How we’ve created a community of the right people, doing the right roles, to transform client ideas into remarkable, results-driven creations.   Innovation. Not a week goes by without the buzzword popping up somewhere. From LinkedIn posts to strategy meetings to the mainstream evening news, innovation is having more than it’s fifteen minutes.   But behind the most successful innovations is a remarkable team. A team that brings together the essential roles, responsibilities, and blue sky thinking an innovation needs to succeed.   And that’s exactly what our Think Purple approach achieves.   Because anyone can have an idea. It’s what you do with that idea that makes all the difference.   Innovation is about transforming ideas into concepts, concepts into prototypes, and prototypes into products that change the way businesses operate – for the better.   Here at Vindico, we call it: Thinking Purple.   It means asking better questions to deliver better outcomes. And it’s more than just a catchy slogan. It’s our ethos, our mission, it underpins everything we do, and it’s what our clients know and trust.   Our Think Purple approach doesn’t just apply to our clients – we use it to shape everything we do inside the Vindico brand, too – including selecting the right people, for the right roles.   An innovation dream team (or, as we call them, ‘Purple Vinjas’) is a key to our framework.   We’ve created an award-winning community of Wales’ finest creative thinkers, engineers, and technologists to deliver real innovation, at pace.   Innovation also means staying ahead of wider trends – and a shift to digital adoption has seen Vindico add three new web dev experts to our team in the last few weeks alone.   It’s this forward-thinking, agile approach that lets us continue to design – and implement – the technologies that transform inspiring scenarios client success stories like no other.   Because, amidst the creativity, innovation is ultimately about results – and our Purple Vinjas have a track record of working together to turn exciting topics into concrete, commercial results.   And we do it all while predicting – and continually innovating – solutions that help our clients to navigate the ever-changing tech landscape.   Today’s environment can be challenging, but innovation (there we go with that buzzword again) is key for succeeding in challenging times. And we’ve got the team who can help you implement the solutions you need to adapt, grow, and thrive in today’s changing environment.   Want to start turning your ideas into tangible results that will give your brand a competitive edge? Drop our Purple Vinjas a

A coroner has called for a change in the law after air pollution led to the death of nine-year-old Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah. Vindico’s Head of R&D, Professor Paul Lewis explains why this is the right decision. According to the BBC, the inquest found air pollution “made a material contribution” to her death, adding that there’s “no safe level of particulate matter”. And we couldn’t agree more. Ella is the first person in the UK to have air pollution listed as the cause of death on their death certificate. And it’s a trend we could see escalate if we continue to produce – and breathe in – particulate matter (PM2.5) at our current levels. But the report is a new milestone in the drive to get the UK government to adopt the WHO recommendation of a PM2.5 annual limit value of 10ug/m3. It means that some areas of the UK could be in breach of legislation in the future, and legal action could be taken against governments – in a similar way to what we have seen for NO2 over the last few years. The major area of concern from this report though is that people don’t know where to find information on air pollution. The adverse impacts of air pollution on patients are also not being communicated properly by carers and healthcare providers. We know that this needs to change, and we’re actively promoting air quality measuring and awareness through our Think Air network. Think Air is the only project in the UK to take on the challenge of understanding background and wide range air quality on this scale, and it’s changing the way we understand and measure the impact of toxic air – particularly PM2.5 – at a local level. Today, Think Air is on track to being the largest live air quality sensor network in Wales – and the largest in the UK by the end of 2021. To find out more about Think Air – and how your business can benefit – drop us

Vindico have been chosen as a finalist for Britain’s best environmentally sustainable business. Our commitment to air quality in the UK through our self-funded Think Air network means we’ve been shortlisted for the UK’s best environmentally sustainable small business at this year’s Small Awards. Think Air is on track to being the largest live air quality sensor network in the UK. It’s already helping to gather the data and insights we need to raise awareness and understanding of air quality and Pm2.5 levels across the country. And it’s also supported by Welsh organisations including Scarlets Rugby, Cardiff Devils, Niche, and Zip World. “It’s the only project in the UK to take on the challenge of understanding background and wide range air quality on this scale, and it’s changing the way we understand and measure the impact of toxic air at a local level,” Says Vindico MD, Jo Polson. Think Air’s success means that Vindico has been chosen as one of five finalists for the new ‘Net Hero’ Small Award, launched in the run-up to this November’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), to recognise small firms demonstrating exceptional commitment to environmental sustainability. Now in its fifth year, the Small Awards is a nationwide search for the smallest and greatest firms in the UK, across all sectors. It’s organised annually by Small Business Britain, which champions, inspires and accelerates small businesses in the UK. With eleven unique categories, the Small Awards celebrate the dynamism of the UK’s small business sector, across everything from longstanding family businesses and innovation-led start-ups, to social enterprise champions. “After what has been a difficult year for the whole small business community, it has been inspirational to hear about phenomenal small businesses across the UK,” said Michelle Ovens CBE, Founder of Small Business Britain. “The Small Awards exist to celebrate and champion the amazing contribution of fantastic small firms like Vindico. We received a record number of applications this year, with an incredibly high standard of entry, so all of the small businesses shortlisted should be rightly proud of this achievement.” Judged by a panel of leading enterprise experts, the winners of all award categories, along with the overall winner of Small Business of the Year, will be announced on 13th

We’re excited to be collaborating with the Llanelli college that has played an important role in Vindico’s evolution. Coleg Sir Gar is the place where almost half of the Vindico team gained their skills as students or apprentices (including our brilliant, blue-sky-thinking Technical Director Ryan Griffiths). It’s also shaped some of the finest thinkers and innovators in Wales. Vindico’s latest project is a collaboration with both Coleg Sir Gar and the Agriculture Research Centre for Wales. The task? To build a bespoke software platform that collects and analyses sensor data on a multi-site project. The software will measure everything from the weather and soil moisture to leaf wetness and everything in between. It will provide a simple visualisation of complicated data in the field (literally!). It will also prompt the correct actions to take for optimal results, as well as logging these activities. The environment is an area that we’re particularly passionate about here at Vindico. In fact, this project ties in perfectly with our existing clean air initiative – Think Air. Keep your eyes peeled for a full case study on this exciting Welsh eco project. Click here  to find out more about our clean air sensor network – and how it can help your environmental impact

Vindico is kicking off 2021 with an exciting new digital project for Penderyn Distillery. It’s not the first time Vindico have partnered with Penderyn Distillery. We first worked with the famed Welsh whisky makers in 2016 – back when their tour bookings system was as aged as their bourbon. But thanks to some #ThinkPurple attitude, we worked with the hugely talented whisky-makers to digitise their distillery tours and vouchers. To date, this new system has raised almost £1m in revenue. The dreaded bookings diary is also finally gone! In fact, it’s been such a hit that, since going live, the new site and booking system has now been translated into Welsh, French, German and Chinese. But fast-forward to today, and we couldn’t be happier to work with Penderyn again. This time around, they’re putting the Penderyn e-commerce site in our hands. With UX (user experience) at the forefront, we’ll be combining the existing standalone site with our current digital platform to deliver a single, intuitive shopping cart experience to all visitors. Watch this space for a full case study. Cheers

This week, the Welsh Government released their Government’s Clean Air (Wales) Bill. But what exactly does it mean for you, your business, and your CSR? Our head of R&D – and Professor Emeritus of Swansea University – Paul Lewis sums it up. In a nutshell, the Clean Air (Wales) Bill shows a clear commitment by the Welsh Government to reduce the harm caused by exposure to air pollution. There are clear benefits not just to people’s health but also the environment. The key points to take away are: New powers for local authorities to implement Clean Air Zones or Low Emission Zones Some control to tackle fine particle air pollution from domestic burning New guidance for inter-sectoral workforces to tackle air pollution, and to protect the health and wellbeing of employees, while simultaneously delivering benefits for decarbonisation As Paul puts it: “At Vindico, we’ve had extensive dialogue with companies who already recognise the need to better protect the health and wellbeing of their workforce. “The new guidance and clarity will help those discussions enormously by answering the ‘why’s’, the ‘what’s’ and the ‘how’s’. It will also allow us to better tailor monitoring solutions for our clients.” Clean air is cause that we’re passionate about here at Vindico. To find out more about our Think Air initiative – and how it can help your business –

When Tai Ceredigion and Mid-Wales Housing Association merged to become Barcud, they knew they needed to get creative. The housing association was undergoing a complete brand transformation. And that called for a new website design that would set them apart. That’s where we came in. “We were looking for a company with innovative ideas,” says Barcud’s  Communications Officer, Janice Thomas “We needed a company who took all the different platforms into account. One who had the capacity to fulfil a very tight deadline, and who approached the project with a positive ‘can do’ attitude to problem solving.” They had us at “problem solving”, but it was up to us to prove that we could deliver. “Jo blew us away during the interview,” says Janice. “We over-ran on what we thought was a very generous time slot! “But he gave us ideas and possibilities and made us look at the project in a different way.” On to the project. In true Purple Vinja style, our Lead Creative, Kieran, worked closely with Barcud to understand what they wanted to achieve. He also used in-depth analytics from both current websites. These provided the concrete evidence we needed to inform key decisions throughout the entire website design process. Or, as Janice puts it: “Websites can be frightening things for muggles, but he put us at ease! “Kieran came up trumps. He worked with us, took our ideas on board, and provided justified reasoning behind why some things could, and could not, work. “In effect, Kieran had to work with two different organisations as the merger had not been completed. This meant juggling different ideas and priorities. But he dealt with it all in a professional, calm and diplomatic manner – even at the 11th hour, on a Sunday night, with a launch looming within hours!” The result? A new organisation with a clear, easy to navigate, fresh-looking website that sets Barcud apart from all other housing associations. “It’s different to all other housing association websites”, says Janice. “We’ve been praised for how easy it is to navigate, and how clean and sharp it looks. It’s everything we set out to achieve and we’re very happy with the outcome.” Could your website be performing better? Drop us a line to see how our #ThinkPurple approach can help you look at your site in a different way – for maximum

Paul may be joining us to head up R&D full time from January 2021, but he’s not fully cutting ties with academia just yet. The former Director of the Centre for Health and Environmental Management Research & Innovation will continue to be a spokesperson for Swansea University on the subject of (no points for guessing here) Air Quality. Paul has been heavily involved in research an innovation at the university since he became a professor at both the Medical School and School of Management in 2015. By 2017 Paul was Director of the Centre for Health and Environmental Management Research & Innovation (CHEMRI), which carries out research into how air pollution impacts on health and wellbeing.  Sound familiar?  It should do. This is what led to us collaborating on Think Air  – which is heavily influenced by Paul’s scientific interests and expertise. Paul’s role as spokesperson means he’ll continue to lend his expertise on air quality to press and publications – so you can expect to see and hear him across media outlets when the subject of air quality pops up. As well as this spokesperson role, Paul will also continue to sit on a number of Welsh Government panels and committees – where his expertise is helping to shape objectives, awareness and policies related to air quality. But back at Vindico, you can catch Paul’s signature work from January 2021. Got a project that needs Paul’s professional input in 2021? Drop us a line to see how we can take transform your next idea, concept or product into

Paul will head up R&D at Vindico on a full-time basis from January. Bringing with him a wealth of experience and expertise, Paul – who became a Professor at both the Medical School and School of Management at Swansea University in 2015 – will be helping us kick off the New Year in true Think Purple fashion. This new role expands on Paul’s existing work with us – which involved lending his expertise to develop Think Air. In case you haven’t already heard by now, Think Air  is on track to becoming the largest live air quality network in Wales – and you can find out more about that here . But back to Professor Paul… Think Air was hugely influenced by the Paul’s specialist interest in air pollution – and its impact on our health and wellbeing. In fact, Paul is a Geneticist by degree, and carried out his PhD at Swansea University (which was a mixture of research into evolutionary Genetics, cancer genetics and molecular modelling). After his PhD, Paul began a career in genetic toxicology, modelling how nasty chemicals in cigarette smoke actually cause cancer by attaching to our genes and damaging them. I was also a martial arts instructor in the university and interested in the importance of lung health, breathing techniques and the whole concept of ‘good air’ required for peak performance. As Paul puts it: “My entire career since has mainly focused on studying the air that we breathe through respiratory health diagnostics, data analytics and technology development. I went on to work in the University of Wales College of Medicine as well as Cardiff University before returning to Swansea as a Lecturer in the new Medical School in 2004, where I led the Respiratory Diagnostics Group. “In 2015, I became a Professor at both the Medical School and School of Management. In 2017, I became the Director of the Centre for Health and Environmental Management Research & Innovation (CHEMRI) where we carry out research into how air pollution impacts on health and wellbeing.  “I first met Jo about two and a half years ago at the university’s Centre for Research Innovation and was blown away by Vindico’s whole philosophy. I was heavily involved in innovation at the university and had already spun out a diagnostic company as well as an air pollution technology company with my son, Sam, so was looking to partner with external companies. “I met with Ryan as well, there was an obvious synergy with what we were all doing, and real potential to develop sensor technologies and networks. “They ended up sponsoring Sam as a PhD student, developing new environmental sensors and Think Air was born. Vindico has provided a huge commitment in taking Think Air forward towards commercial success and after many happy years in academia I’m jumping ship to help them deliver it! “I’ll be heading up R&D, so I’ll be well in my comfort zone. We’re heading for a busy year developing the environmental management arm within the company so that will be my main focus. “I’ll also be bringing health technology IP into the company, and we’ll be looking at ways to further develop new healthcare management systems. “Aside from the technology development, my real interest is building the AI, data analytics and modelling capabilities within the company to provide new services and products. “What I love about Vindico though is the whole Think Purple approach to developing ideas and being able to literally visualise the pipeline from concepts to solutions – it’s very different to the slow slog of innovation from academia! Best of all though I get to work in Parc Y Scarlets. My boyhood dream was to play for the Scarlets and now I can go and play there every day!” Speaking of Paul joining the team, Vindico MD Jo Polson added:  “We’ve worked with Paul for 2 years now and he’s been instrumental in the evolution of Think Air. “He’s brought in a level of expertise you almost can’t buy, and we are blessed to have him join our team officially and full time on January 1st, 2021. “It’s quite a coup! “But it’s not just in Air Quality, Paul brings an extra Secret Sauce of Statistical Analysis and R&D expertise to our Defence and visualisation work too. “He’s going to be a busy boy!” Keep your eyes peeled for some of Paul’s signature work from January 2021.   Got a project that needs Paul’s professional input? Drop us a line to see how we can take transform your next idea, concept or product into

Our partnership with K Sharp has come a long way since a chance meeting in Llanelli. We’ve collaborated on several high-profile projects, we’ve joined forces to carry out top secret work for the MoD, and now we’ve taken our (business) relationship to the next level by moving in together. But who exactly are K Sharp? And why are we so proud of our partnership? Here’s why they’re kind of a big deal. K Sharp is a Human Science Research and Human Factors consultancy founded by husband and wife team, Barry and Amanda Kirby. They’re all about understanding and optimising the relationship and interaction between people and technology. “We believe in bringing interesting people to work on fun projects,” says Barry. They’ve got experience in everything from Blue Sky Research (which explores what soldiers will look like in the future) through to the design of next-generation systems (including how can we control an armoured vehicle or a submarine), and also lend a cultural and behavioural understanding of cyber and social media, smart cities and wearable technologies. K Sharp works mostly in the defence industry, and their clients include Dstl, the MoD, BAE Systems, GD UK, and QinetiQ. Sound cool? It really is. Our first collaboration was the MoD’s UKDEf500 project. For Vindico, it’s been our first experience in the military domain, and for K Sharp it’s meant working with a similar mindset, but from dramatically different background. Our collaborations don’t end there. K Sharp continue to bring their expertise to a number of our projects. They’ve most recently lent their expertise to our SWAPP app – our very own safe workplace application that’s proven so successful that we recently rolled out a bespoke version on behalf of the WRU. So how exactly does Human Factors lend itself to design? Well, we’re all about our #ThinkPurple mantra here at Vindico. It means asking better questions to deliver the best outcomes, and Human Factors (HF) provides a vital human focus that helps us do just that. “It’s surprisingly easy to forget just who you’re designing your product or service for,” says Barry. “But HF methods allow you to step back, gain a common understanding of the problem space, and develop measurable requirements that keep the project focused on providing the best output for the end user.” And the benefits of HF don’t stop there. Focusing on what’s really needed leads to cheaper product development, less rework and, and most importantly, greater customer satisfaction. We continue to develop our partnership from our new joint home at Parc Y Scarlets , so expect to see even more collaborations led by HF methods over the coming months. But for now, we’ll be adopting those same tools to optimise our office space. You can find out more about K