Funding helps Halifax firm ‘tag’ along
ACTIVE Tagging, the Halifax-based supplier and manufacturer of tagging products, is expanding its operation after signing a £150,000 funding package.
The package – secured as part of the Government’s new Enterprise Guarantee Scheme (EFG) from the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) – will enable Active Taging to further develop its baby tagging products and expand into the areas of asset tagging for memory dysfunctional patients.
The scheme is designed to provide businesses with the necessary working capital or investment finance. The Government will guarantee 75% of any loans made and the bank covers the remaining 25%.
Established in 2007, Active Tagging produces some of the most ultra long range electronic tagging products in the world. Called XTAG, the concept and software was developed during the 1990s.
It is a combination of electronic radio-emitting tags and a series of intelligent digital radio receivers allowing the locations of tagged personnel, assets and stock to be attained. Additionally, control of electrically locked doors/barriers can also be achieved efficiently.
Unlike other traditional products that cover a two metre range, XTAG tags are effective over a 40 metre range and they are continually active, issuing a beacon signal approximately every two seconds to ensure that all tags are monitored and the XTAG software can immediately show events such as tag tampering, low battery warnings or the current location of any one of the tags at any given time.
XTAG applications currently include baby tagging, access control, asset tagging, health and safety, security, time in attendance, intelligent building and patient wandering.
The company currently has a turnover of £500,000 and employs 10 people. Over the next three years it has plans to increase its turnover further and create a further 10 jobs.
Christopher Bullock, a director at Active Tagging, said: “Launching a new product and expanding the business is very exciting but to ensure it is impactful and measurable it is important that we have the necessary capital in place and this package provides us with that.
“It will allow us to grow the company in line with our objectives over the next three years and meet current and future consumer demand whilst also enabling us to diversify into other sectors.”
Funding was provided through Michael Hall, relationship manager, commercial banking at RBS in Huddersfield.
He added: “Active Tagging has a very strong management team that boasts great vision and forward thinking that will enable the company to take advantage of its current lead in the market and expand in line with their growth plans over the next three years.
“We are very happy to provide the financial support plans and look forward to working with the company in the future.”
