Welsh telematics firm in bid to target US market
MID Wales telematics firm Plant i, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, has unveiled international expansion plans and the launch of two new innovative solutions.
The first is a device that will help lorry and bus drivers avoid low bridges or getting stuck in lanes too narrow for their vehicles. The device uses both “in-cab” driver alerts and remote database updates.
The second is a 360˚ “bird’s-eye view” video fitted to plant machinery and lorries that provides the driver with a full view covering all blind spots. This video data is stored “incab” and on cloud servers and can be viewed remotely using Plant i Ltd software via personal computer or tablet.
Plant i, which builds and installs vehicle, asset and fleet tracking solutions, is currently in the process of buying its 5,300sq ft unit base on Machynlleth’s Dyfi Eco Park from the Welsh Government, less than two years after taking up the lease.
Winner of five Powys Business Awards in the past six years, it is a market leader in the fleet, telematics and data management sector.
Continued investment in new databases and a management portal enables the company to deliver bespoke remote data management applications very quickly.
The technology developed by Plant i will, for example, provide real-time video footage and 2D animation of a crash scene and face recognition to assist insurance assessors and fleet managers.
The firm currently employs 21, but plans to create a further 10 roles. It is aiming to grow revenues from £2.2m to £3.5m within the next two years. It is also planning to open a Washington DC office to develop products for the huge American telematics market.
Plant i has vacancies for sales staff and software developers who will be based with sister company Pure Telematics, which shares the same business premises. Focusing on sales, marketing and research and development, the new company is expanding Plant i’s partner network.
Launched by managing director Sam Browne from his kitchen table in 2007, Plant i Ltd has shown resilience in the past year, enabling it to increase its customer base even after losing a major EU customer following the Brexit vote. And as well as securing new customers, the client that originally withdrew its business has now returned.
Other key sectors for the company are civil engineering, construction, maintenance, rail, transport and self-drive hire.
Mr Browne said: “Even with the big drop in business that we experienced, we still managed to hit our forecast for the year. Our whole business model is built around customer retention, which explains why our customer support team is triple the size of our sales team.”
Plant i Ltd is also partnering with a developer of market-leading vehicle camera technology which alerts drivers to potential hazards as well as to speed limits and lane drifting. Research and development to stay ahead of the market and the ability to respond quickly to bespoke customer requirements are among the company’s unique selling points.
Mr Browne said: “The telematics that we have here in Europe are more sophisticated than in the United States, which is why we plan to open an office in Washington with current assistance from the Welsh Government.
“The US is a huge emerging telematics market which has great business potential for us.”