners should consider, to ensure their company is future proofed.

First, I’m always impressed by the sheer scale

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of innovation in manufacturing—an army of engineers and technicians who solve problems and conduct R&D every single day. Unfortunately, because it’s so commonplace and inherent in the role, it’s never described as innovation or development. But it is! More companies should recognise that they’re really good at it and embrace it more. They should push the boundaries a bit further and try some of the tech developments as part of the daily problem solving they already undertake.

Secondly, robotics is undergoing a revolution.

Manufacturing has long used robots, and engineers are better placed than anyone to oversee their integration into ‘business as usual’.

Keeping up with the latest developments and seeing if these could be integrated into current practices, could drastically improve efficiency and the bottom line. Also, machine learning and artificial intelligence are pushing boundaries. This is not Frankenstein science, but clever technology which allows machines to systematically learn as they operate. Again, if the sector can overcome its natural scepticism, experienced engineers and technicians have the background and training to utilise and adapt current practices better than anyone else.

Lastly, back-end processes can so often be improved in the manufacturing sector. It’s difficult enough getting new business and satisfying increasingly demanding clients, but if purchasing, invoicing and credit control processes are sluggish or manually intensive, cash flow can take a fatal hit—even if the order book is full. New end-to-end IT systems have transformed many businesses and made transactions quicker and more transparent.

Internet banking, online ordering, customer delivery tracking is all standard not just in industry but in our personal lives too. If we’re all so used to doing business this way, companies that are not planning to allow customers to interact seamlessly are going to struggle against competitors that have.

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If your company is involved in manufacturing, toolmaking, engineering design or developing new products, you should be getting government cash for all that hard work.

Some people call it R&D tax credits, we just call it “cash for innovation”.

Get what you’re owed at www.breakthroughfunding.com

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CASH FOR INNOVATION? YEAH. WE DO THAT.