Pinpoint: Fife firm’s landmark anniversary installing alarm systems which protect healthcare staff

The company manufactures and installs alarm systems which health workers have come to rely on when they face serious incidents or personal threats.

They are made in Methil and can be found in hospitals from the UK to the Middle East and the USA.

Now, Pinpoint is starting work much closer to home at the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy where it is installing its system in A&E.

Fife company Pinpoint has been manufacturing and installing alarms for health workers for almost 30 years

Daniel Waring, chief executive, is delighted to see the company operating locality as well as globally - particularly as it reaches a landmark anniversary next month.“It’s a milestone for us,” he said. “We are a relatively small business, but one that covers a lot of ground in how we operate.

“In some respects, we have spent the time and money developing products that help protect people rather than shouting about it.”

The company was formed by his late father John, who is perhaps best known for his role as a director with Fife Flyers - one of four businessmen who teamed up to take the ice hockey club over in 1996.

Daniel Waring, chief executive of Pinpoint, based in Methil

Daniel succeeded his father in 2018, and admitted the move came with its challenges.

“My dad taught me well, but there is nothing that can really prepare you for moving into the role and dealing with everything.

“But I have a great team around me, and the structure of the company is different too.

“We have certainly built on my dad’s legacy.”

John Waring, left, who launched Pinpoint, was also a director and team sponsor of Fife Flyers. He is pictured in 2001 with team captain Frank Morris

With attacks on health workers rising, there is demand for Pinpoint’s products - small alarms usually attached to someone’s belt which can be activated at the touch of as button.

They can be pressed to summon help without anyone being aware, and the company’s on going development means it can now create systems which can close down access to an area, allowing restricted access to security personnel while keeping everyone else outside and safe.

“We are still considered to be the market leader,” said Daniel.

“We are operating across the UK, Ireland, Northern Ireland, and one of the things now coming to fruition over the time I have been involved is the USA market.

“My dad tried for years to get in there, and now we are in Long Island. There is to grow further.

“We’ve always taken our system to exhibitions, but a lot of work comes from word of mouth

Staff in one ward show colleagues how simple it is to use and we then move forward.”

That progress comes on the back of managing rising costs and steering the company through the pandemic.

Pinpoint has 45 employees across the UK, but its base remains at Methil Docks - opposite New Bayview, home of East Fife where it has been the team’s shirt sponsor.

With the pandemic easing, it is working with universities to show future graduates the opportunities out there.

Added Daniel: “We take people on through apprenticeships and we now have staff who have been with us for 20 years

“We put young people next to experienced staff - it’s a great way of learning.

"They grow with us.”

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