Rhys’ Pieces

Reflecting on our Values as a company we like to acknowledge and celebrate those who really embody what we stand for as a team each quarter. We have some extraordinary people amongst our peers doing remarkable things and being outstanding folk all round. 

It’s tough to choose just one person each quarter as so many in the company fully live our values each day, but that is what makes working at Locatrix the unique place it is. 

The first person to be nominated as Employee of the Quarter, is Rhys Collyer, Technical Consultant and Product Specialist.  Read Rhys’ thoughts on what he does here at Locatrix and what he thinks of our products…. 

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Rhys’ Pieces of Brain Thoughts

Q1: How long have you been working at Locatrix?  

RC: I’ve been working at Locatrix for 5 and a half years now, back in the days when we were still known as the humble Concept Safety Systems that only sold Signs & PlanSafe. I joined in the stone age as one of our drafters, back when PlanStudio was but an idea and PlanSafe was only just beginning to abandon Flash and coming into the digital age. Not long after I found myself as the Product Officer in our Client Delivery team, helping lead the adoption of this exciting new technology in our own processes before finding my way into being a Product Manager for PlanSafe, a position I excitedly continue to work in today. 

Q2: What has been the biggest/best project you have undertaken at Locatrix and why? 

RC: Thinking back on it, one of the biggest and most enjoyable projects I’ve ever had the pleasure of working on was the rollout of services to a large national client with over 1,000 properties at the time. As one of our biggest clients to onboard in the earlier days of Locatrix, it really taught us as a company and me as an individual a lot of valuable information about how we can better scale and improve our processes to support further large clients in the process of onboarding with Locatrix. 

Q3: What’s it like to work at Locatrix? 

RC: In a word – amazing. The culture, the people, the work itself, it’s all top-notch. Having the ability to work on products that make a real impact on the safety & wellbeing of people and in the indoor mapping industry which is beginning to see a lot of traction is just the icing on the cake. 

Q4: How do you see the software improving how people operate their business? 

RC: It’s been quite exiting seeing companies varying from small businesses to large, established, industry giants not only adopt our software but resell it as well. A step further, it has been even more exciting to see people base their entire businesses off the reselling of these amazing product offerings and really seeing the value it brings to organisations. Between all our product offerings, seeing the impact it has had in terms of efficiency, ease-of-use, logistical processes and large-scale training has been phenomenal and that continues to trend upwards as people realise how powerful something as simple as a floor plan can be when placed in the right context. 

Q5: What are your thoughts on what you think would be achievable or where would you like to see the software implemented? 

RC: For PlanSafe specifically, I would love to see this implemented more in a wider variety of industries. And we are beginning to see this as the value of training with that added context of a visualised location-based component is beginning to get recognised in other industries. Would love to see industries such as mining, energy, agribusiness, tourism and more continue to grow as they recognise the value of adopting PlanSafe to help bolster their safe practices and compliancy in a cost-effective manner. 

Q6: What do you see in the future for Locatrix/PlanSafe/PlanStudio? 

RC: I believe our products, both existing and new, will continue to grow from strength to strength as we see more of a need than ever for safe practices and the need for reliable, spatially accurate indoor information for a wide range of applications that continue to amaze. 

Q7: What are you currently working on? 

RC: Not to give the whole game away, but we have quite a lot in store that we have in the product pipeline right now. What is probably the most exciting thing and taking up the majority of my time right now is some work that we are dubbing “PlanSafe V2” – a large-scale effort to completely redesign the Administration side of PlanSafe while also removing a lot of the complexities in the process with the aim of making it easier than ever to manage and maintain. 

Q8: How did you feel when you were awarded “Employee of the Quarter” and reading your colleagues thoughts on what you have achieved? 

RC: It’s always exciting to know that the work you’re doing makes a real difference, and I’m glad I could bring that to both our customers and my co-workers, without who, none of what we do would be possible. 

Q9: Apart from your current role, what else would you love to work on? 

RC: If I wasn’t directly working in product, then I would have probably ended up in a consultancy position. I love being able to help organisations find their feet by adopting different products, processes, and new ways of thinking into their day-to-day operations. The rise of Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning as an augmentation tool in the workplace is definitely one I would love to be at the forefront of. 

Q10: What was your dream career when you were younger? 

RC: Definitely an Archaeologist. As a kid I was captivated by the prospect of discovery and digging up stories from cultures long gone and trying to understand them. Pretty sure I spent half my childhood either at a simulated dig site at QLD Museum where you could dig for your own fossils, or at the Thunderegg Crystal Mine, fossicking my weekends away.  

Q11: Where do you see yourself in the future? 

RC: Still here at Locatrix, bit more grey hair, a lot more coffee, and many more floor plans to boot. 

Q12: Most favourite place (anywhere in the world) that you would like to go to? 

RC: I’d love to go to Wales at some point. With most of my distant family coming from that tucked-away corner of the UK, I’ve always wanted to go and experience its idyllic green landscapes for myself and get lost in all the amazing scenery and historical structures on display. 

Q13: If you could invent anything, what would it be and what would it do? 

RC: A way to rewatch your favourite Netflix shows for the first time, for sure. 

Q14: If you could have a super power for 24 hours, what would it be? 

RC: Teleportation, specifically on a day off. It may only be a 24-hour holiday, but it’ll be the most variety I’ve ever had in a 24-hour holiday. 

Q15: Favourite book or author?

RC: Easily Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence. If you like your dark fantasy series, then that’s the book trilogy for you. 

Q16: Favourite website?

RC: https://news.google.com/ - My taste in websites is not exciting.