BPE Solicitors - Plinx: Supporting safer working environments through wearable tech
How it all began...
Like the majority of inventions, the concept of Plinx came about to solve a problem encountered by Founder and CEO, Tommy Williams. After a day surfing five years ago, and very much aware of the risks of being swept away from his original location without trace, Tommy set about devising a wearable sensor which would send an alert if a user strayed away from a particular area. The initial concept was designed to help people surfing but it soon become apparent that the design had wider potential and in 2019, after time spent refining the idea and design, Plinx launched its product refocused on the construction market.
How does it work?
Using a combination of tags, a company is able to monitor the location and proximity of the things it cares about. It can set up zones which alert users can be monitored and recorded centrally.
TEAMTag is helmet mounted and designed to protect people enabling them to remain a safe distance away from hazards. It can also support lone working via a built in SOS feature and provides 360degree protection to users.
HAZARDTag is mounted on cones and allows safe or exclusion zones to be created. These tags will alert if a user or equipment gets too close to a deep excavation or a restricted area for example.
MACHINETag monitors interaction between plant and users and the respective hazards associated with them such as proximity to equipment which is moving or lifting.
Tags are connected to the cloud through PLINX’s own proprietary wireless network which extends up to 3 miles from a single network device. Plinx’s cloud platform “Intel” then provides a real-time view of hazards as well as historical data and an event log which can be used to monitor zones of concern. The data remains anonymous unless it needs to be identified (such as for Track and Trace).
Refocusing:
In 2020, Tommy and his team realised that the product had additional uses during the COVID-19 pandemic. PLINX’s highly accurate proximity monitoring meant that users could be reliably alerted if they came within the 2m of others, minimising the spread of COVID. As restrictions ease and the world looks at ways of living with COVID on a longer-term basis, the team at Plinx are now refocusing on the original safety benefits of the tags. Large scale projects including HS2 have placed significant orders with PLINX to better protect their workforce.
Plinx is already being recognised for the technology they are bringing to market, winning the Health, Safety and Wellbeing category at the Highways UK Intelligent Infrastructure competition in September 2020.
BPE Solicitors and Plinx:
Since first working with Tommy in 2019, BPE Solicitors has supported Plinx to take what is an incredible and useful invention to market. From support with legal documentation and contracts through to advising on commercialisation to enable Plinx to sell into some of the biggest multinational firms, Emma Hickson, David Gray and Tara Kirkham-Evans at BPE used their knowledge of the sector and inhouse experience to help to maximise opportunities.
The future
What started as a great idea at the kitchen table has now turned into a sustainable and rapidly growing business employing 10 people and with designs to double that by the end of 2021. Clearly ambitious and wanting to realise the benefits for the technology they have created, Plinx are one to watch as they continue their growth and development.
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