Rope management specialist provides supporting act for renewables firms and rock stars

In this week’s SME Focus we hear from an entrepreneur who is glad to be playing a part in efforts to boost high end manufacturing activity in Scotland.

Name:

Philip Taylor.

Age:

44.

What is your business called?

Limpet Technology.

Where is it based?

In Leith, Edinburgh.

What does it produce?

We design, manufacture and sell Limpet height safety and access systems. The Limpet device helps people climb and descend easily and safely – the concept was originally developed by my father, as a rope management system for rock climbing indoors, but we’ve now diversified into wind turbines, concert staging and heavy industry.

To whom does it sell?

Any company that has workers who regularly need to work at height or in confined spaces. Most of our customers are either wind energy companies, rope access companies, stage rigging companies or big industrial corporations like Tata Steel.

What is its turnover?

Creeping towards seven figures.

How many employees?

Ten, with a growing band of distributors and resellers around the world.

When was it formed?

The company was formed in 2009 to develop the product. The first engineers worked in very temporary accommodation in Granton, which was brutally cold in winter. The first Limpet systems were sold in 2011, which marked a huge turning point for us.

Why did you take the plunge?

I’m an enthusiastic rock climber and am interested by the challenges of industrial rope access and working at height.

Limpet is a unique and innovative product and it’s exciting to working on technology that is trying to break new ground in dealing with existing problems.

Wind energy is a core market for us and it’s motivating to contribute toward trying to make renewable energy, safer and more economically sustainable. Limpet systems combine fall arrest capability with rescue, climb assist and lifting

Although wind turbines are designed not to need much maintenance, when they do it’s a skilled job in a potentially dangerous environment. Technicians often have to climb ladders to get to the components which need to be fixed, and as turbine towers can be more than 80 metres tall it’s easy to see what an exhausting job that can be – particularly when the engineer is carrying tools and parts too.

Our products help technicians climb the turbine through an ‘Intelligent climb assist’ mode, whereby the Limpet device automatically measures the worker’s weight and provides an upwards pull equal to 90 per cent of their mass, which makes ladders much easier to climb. It also integrates fall prevention and rescue features, meaning emergency situations are more easily and quickly managed.

The same mechanism can also be used to allow engineers to access rotor blades outside the turbine tower, performing inspections and repairs which optimise performance and allowing servicing of components to take place more quickly.

What were you doing before you took the plunge?

I was working for the phone company Nokia in London in the team that launched their new digital services.

How did you raise the start-up funding?

We were funded by various private individuals, who loved the product, understood the market need and kept faith with the company as we built the brand and customer network.

What was your biggest break?

Winning our first order for Limpets in 2011 for eleven units for Siemens wind turbines in Northern France. The machines are still going strong five years later.

Another big moment for us came in 2012 when we sold units to a UK lighting company called Neg Earth for use with the Jesus Christ Superstar touring show. It really helped launch the product into the theatrical and stage rigging sector which has become a big area for us, with Limpet systems being used on huge concerts with the likes of U2, Coldplay and Adele.

However, while a track record of sales makes future sales somewhat easier, what we’ve found is that each new opportunity and order needs to be fought for tooth and nail. So there hasn’t really been a ‘break’ in the sense of experiencing a moment after which everything suddenly became easy. We live in hope of that happening one day.

What was your worst moment?

There have been a few times where we haven’t won contracts that we put a lot of time, effort and hope into. That’s always tough, but just a part of any business.

Almost worse are the moments when you think you’ve won a contract but then the budget gets taken away at the eleventh hour.

What do you most enjoy about running the business?

Steve Jobs famously told John Sculley, “Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to come with me and change the world?” when he lured him from Pepsico to Apple.

To say that Limpet Technology is a world-changing company may seem a bit overblown, but it’s certainly great to help run a business whose products, like Apple’s, are innovative, beautifully designed, well-engineered and which can make a material difference to the people using them. Demonstrating Limpet systems has always been a real pleasure because the normal reaction of the folk you’re demonstrating it to is ‘Wow. How cool is that’.

Limpet is a manufacturing business and I enjoy working for a company that actually makes tangible products and which, I hope, can play a role in re-energising manufacturing as a strong contributor toward the Scottish and UK economy.

What do you least enjoy?

Being a small business that sells almost all of our products to big companies is often a terribly frustrating process.

What are your ambitions for the firm?

I think we have fantastic products and great people working for the business. Naturally we want the firm to grow and become an even bigger success, and I would love to imagine that the Limpet brand could become as well-recognised one day as Caterpillar or Hilti; names that are synonymous with high-quality, rugged and dependable industrial tools.

What are your five top priorities?

Sales, sales, sales, sales and sales.

What could the Westminster and/or Scottish governments do that would help?

The Scottish Government through Scottish Enterprise has been of great help to us, providing support and grant aid for various projects. We are currently working with them to approve assistance for a new project focused on transferring technicians between boats and offshore wind turbines.

Scottish Development International is also very active in terms of networking events and allowing us to participate more easily on overseas trade shows. SDI is, I think, very proactive in organising ‘meet the supplier’ type events, where local suppliers can hear from and meet with key investors and managers of new energy projects in Scotland. If I have a criticism, it’s that these are oriented toward big players.

What was the most valuable lesson that you learned?

Don’t give up.

How do you relax?

I like to run, cycle and climb and to spend time hanging out with my five-year old daughter.