Cardiff-based road safety innovation company Road Safety Designs has appointed experienced business leader and investor Simon Bailey as a management consultant.

The former director of Motorcare Motor Factors will be joining the firm chaired by Sir Stanley Thomas OBE, the Welsh businessman and property developer best known for founding Peter’s Food Services.

Abergavenny-based Motorcare Motor Factors was founded in 1984 by Simon’s father, Allen Bailey, as an accessory and parts retail store. Simon and his brother, Justin, worked with their father to steadily grow the business over the subsequent 18 years.

In 2002, the brothers took over the company, creating a car parts giant with locations in South Wales, Powys, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire, before selling it in 2018 to Alliance Automotive UK, a subsidiary of GPC, one of the world’s largest automotive replacement parts companies, with its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.

Using his experience of working in the automotive aftermarket, Simon will work closely with founder and Managing Director of Road Safety Designs, Stephen Wornham and Commercial Director, Carol Gillanders to help the company deliver its international strategy.

Best known for its first product, the BriteAngle LED Warning Triangle, the company went from strength to strength last year, having won multiple awards including Export Business of the Year in the Welsh SME Business Awards and Fleet Safety Product of the Year in the Brake Fleet Safety Awards 2019.

In August, it also secured an export contract with Australian distributor, Dometic, potentially worth £250,000. The deal came following a meeting in Sydney as part of a Welsh Government trade mission.

The BriteAngle LED Warning Triangle was invented by Stephen Wornham to make the motorist much more visible in the event of an unexpected stop, using flashing, high-intensity LEDs to warn drivers of hazards up to 300 metres away. Drivers can place the warning triangle directly behind their vehicle, enabling it to be seen more clearly, reducing the risk of an accident and making it much safer for themselves, their passengers and other road users.

The demand in Australia is driven by the many recreational vehicle and truck drivers who journey across the remote outback, with the warning triangle making them more visible from the air.

Stephen Wornham said:

“This is a really exciting time for us, having developed relationships with distributors in the UAE, Iceland, Norway, Mexico, Germany, Sweden and Denmark – with our product selling in many more countries around the world. Our focus for 2020 is on extending our international reach even further, and we’re delighted that Simon has come on board to help us achieve our ambitions.”

Simon Bailey said:

“I’m extremely excited about getting behind what I firmly believe is a great Welsh export success. The BriteAngle product range has the potential to become a game-changer in road safety around the world, particularly in those countries where warning triangles are compulsory. I’m delighted to have been asked to support its development and to help the team at Road Safety Designs deliver its international growth strategy.”