A Hull midwife and mum of five has delivered a solution for utility workers exposed to the ‘great’ British weather.
Helen Foster downed scrubs after 17 years serving the NHS, to put her energy into the concept for an inflatable work shelter. For while her calling was an unavoidable 24/7, she was well aware of the thousands of outdoor jobs that are cancelled or rescheduled annually when the rain comes - with husband Stephen working as a smart meter engineer.
Now the DryCab has been brought to market, having hooked up with leading tent manufacturer Vango and trade wholesaler Yesss Electrical after a tenacious approach to taking the invention forward - with the pandemic not easing the approach.
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Helen said: “Stephen would constantly complain to me about his tools getting wet and having to abort jobs, leaving customers in the lurch. After successfully pitching the idea of DryCab to Vango, we had a prototype! Time after time we approached investors, but with Covid hitting everyone hard we kept hitting brick walls. Not giving up after years of unpaid hard work where many would have, we finally got our break.
“YESSS Electrical recognised our potential, and always striving to lead the way in renewable energy, they saw a great way to help speed up transition to net zero. DryCab will help energy suppliers meet government deadlines for the rollout of smart meter installations, plus EV charging point installations and much more.”
The innovation can be set up in two minutes to provide what they describe as a safe, stable environment for engineers, electricians and installers to work outside. It is already receiving glowing reviews from sole traders, SMEs and major international companies, who can’t afford to keep pausing for bad weather. A particular focus is being brought to electrical installations, with a surge in demand for EV charging points, heat pumps, smart meters and communications links.
As well as boosting productivity, it can improve working conditions for team members and reduce the regulatory fines sometimes incurred by delays.
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Helen was inspired by recent innovations in inflatable tent technology, leading to the approach to Vango to spearhead production. It’s now manufactured with the same AirBeam technology found in many of the Scottish firm’s popular camping products, with a hand pump allowing it to be inflated before first drops turn to downpours.
After perfecting the design, which is fire retardant, non-conductive and offers full UV protection, the couple approached West Yorkshire-based Yesss, who were impressed by their story and the product itself. It has now acquired the copyright to DryCab and are now selling it online and in all of their 96 stores, as well as through other distributors across the 海角视频 and Ireland.
Category manager Barry Brown said: “It’s a fantastic solution to stop you having to reschedule outdoor jobs due to the Great British weather, and for engineers and installers in particular. We love the solution it provides for the outside worker, and how much money it can save larger firms such as energy suppliers on rescheduling jobs. The range can also grow to focus on other sectors such as data cabinet installers.”
The next aim is to manufacture using recycled single-use plastic from Vango’s sustainable range.