Dave Bond was appointed as the new Head of Research & Development at Multitone Electronics in December 2023, following the retirement of Ron Wray. In this article, Dave talks about the reasons for his choice of career and how Multitone is developing new product solutions with technological innovation, to meet changing customer needs.
A lifelong passion for electronics and radio
Dave has been an enthusiast of electronics and radio for as long as he can remember.
As a boy, he fondly recalls playing with his ‘Electronics in Action’ kit, complete with its own circuit board and tools. He enjoyed the experience so much that from that moment on, he knew that working with radio was something he wanted to do – and it is an interest that clearly runs in the family, as Dave recently bought a similar kit for his two boys.
Having said that, this curiosity into the world of radio communication was not Dave’s initial career aspiration as a youngster.
“When I was 9 or 10, I was absolutely determined to join the RAF as a pilot,” Dave remembers.
“The careers teachers invited some RAF personnel to our school one day and during their presentation, one of the officers mentioned that all pilots need to have their fillings removed. Since I absolutely hated going to the dentist, I quickly reassessed that dream!
“My Dad worked in the GPO (now BT) in many roles, and my younger brother also joined around the same time as me. So, it’s fair to say that I drifted into telecoms naturally. I’ve always been interested in radio and technologies; at university, I studied Electronic Communication Systems, so finding a job working in the industry was a logical next step.
“When I applied for a job at BT, I had no experience to offer, apart from raw enthusiasm. Fortunately, though, they took me on as a Customer Service Technician, and I stayed with the company for three years. It gave me a great grounding in the field.”
Leading innovation at Multitone
In 2007 Dave left BT to join Multitone Electronics as a Customer Service Engineer, then under the leadership of Ron Wray, his senior colleague and mentor. Over the next 16 years, he progressed through a series of technical roles before taking on the role of Head of Research & Development at the end of last year.
Today, Dave is responsible for managing Multitone’s team of software and hardware development engineers, product management, assessing new products from a technical perspective, working out company priorities as well as managing the budget. At the heart of the job is one key fundamental aspect: ensuring that any existing and new product solution is very valuable to Multitone’s customers – and helps to deliver what they need.
Building a modern R&D team
With 10 years’ experience working under Ron, Dave understands how the team functions together and its strengths, especially its positive working culture built around mutually dependent relationships.
Dave’s priority now is to help Multitone to meet the challenges of the mid-2020s and beyond, as the business transitions from ‘being a hardware company at heart, to a software-led company’, as he explains below:
“Multitone is lucky to have such a wealth of experience, with many people spending most of their entire careers working here. At BT, I had my EIN (employee identity number) and that’s what I was – a number. But here at Multitone, I make a difference. I appreciate the way that the company offers flexibility to all its employees.
When I was working in the field as an engineer, Multitone demonstrated that flexibility. It was my role to deliver results for the company – and in return, they deliver for me. We operate the same principle within the team today, so people know they can rely on their colleagues for support, and their colleagues reciprocate.”
The importance of continuous market research in developing new products
Critical communications technology is evolving fast, and to address this changing requirement, Multitone is continually reviewing its product offer – and introducing new solutions to the market.
Crucial to this management process is communicating directly with customers, therefore a major priority for Dave is to send product managers out to speak to clients and understand what they need.
“Meeting with customers regularly fosters a deeper understanding of their requirements. It leads to more relevant and impactful product development through continuous market research.
“Currently Multitone is exploring how to leverage AI and the Internet of Things (IoT) in the development of a range of smart hospital and estate management concepts. For example, how can we get a system to monitor, to raise alerts without manual involvement? In my view, it’s about creating solutions which are more efficient in data processing to facilitate accurate trend analysis. The IoT represents a vast industry with immense potential to benefit end users. However, it is essential to distinguish between the proliferation of connected devices and the creation of genuine value.”
Challenges in critical communications
In discussing the challenges facing the critical communications sector, Dave is quick to identify cyber security issues as the most important.
“The rapid pace of technological advancements presents challenges to all of us working in the industry.
“Back in the 1930s, Multitone was manufacturing hearing aids. Then when the 70s arrived, we made the very first pagers. Between that period and the noughties, you could say that there was not much advancement in critical comms as an industry, but now, every year brings something new; AI advances at an unprecedented rate and new regulations require implementation. AI if not controlled correctly can be a risk in other environments, so it must be an issue that we keep firmly on our radar, which is why ongoing investment in the team and robust security measures are critical.”
BLE and LoRa: The foundation for smart hospitals
The focus of the discussion then turned to the relevance of BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) and LoRa (Long Range radio network, with very small bandwidth, which can transmit over a long distance) technologies in developing new product solutions.
“Our current focus is on utilising BLE and LoRa technologies for asset tracking and real-time location systems within healthcare settings as well as other sectors, focusing on on-premises solutions. This has the key benefit of prioritising cost-efficiency and data granularity and possesses significant integration capabilities with various systems, such as fire panels and nurse call systems.
“BLE and LoRa technologies enable asset tracking across distances by transmitting small amounts of data, with BLE ideal for shorter ranges and LoRa for longer, on lower bandwidth transmissions, making them suitable for monitoring equipment and personnel movement within a hospital setting.
“By using this technology, we can create the foundations for a SMART hospital as the sensors can track people moving around as well as things like wheelchairs and beds. There are two different options: a more straightforward RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system with tags, which has been in use for quite a while and is ideal for tracking a lot of smaller items in an area with limited ingress or egress points.
“Conversely, hospital beds are generally located in a space with lots of different exit points, monitoring, say 400 beds and 300 wheelchairs in one building – or more than one building – which is tricky. That’s why it makes sense to use a BLE, real-time location system which offers more granularity and an easier deployment in a large estate such as in a hospital.
“Integration and connectivity are at the heart of what Multitone does. We integrate our systems with all sorts of other systems such as fire alarm panels, alarm and security systems and building management systems, installing and setting triggers if a norm is exceeded during the day or night.”
Training and upskilling is key
Dave believes that continuously investing in the Multitone team by working with individuals to identify areas that require upskilling is fundamental, with staff regularly undertaking training in the latest technologies and best practices.
“It’s critical for us to be ahead of the game when it comes to cyber security, which is why we regularly run security scans on everything that we create to ensure that we are following best practices on encryption. Policies on data privacy are continuously evolving, so we have to be 100% certain that our systems are secure.”
Leveraging customer feedback for product improvement
Maintaining a strong market focus through continuous feedback from account managers and field engineers is another management priority for Dave.
“Establishing a feedback loop enables us to identify trends, customer needs, and areas for product improvement. While some customers require basic solutions, others demand advanced integrations such as robotic drug delivery systems or drone-based supply chain management. Our ability to adapt to evolving customer requirements, often driven by the customer’s innovative vision, is a core strength.”
Partnerships: driving growth and innovation
Partnerships are instrumental to Multitone’s success.
“By partnering with distributors, other development houses, and a range of specialists we’ve accelerated development while optimising costs. This approach allows us to focus on core competencies and tap into external expertise as needed, as well as achieving a global reach.
“The range of sectors we are now serving is extremely diverse and international, spanning oil rigs to shopping centres. This is a key indicator of the tremendous demand for reliable, rapid communication solutions in challenging environments.”
AI is reshaping the skill set
Dave’s final words return to the subject of AI and its impact on reshaping skill sets.
“AI is effectively a large umbrella encompassing data-driven decision making. Our focus is on upskilling our team to transition from backend development to data analysis and an events action-driven model. This involves enhancing our ability to identify patterns, predict outcomes and implement effective responses. While we’ve built event action models for years, AI accelerates this process by automating anomaly detection and response.
“To support this shift to a more agile development environment, Multitone has incorporated roles like Scrum Masters (an agile project manager), Product Managers and Technical Authors to foster a culture of innovation and efficiency. The team has access to some really fantastic resources which have made a massive difference and really inspired our team.”
Dave Bond is Multitone’s Head of Research & Development
Further information
If you would like more information, please contact Peter Lomax on +44 (0)1256 320292.
