Sentry, a business set up by a former construction project manager to address the problem of tool theft, hopes to crowdfund £50,000 to manufacture its flagship Smart-Lead product.
Smart-Lead is an integrated GPS tracker that can be retrofitted into small and medium sized construction equipment such as power tools and cement mixers. Special features include the ability for owners to remotely disable stolen equipment, reducing its value and making recovery more likely. It uses a multipoint system designed to outsmart criminals that may try to remove or disable the technology.
Steve Roberts came up with the idea after he saw the devastating impact of tool theft on former colleagues and employees.
“Anyone who’s worked in the building trade knows that tool theft has a huge emotional and financial impact on victims,” Roberts explains. “People rarely recover stolen items, and it can be days or even weeks before they’re able to replace them and get back to work. I developed Smart-Lead to tackle this problem which affects hundreds of tradespeople in the UK every single day.”
Early Smart-Lead prototypes were created using 3D printing, and interest from the construction community has been high. Angel investment secured last year funded an engineering team to handle BSI testing and CE certification as well as the development of a user-friendly online portal to manage the device.
Roberts says it’s important that the product is affordable as well as effective, and proceeds from the crowdfunding will finance cost-efficient manufacture.
“We want to make it easy for construction professionals to protect the equipment they use to earn a living,” Roberts explains. “Smart-Lead helps recover stolen items, but we also hope to deter theft. We know the technology works, and that demand is high. The next stage of our journey is all about making sure we can sell the Smart-Lead at a reasonable price.”
Sentry’s crowdfunding campaign runs for 30 days from 1 September on Kickstarter. Supporters can pledge as much or as little as they like, with rewards available for any pledge of £20 or more.
Smart-Lead is an integrated tracking technology that can be retrofitted into construction equipment such as power tools and cement mixers as well as older caravans, campervans and motorhomes which don’t include GPS trackers as standard. Additional versions are under development for a wide range of applications including agricultural equipment, jet-skis and electric bikes. In the longer term, Sentry plans to partner with original equipment manufacturers to have Smart-Lead technology built-in at the point of manufacture.
For more information on the crowdfunding campaign visit https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1135504185/gps-tracker-with-remote-immobilisation
For more information on Sentry visit www.sentrysl.com