From rough spec to award-winning product: how Warmtronics went from smart idea to supplying Paddington Station

Getting a product to market is an incredibly challenging process. For Tim Bailey, with a background in service businesses, taking his idea and transforming that concept into a finished product was new territory.

A year on after working with Pd-m to develop and launch his first product, we caught up with Tim to reflect on his experience with us, and share more about what continues to be an exciting journey for Warmtronics.

Inspired by his underfloor heating at home, and his experience of warehouses, having owned a facilities management business, Tim Bailey realised there had to be a better way to heat commercial spaces with a cold floor than the traditional overhead gas or infrared heaters. Now, Warmtronics has developed the world’s first low voltage, anti-fatigue floor mat, keeping workers warm, energy costs low and reducing carbon emissions. That’s a win for businesses, people and planet.

Partnering with the right innovators

The first step in Tim’s journey was finding the support he needed to develop and launch his product.

Initially looking for help in creating a CAD model to be able to go to manufacture, the consultative approach from our team established that there was further development to be done. We carried out a full analysis to ensure that together, Tim and our team would have solid foundations to progress from - that may even mean taking a step back to strategically move forward. Starting with the specification he’d developed himself and a rudimentary proof of concept, it became clear that there were gaps and assumptions that needed to be challenged and addressed.

“I thought it would be easy! A Google search told me I needed to prototype, test and launch, so I’d had a go myself. After meeting the Pd-m team I realised I’d missed a lot of critical things on the specification, and their input helped me develop it significantly to give me more confidence in the result I needed.”

After building out the specification with us and gaining an understanding of the full development process, Tim had a clear outline of each stage needed to set his product idea on the path to launch.

“It’s hard at the start, because you don’t really know what you’re going to get. But after listening to Pd-m talk about other products they’ve worked on, how passionately they talked about them, and how they shared the challenges in the process that they overcame, I could see their commitment. I could see their value. I knew this was right for the product.”

Meeting challenges during development

From feasibility reviews and user research, to prototyping and testing, Tim’s product was really put through its paces by our team to find out what worked - and crucially what didn't - to inform the next stages of development.

“We’re absolutely committed, with both feet firmly in with our clients. Because this is one heck of a journey when you’re innovating new and unique products. Commitment - proper commitment - is the only way to get the best result.”

- Richard Hall

“Richard and Pippa stood alongside me in -10℃ in an ice cube factory in the middle of summer - we tested that commitment! It was great prototype testing for us to understand how our different components would react in cold conditions, and the heat map showed our product was delivering a really good heat to the user.”

- Tim Bailey

The strategic approach to the development process exposed plenty of challenges that resulted in immediate and continuous changes to the product design and its components, all crucial to its future success.

Tim also needed the right suppliers, choosing to keep everything manufactured in the UK for greater control and enhanced quality. Understanding Tim’s product and his vision, we were able to connect him with the right suppliers to work with for the best results.

“Take our electronics supplier - they’ve been with us since day one, and they know the product inside out. Without Pd-m we’d never have known them. That's not necessarily something you can put a value on, but it's been incredibly valuable for us.”

Enjoying the successes along the journey

As well as the challenges, it’s important to celebrate the successes. Preparing to launch this type of product meant it had to undergo strict safety testing to ensure it was ready to take to market.

“I think we all had a few beers when we passed our EMC testing and our HS testing in Italy and the UK. It just marked that we've built a product that’s safe and ready to be sold to the end user. That was a highlight for me.”

The Warmtronics result

Today, Warmtronics is no longer just a revolutionary idea - it’s now a successful product.?

With a Global Innovation award under their belt, supplying their product to London’s Paddington Station, working with early adopters of innovative tech like Brompton Bicycles and now looking to launch Warmtronics across Europe, the future looks bright (and toasty) for Warmtronics.

“The proof is in the pudding. Pd-m worked with me to take this idea, launch it, and now we’re in Paddington Station.”