Member Article

Software firms enter into formal partnership to drive success after meeting as tiny start-ups at Warwick Innovation Centre

An intelligent software developer and a software safety firm that met in the same building as small start-ups have now entered into a formal partnership to drive the success of both businesses forward.

Eatron Technologies, which designs and supplies intelligent software mainly for the automotive industry, and 3SK, experts in safety and compliance in system design and development for automotive, aviation, and automation industries, have agreed an official partnership as the best way to complement each other and move ahead of their competitors.

The companies both met at the Warwick Innovation Centre – part of the University of Warwick Science Park – in 2018 when they were both just tiny start-ups. Both companies began to grow rapidly as a result of the increased demand for electric vehicles, the rise of autonomous vehicle technology, and the vital need for safety in the myriad of electronics and systems within those vehicles.

While the businesses had worked together on ad-hoc projects before, they believe entering into a formalised partnership will be mutually beneficial now that both have grown significantly during their time at the Warwick Innovation Centre.

For Eatron, the partnership means the firm will be able to turn around high-quality software products for its customers much more quickly.

And for 3SK, the partnership provides both a predictable and flexible service agreement, allowing the firm to deliver excellent value and best-in-class services. Both firms credited being based in the Science Park in their early days as laying the foundations for the partnership.

Dr Umut Genc, managing director at Eatron Technologies, explained that his clients need to know if the software and products they supply meet complex safety requirements in automotive – something that the partnership with 3SK will help with significantly.

He said: “Many of our customers need to be assured that the products we supply them with meet these rather complicated safety requirements. If we cannot demonstrate safety and assurance, our products are essentially worthless to our market.

“Before the partnership with 3SK, we would either approach them on an ad-hoc basis or look to other firms to ensure our products were compliant – but this could take time and results in longer lead times for our customers.

“Now the partnership has been agreed, 3SK will be integrated into what we are doing and will be able to help us demonstrate compliance at a much earlier stage, which will give us a clear edge compared to our rivals.

“With the electric automotive sector growing and growing, we think this partnership will be crucial to our future success, and it’s especially nice that we have worked with 3SK right from the beginning.

“We already had a strong working relationship with 3SK, so the transition has been pretty seamless.”

Paul Darnell, technical director of 3SK, added: “We work with companies all over the world in the electric and autonomous vehicles sector, but this has always been done on an individual work-package basis.

“Our partnership with Eatron is the first time we have been directly linked into a company on a formal basis. It means we can provide safety advice at a very early stage for Eatron, which is incredibly valuable in a sector with such complex safety needs.

“Working on an ad-hoc basis worked for both of us for a while, but now 3SK and Eatron have grown so much, the time was right for us to put pen to paper.

“Being based in the Warwick Innovation Centre with Eatron was crucial for this partnership to work. If we hadn’t got talking and working together in the early days, I doubt this partnership would have happened.

“I’m really looking forward to working ever more closely with Eatron over the coming years. If all goes well, we will look to enter into partnerships with some of our other clients too.”

Jane Talbot, Centre Manager at Warwick Innovation Centre, added: “3SK and Eatron became tenants at an early stage in their businesses.

“To see them work and grow alongside each other and now enter into a partnership whilst at the Innovation Centre is absolutely fantastic.

“We wish them all the best with their partnership and we will continue to provide them with all the support they require to continue their growth into the future.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .