iSmart provides a breath of fresh air

When I asked David Fenton for a bit of background on himself and his interests, I didn’t expect him to tell me that he was once ranked 8th in the world at Karate - and competed for the Great Britain team!

Now retired, at his prime he competed all over the world and looks back with great pride on these years. Thankfully, given his martial arts expertise, David is assuredly courteous as he is engaging when we speak.

Nowadays, David is CEO of a company he set up himself, iSmart Business Solutions, based in Wandsworth.

I am at first quite puzzled at just how broad his iSmart is business is. The company provides air purification, bespoke office furniture and solar power solutions.

I can’t quite see what the connection is and why iSmart would not focus on just one area?

David politely enlightens me. “All these areas are linked to health and safety in the workplace. When you consider that we breath in 11,000 litres of oxygen a day, we could be in an office for 9 hours a day breathing poor quality air.”

He continues: “And what if in this office you have a poorly set up workstation that means you develop or worsen a back problem?”

“Then there is the energy inefficiency − the office might have an old heating system which added to the heat generated by computers, photocopiers and printers, makes the workplace an unpleasant (and unhealthy) place to be.”

Tight budgets

David accepts that in the current economic climate companies might be reluctant to find money in the budget to improve air quality, workstations and invest in clean energy.

However, he insists it is a significant false economy if they do so. He also believes that, increasingly, companies are seeing the benefits to the business of taking workplace conditions seriously.

“On average, a company with around 50 staff will lose around £40k a year in productivity due to sickness in the office. If there is no air purification, you are
breathing in the same air; which means bugs and colds are passed on very easily.”

Rather than ‘selling’ customers products, iSmart acts more as a consultant − visiting a company and providing an on-site assessment which can clearly demonstrate any health risks and suggest a tailored solution.

According to David, there is still a large degree of isunderstanding on what constitutes a poor workplace. In worst-case scenarios, there are asbestos issues and widespread mould that have been largely overlooked.

“I think of our office assessments as an MOT for the workplace. I think some companies are totally unaware of the risks involved − and I have sometimes heard the response ‘can’t we just open a window’ − not taking on board the quality of the air they are then letting in.”

Are you seated comfortably

Moving swiftly from breathing to posture, iSmart provides office furniture that allows employees to work at the right level − in some instances this means a stand-up or sit-stand workstation.

There are also innovative and ergonomic designs for E-sports (gaming; school
classrooms/labs and workstations for disabled users.

Localised heating also comes into the equation. The iHeat desk works on the premise that heating through the wrists is the most efficient way to warm the body. Traditional heaters and radiators heat the room from the top down and are expensive to run, a heated has an integrated heating element panel in the desktop that heats both the underside and surface of the desk.

The i-Heat uses a fraction of the energy and power consumption experienced with conventional radiators and heaters.

All the ergonomic furniture that iSmart supplies is made in the UK.

While heated desks might lower power usage, a solar power solution would enable the source to be significantly cleaner. David explains that once again, the emphasis here is on visiting a potential customer and provide an assessment on how far they can generate their own power via a solar option.

It may be that a company sees merit in all three areas − air purification, ergonomic office furniture and solar power. The role iSmart has, is to outline what is feasible and also demonstrate that it will save the company money. Essentially, the benefits should be there for both employer and employee.

Currently iSmart’s customers are predominantly UK-based though it hopes to expand and build up a strong overseas client base in the next few years.

In terms of promoting and improving the business in recent years, David namechecks the Chamber as playing a key role here.

“The Chamber has been hugely helpful in offering great networking opportunities. We tender for local government contracts and they have been really helpful here, putting us in touch with key contacts.

He concludes: “The Chamber also offers great courses − such as ‘how to run your business more efficiently’. My experience of the Chamber is that they are both supportive and resourceful.”