World IP Day is on the 26 April 2020 and to mark this occasion, every year the World Intellectual Property Organisation sets a theme for World IP Day. This year the theme is “Innovate for a Green Future” and Spruson & Ferguson is pleased to showcase our client, Linked Group Services Pty Ltd (Linked). Linked are an engineering company based near Mackay in Central Queensland, Australia. They are a provider of trade services and renewable energy products to the mining, resources, construction, agriculture and industrial sectors. The tagline for Linked is Innovators of Sustainable Solutions. Since commencing the business ten years ago, Jason Sharam and Peter Shaw have developed a range of products for diverse industries, but all with the purpose of being sustainable, and therefore eco-friendly.
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One such product is the Eco-Port. The Eco-Port is a clever approach to providing large scale solar panels for businesses. Instead of being limited to building roof space, Linked has designed a range of carports that utilise solar panels for roofing. Spruson & Ferguson has been pleased to assist Linked to obtain Registered Designs for their carports.
There are other areas where Linked is demonstrating its commitment to and innovation in sustainability. Recently, the Australian government introduced a recycling initiative called Containers for Change. The initiative has greatly increased the volume of bottles and cans being collected, but has created a handling problem. Bottles and cans are being collected by community groups that have limited capacity to store and transport the collected recyclables. Linked has developed Recycling Cages that securely stack together for transport. They are easily manageable with castor wheels, anti-tipping bars and built-in forklift tine pockets. The Recycling Cages are left at collection sites and regularly picked up for trucking to recycling centres. This dramatically reduces transport costs for the collection agencies and makes the collection and transport of bulk recyclables far more convenient. Linked is making a practical contribution to the Containers for Change initiative, and Spruson & Ferguson have assisted Linked by seeking patent protection for the innovative aspects of their Recycling Cage.
It would be strange for a manufacturing business in Central Queensland not to be involved with the mining industry, and Linked has found innovative, eco-friendly products that assist the mining industry to meet their sustainability targets. One such product is the Ecoskid – Portable Remote Power Plant.
The Ecoskid is a deployable, self-contained, solar power plant with battery and diesel backup. The compact design is easily transportable on the back of a truck and is delivered to a remote site requiring reliable power.
Once deployed onsite, the Ecoskid is configured for operation by folding solar panels into position.
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The current product has generator backup, but in field usage Linked has found that the solar systems provide sufficient reliable power that the generator is very rarely required. The Ecoskid has been replacing diesel generators at remote sites, thus reducing exhaust and noise pollution. In another innovative variation, Linked has developed an EV Charging Station that can be readily deployed to remote locations, and uses solar energy to recharge electric vehicles, a truly green solution.
Spruson & Ferguson have supported Linked with a full range of IP services, including registration of their various trademarks. ECO PORT, ECO HUB, ECO HABITAT and ECO RAIL are all registered trademarks of Linked Group Services Pty Ltd.
Linked does not stop at innovative engineering products. They are also heavily involved in the local community, supporting at least a dozen local sporting and fundraising organisations.
Linked are a great example of an Australian business innovating for a green future.