Spillard appoints new operations director as it targets £10m sales

The leading manufacturer of vehicle safety equipment in Four Ashes, near Wolverhampton, is expecting to grow 25 per cent after a surge of interest in its Spillard Live platform and Human Detection System from the construction, quarry and transport sectors.

In order to meet these ambitious expansion plans, the company has appointed Craig Flowers as operations director, the first time a non-family member has become part of the board.

The new recruit, who started as a heavy plant fitter apprentice in 1998, has significant experience in a number of high-level management roles in the aggregates and transport industries where service delivery has been key.

“Our business is growing at such a rate that we recognised the need for additional board level experience and Craig will bring a new eye for detail and new processes to the company,” explained Craig Spillard, finance director at Spillard Safety Systems.

“We did £7m in 2020, our best-ever performance. If the pipeline of orders is anything to go by, we should easily do 25 per cent more over the next 12 months and having the capacity to effectively service existing and new clients will be crucial.”

He continued: “Our stockholding has been increased by £250,000 to support our growth and the roll-out of Spillard Live and our new Human Detection System will be key, the latter only alerting drivers when a human shape is detected.”

Craig Flowers, who has spent many years integrating safety systems in his previous roles, went on to add: “With the demand for safety products continuing to increase, Spillard is perfectly placed to deliver both bespoke tailored systems, as well as off the shelf products that will perform across a multitude of sectors.

“The HGV market is thriving and, with the demand for drivers booming, we offer systems that analyse driving styles whilst protecting not only the operator and driver, but also the general public.

“There’s no better time to be joining the company and I’m sure my operational knowledge will be put to good use as we target £10m by the end of our financial year.”

Spillard’s latest product introduction is HDS, which delivers enhanced high-definition images with extreme low light, turning night into day.

More than £250,000 has been invested into the ‘Transport for London approved’ technology so that it can be used across multiple devices and is made to be extremely hard wearing, with a waterproof and dustproof rating of IP69K and shock resistance of 5.9G – so it doesn’t matter where you drive or in what condition.

Importantly, HDS can be fully integrated with Spillard Live, the firm’s intuitive cloud-based platform that captures and streams real time video and analytics simultaneously from multiple cameras fitted to lorries, vans and commercial vehicles.

This means footage is captured and recorded and can be used in ‘false claims’ if blame is place on the driver after an accident.

Mr Flowers concluded: “What does short-term success look like? Well, I’m hoping that within 12 months we will have enhanced our customer portfolio, realigned the business enabling us to support our complex growth plans, whilst enhancing our financial and market position.

“It is also important that our 50-strong workforce remain happy and diligent and continue to provide a first-class service to our customers.”