A Leamington inventor has been selected to give a sense of innovation in his area at a national exhibition, after receiving guidance from a Midland law firm.
Dr Hany Agaiby, from The Spinney, has created a portable gas analyser that can be adapted to pick up and measure any of 500 gases.
After enlisting Leamington lawyers Wright Hassall to handle legal and contractual issues, the product is set to be used all over the world.
And Warwick and Leamington MP Chris White has now chosen Hany’s invention to represent his constituency at a national exhibition called ‘Made by Britain’ which was launched by Vince Cable last month.
Initially this project will see MP’s nominations form an online interactive map before a physical exhibition may be launched next year to coincide with the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Dr Agaiby is delighted to have been recognised in such a way having worked independently to get this unique product off the ground since taking voluntary redundancy in November 2009.
“My local MP was looking for businesses to represent the constituency and it was a quick and easy process so I thought I might as well go for it,” said the 47-year-old.
“Two weeks later I received an email to say that I had been selected and that my product will be held up next to iconic names such as Bentley, Land Rover, and Dyson.”
What makes Hany’s gas analyser different from other products is that it can be adapted to measure any 12 of 500 gases, whether this be for health and safety, environmental, or medical purposes, amongst others.
He added: “I used to be a senior design engineer at a company that developed gas analyser products but they were all geared towards specific applications and significant time and effort was needed to target a new application.
“I had the idea of creating a product that can be easily adapted to suit different applications.
“It uses advanced infrared absorption as well as other technologies to measure gases down to a low ppm (parts per million) level and it has several customisable features that makes it suitable for a large number of applications.
“Another aspect that makes the product unique is that it is portable and lightweight and a patent application has been filed to protect some of its innovative features.”
Despite his vast experience in design and development Dr Agaiby recognised that he needed help in terms of the legal and contractual side of running his own business.
He knew of Wright Hassall as they worked with his previous employer and coincidentally he also knew his adviser to be, as they are both governors at St Peter’s Catholic Primary School, where they both have children.
He said: “Wright Hassall have been really helpful in preparing contracts and checking all the paperwork that comes my way. This has been essential to ensure that my business starts off on the right foot.
“I was delighted to secure my first order in May this year, a day before the 18-month mark since I opted to take voluntary redundancy.
“They have also provided a second opinion where needed and were good to bounce ideas off. The next step is distributing the product through international representatives from certain industries and we are working on this now.”
Christine Jackson, from Wright Hassall’s commercial team – which was recently named UK Technology Law Firm of the Year 2011 by CorpINTL magazine – has worked closely with Hany and feels he deserves all the success that is coming his way.
She said: “Hany has worked so hard to get his revolutionary product to where it is today, we are pleased he is seeing the fruits of his labour.
“He has gone about everything in the right way from designing the product itself to seeking the right help, at the right time, to get things moving.
“This is just the start for him and I am sure we will see big things from him in the future.”
