Widefind created the market for its service

Widefind had new technology with great potential and sought the market where it could do the most good. Through Norrlandsnavet and Andreas Volmberg, the company received support in developing its business model and identifying the right application and value proposition for its technology.

Widefind started in 2016, as a spin-out from the research group in advanced robotics at LTU, with a technology for positioning objects in indoor environments. The technology itself was not unique, it is the same technology that, for example, is used today in our car keys, and there were many players who had solutions for position determination in indoor environments. But without the right application, positioning technology is as worthless as Wi-Fi is for those who do not have either a phone or a computer to connect to. They knew that their technical solution could contribute – the only question was which industry, which application and which customers would it create the best effect for?

Positioning in underground tunnel networks

During the first years, the technology was tested in several areas of use and they found that the mining industry was the industry where it could do the most good. Within the mining industry, there are great ambitions in automation and they are working towards self-driving machines as a tool to increase the value-creating time and production in underground mines.

– We saw that this type of technology would be needed in the mine of the future and we chose to try to be the best there. Therefore, we went ahead with a business idea to provide positioning technology to enable advanced digitization and automation in underground tunnel networks, says Markus Sjölund, Widefind's CEO.

Focus on the value proposition

Widefind got in touch with Norrlandsnavet and Andreas Volmberg and through the venture they got the chance to challenge their business model with a focus on the value proposition to customers.

– For us, Norrlandsnavet and Andreas Volmberg's support has been invaluable. We were asked to work with our offer and our business model and to really dare to explore different ideas, even those we dismissed as too big and too difficult. It resulted in us choosing one of these ideas and daring to take it further to arrive at the conclusion that it can be done - big, but doable, says Markus Sjölund.

They participated in a program, guided by Andreas Volmberg in a number of workshops as well as during individual coaching with the aim of finding their own process to commercialize their technology. They were asked to identify and question their assumptions, see what potential, opportunities and challenges existed.

– Widefind entered the process with the idea of just delivering a positioning system, but then completely changed their view of the value they can enable through their technology, says Andreas Volmberg, PhD student Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Luleå University of Technology.

When they dared to believe in the idea that had the greatest potential to create value for the customer, they let go of other ideas. Then they chose not only to deliver enabling technology, but to add significantly greater value by focusing on the safety of autonomous machines and thereby creating the conditions for a comprehensive solution for the customer.

Continues to develop prerequisites for the technology

The work that was initiated with support via Norrlandsnavet continued when the company was bought by Mobilaris Industrial Solutions, which then gained access to the technology and was able to take it further with its established brand and greater financial muscle.

– Without the efforts we took part in via Norrlandsnavet, we would probably have followed a different path. We had continued to work on high-resolution positioning only as an enabling technology, rather than such an advanced application of the technology, says Markus Sjölund.

Today, Widefind's team continues to refine and improve the technology and produce a certifiable security system that means the technology can be used to allow autonomous machines and humans to share the same surfaces and work together.

Footnote

Norrlandsnavet is a center for the development of business operations in northern Sweden in collaboration between the Kamprad Family Foundation and Luleå University of Technology. The foundation gives small and medium-sized companies in northern Sweden the opportunity to develop their company with the help of research and education.