Door Industry Journal - Winter 2020

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk 86 THE door industry journal winter 2020 Automated Gates & Barriers HSL Launches Pioneering New Gate and Door Engineer App Jonathan Aldred has previously featured in the DIJ as he is MD at HSL Training, which recently launched the first and only gate automation practical installation course. Since then, HSL has taken over sales of V2 SPA products in the UK to both sub-distributors and trade users alike. In this article, Jonathan talks about his new role, as well as a new app that will prove hugely beneficial to UK installers. We were approached by V2 to develop UK sales of their equipment early this year. Having represented the V2 brand in the UK and Ireland for over 10 years, I knew that it was a quality name, so was happy to take on the role. But equally it was slightly daunting - having never had to deal with the logistics of stock management, delivery, and finance control. We started in March and since then - with the help of the amazing HSL team – we have a smooth operation in place, dealing with multiple next day nationwide deliveries and offering an unbeatable service. And this extra string to our business has come at a good time, as - since lockdown began – we have had to put our core offering of in-person safety training on hold, to comply with social distancing guidelines. As it stands, our next Gate Installation Course – was due to run for five days in November, but has now had to be put back until February 2021 due to Lockdown #2. We’ve all got our fingers crossed that no further lockdowns take place! Just like so many others, the pandemic has been a blow to our business - particularly as so many across the door sector are interested in our courses. Businesses want to meet their H&S requirements, and provide staff with practical skills, while evidencing the individual’s proof of competence. So, it’s annoying – albeit necessary - for both us and our clients to have to put it all on hold. But with every problem comes an opportunity, and suddenly finding myself with a lot of time on my hands meant I could start to consider what else we could provide that would be useful to our students. One thing that occurred to me was that – due to the huge range of equipment that can face engineers on call out, perhaps there was a digital solution that would help to identify and find relevant instruction manuals. Given everyone has a smartphone on them these days, I thought why not have an app that gives easy access to these sort of details? So, I began working with a developer to create the ‘V2 UK’ app.’ Within a few months we had a working prototype, and the app is now available and free to download for both iOS and Android, via the APP Store and Google Play store. Once downloaded, users can contact local installers directly via the ‘find an engineer’ feature, view basic user manuals, and access list prices via the online shop. For installers, there is also a ‘Register as an engineer’ section, which opens up many more free features. These include: 1. Report a problem: Send photos and video straight to our technical team for a call back. 2. Forms: Complete various forms electronically, such as – powered gate risk assessment, unsafe gate notification, certificate of conformity, and handover documents. 3. Find an engineer: Advertise your business and services for free to potential customers.