Smart technology firm makes light of relocating to digital media centre

A team of smart lighting specialists have joined Barnsley’s digital business community.

Binary Forge has moved from Wakefield to an office at the Digital Media Centre (DMC 01) on The Seam campus, in the centre of Barnsley.

The company delivers software solutions to help businesses connect devices and integrate IT systems so that they work together efficiently.

Its speciality is developing accessible IoT dashboards which manage and monitor smart resources, such as lighting, across global sites.

Founders Glenn Pugh and Matthew Roberts set up the business in 2019 and plan to use their move to Barnsley as a springboard for growth.

A new smart building product is being launched in the coming months and new jobs are to follow.

Pugh said: “We had a fantastic start to the business in our first year before COVID-19 hit, working with several big brand High Street names to transform the way they manage their lighting across sites.

“We now want to pick up on that and help others benefit from working with integrated technology systems to develop smarter buildings, not just in lighting but in other aspects too.”

Binary Forge’s key product, LightForge, is a web-based monitoring and management system which helps clients commission, configure and control lighting across multiple premises to deliver an improved environment, save energy and money, and reduce carbon emissions.”

A new product called PushFusion, which enables companies to remotely monitor emergency lighting across multiple sites, was launched last month, in partnership with smart lighting hardware manufacturer Tridonic, at the IoT Expo in London.

This product will be developed to encompass other aspects of smart building behaviour in the coming months.

Pugh said: “We moved to Barnsley because we were very impressed with the support for innovative digital businesses here.

“There is such a buzz about the place and everyone is interested in what you are doing and keen to support your success.”

The Seam’s Maker Lab, a fully-equipped digital tech workshop at DMC 02, over the road from DMC 01, was also a pull for the company.

Pugh added said: “We were blown away when we saw the Maker Lab. We plan to make good use of that to test out new ideas and create prototypes for more IoT solutions.”

Barnsley Digital Media Centre manager, Tracey Johnson, said: “We were absolutely delighted when Binary Forge got in touch about moving to the DMC and can’t wait to join in their business journey and support growth.

“Innovation, problem-solving and using IoT digital technology to make the world a better place is key to Binary Forge’s business plan. They will fit right in here.”

Binary Forge also supplies services to help businesses integrate their existing systems, automate their processes and migrate them to the cloud.

DMC 01, and its partner DMC 02, provide workspaces for start-ups and growing businesses, as well as co-working spaces, events space and a Maker Lab in DMC 02 for hands-on innovation and collaboration.

Both are owned and managed by Barnsley Council, and DMC 01 is home to the Enterprising Barnsley business support programme.