Scottish wearable technology company bought by English firm
Reactec, founded in 2001 as a spin-out from the University of Edinburgh, produces innovative wearable technology which allows real-time monitoring of workers' exposure to health and safety risks, with intuitive data analytics to help employers prevent what the company has described as 'degenerative and impactful health problems'.
Summing up the company's technology and applications in an interview with The Herald earlier this year, Reactec chief executive Jacqui McLaughlin said: 'It's possible to measure many of the risks in the workplace that cause irreversible harm that accumulates over time, significantly impacting quality of life.
'This includes exposure to vibration that can lead to debilitating pain in the hands, arms and back, exposure to noise that leads to hearing loss, and exposure to dust, which is a prime cause of lung disease.'
She added: 'Reactec delivers simple-to-use monitoring technology that measures an employee's personal risk levels, giving them real-time alerts to manage their risk, at the same time providing employers with intelligent analytics of the employee and workplace risk profile to create safer working environments by design.'
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Ideagen hailed its acquisition of Reactec as a 'pivotal step' in its 'mission to enhance safety and operational excellence for customers, particularly those in high-risk industries such as mining, construction and manufacturing'.
It added: 'Reactec's workplace wearables and cloud-based analytics enable businesses to take a more proactive approach to the management of workplace hazards such as exposure to vibration, dust, noise, and proximity to hazards.'
Reactec has an annual turnover of around £5.75 million, and employs 37 people.
Ben Dorks, chief executive of Ideagen, said yesterday: 'This is a significant milestone for Ideagen as we continue to invest in technologies that address real-world challenges faced by our customers.
"Reactec's wearable technology and data analytics are a perfect complement to our portfolio, putting cutting-edge tools directly into the hands of those who need it most.'
In the wake of the deal being announced, Ms McLaughlin said yesterday: 'At Reactec, our core mission has always been to protect workers and provide actionable insights that foster healthier and safer work environments.
"Becoming part of Ideagen allows us to extend our reach and provide even greater value to organisations that are forward thinking in their approach to enhancing the health and wellbeing of their workers."
She added: "We, like Ideagen, seek to prevent and not simply mitigate risk. We can totally see the value our technology can bring to Ideagen's existing customer base and look forward to working with them to deliver real impact.'
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After the 2005 Control of Vibration at Work Regulations, Reactec developed technologies to protect employees from harmful vibration exposure. Reactec now offers connected worker information management through advanced data automation and analysis.
In July 2022, Reactec launched the R-Link smart watch, protecting wearers from risks such as hand-arm vibration, harmful particulates, and proximity to moving vehicles or machinery. Reactec noted that the watch, combined with its analytics, 'provides employers with insights to proactively manage workplace risks'.
Reactec's products, which are manufactured in the UK, serve industries including construction, transport, aviation, and manufacturing.
Scottish investment syndicate Archangel Investors was an early investor in Reactec, supporting the company's evolution from a specialised hand-arm vibration monitoring solution to a comprehensive workplace safety platform using wearable technology and data analytics.
David Ovens, joint managing director of Archangel Investors, said: "Over several years, Archangels has supported Reactec's transformation from a narrow HAVS (hand-arm vibration syndrome) application to a broad workplace safety platform, delivering meaningful health outcomes for workers.
'We're particularly pleased to see recent strong growth in both domestic and international markets, and we look forward to seeing the business flourish as part of Ideagen's global network, which provides the perfect springboard for expansion.'
The companies declared that, by integrating Reactec's advanced wearable technology platform with Ideagen's environmental health and safety software, 'customers will gain access to unparalleled tools to monitor and more importantly manage critical workplace health and safety risks'.
Ideagen, which provides software for companies in regulated or 'high-compliance' industries such as aviation, financial services, life sciences, healthcare and manufacturing to help solve 'complex quality, health and safety risk, audit and collaboration challenges', counts more than 16,000 companies as customers.
It noted its customer base includes 'some of the world's biggest names in mining and construction, 250 global aviation organisations, nine of the top global aerospace and defence corporations, 15 of the top 20 global pharmaceutical companies, over 900 hospitals and healthcare centres and nine of the top 10 accounting firms'.
This deal is Ideagen's sixth acquisition in 2025, and yesterday's announcement followed news last week of the purchase of WorkSafe Guardian.
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