SPILLARD Safety Systems, which supplies equipment including cameras and human detection systems, has invested more than £200,000 into a new HQ in Four Ashes.
The 28,500 sq ft facility is treble the size of the firm’s former site.
The company’s ‘Safety Hub’ now has more warehousing space, a dedicated R&D unit for product development and an eight-bay commercial vehicle workshop.
Led by brothers Pete and Craig Spillard, the business has also launched a recruitment drive that will see it look to employ a further twelve engineers and three additional apprentices.
MD Pete Spillard said, “Our new HQ was something we had been planning for two years and, when the opportunity came to purchase the building opposite our previous base, it was too good to turn down.
“We stripped the building back to its shell and then set about designing it exactly how we wanted it, with a dedicated sales office, larger assembly space, more room for R&D and then the expansive workshop area that means we can do more installs and more demonstrations of our technology.
“Importantly, we have also invested in creating a new training school that has space for 20 people to learn a combination of theory and then hands-on practical workshop experience. This is critical for developing the next generation of engineers and, potentially, in training up staff from our customers.”
Spillard Safety Systems has built on a record year in 2022 by increasing sales by a further 25%, with growth described as being being largely driven by the roll-out of two new technologies designed to reduce accidents and fatalities, as well as delivering improved operational performance.
The company’s AI Human Detection System (HDS) replaces traditional systems by identifying humans through their shape, form, and characteristics. It delivers audible and visual alerts when a person enters a predetermined restricted, exclusion zone.
The firm also launched Spillard Live, a cloud-based platform that captures and streams real time video and analytics simultaneously from multiple cameras. Flannery Plant Hire has already signed up to the technology, joining over 300 other companies and 12,000 vehicles connected to the solution.
Finance director Craig Spillard added, “I’m really excited about our training school, which we believe will be the best in our industry. There is a mix of classroom and workshop space to train our apprentices and upskill engineers who may be joining us as part of our recruitment drive. Importantly, we are also looking at developing a programme where we can educate and teach staff from our customers to install our HDS and ‘Spillard’ Live systems.
“We feel this will be a game-changer. Demand from clients in all the sectors we operate in is outstripping our ability to get out on site and service them, so if we can get their vehicles here and show them how to do it, we can speed up implementation by 50%.”
