Davis Derby
Davis Derby Limited, based in Derby since 1993, is a long established designer and manufacturer of intrinsically safe electronics and explosion-proof electrical equipment which is designed for use in underground coalmining and other hazardous or demanding situations. Davis Derby is also a leading provider of off-road vehicle driver access control and fleet management information systems, with products in service across the world in a variety of mining and arduous environments.
To meet customer and industry demands for safer vehicle operations in logistics centres, mines and quarries, Davis Derby wanted to design a product to improve the safety of pedestrians working in the vicinity of vehicles used in logistics/warehousing and quarrying/mining.
Specifically, the purpose of the new product is to identify pedestrians within 5 metres of a mobile plant and to provide a warning to the mobile plant control system so that drivers are alerted to the problem and automatic control systems can be triggered. This product will be known as the Pedestrian Recognition System (PRS).
How did we help?
Davis Derby Limited and the Faculty of Arts, Design and Technology at the University of Derby worked together to assess the challenges which the company faces in this particular segment of its market.
It was decided to submit a detailed proposal for a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) that specified the company activities, the strategic objectives for company growth in the challenge area, the University of Derby expertise, detailed implementation plan and project plan together with the expected return on investment to be made by the company.
The result
The PRS will provide an input to the forklift truck indicating the presence of pedestrians: the mobile plant supplier will be responsible for implementing a strategy to control the vehicle. The proposed system is therefore capable of being supplied to Original Equipment Manufacturer plant suppliers as initial fit or as a retrofit to all existing plants that could be modified to process the warning signal. Davis already works closely with OEMs to integrate its current safety systems into mobile plant and would expect to do the same for this new product.
