When the mina drainage app appeared on the Scanprobe Techniques stand at the No-Dig Live exhibition in Peterborough in September 2018, it was different. Amongst the strong ‘yellow and black’ of the Scanprobe brand was this large presence of “bluey-turqoise” and the word “mina”.

And an iPad.

Not your usual set up for a company manufacturing products to service the drainage industry, we agree, but we were marking the start of something that the drainage industry had never seen before, armed only with our research and industry expertise.

“I’ve never been one to sit still and congratulate myself when things have gone well; it’s about the next big thing, and how we can continue to have a positive impact on our customers and their industry. So developing an app was something we considered, but it had to be more than a glamour-proposal. It needed to provide a real service to our customers, be a value-add proposition to our existing offering.“

Jon Barry, Managing Director & Owner

As with anything new and different there was an element of risk attached to this new venture, after all we were asking the drainage professionals to change what they were already doing, and insisting that this new drainage app solution will be beneficial to both themselves and their customers. Throughout the development stages of mina we were hearing all the right noises from our customers, and critically, we were getting lots of helpful feedback, both on existing functions and features, and also desired ones. All of this feedback was taken into account, as, just as Jon stated, the purpose of this proposed app was to provide a real service to our customers, not to be “just another un-used app”.

Of course, when it was launched it was marketed very separate from the existing Scanprobe brand, in name, colour and direct association, a decision made for the long-term goals for the product, and brand.

“Because you can use the mina drainage app with a Scanprobe camera or without a camera system entirely, we wanted to market it as a standalone brand. Of course, if you do own a Scanprobe camera system you can make full use of the live streaming and report generation features, but the drawing package is open to all to use.“

One issue that has been highlighted to us by our customers is the difficulties faced when it comes to explaining any required correctional works required, especially when it is to members of the public who don’t necessarily understand what goes on beneath their feet when it comes to their pipework. By providing a platform to help our customers to explain their work to their customers, we can help speed up the process.

“By using mina our customers can produce a fully-formatted report on site in a matter of minutes, and even add in a detailed digital survey drawing too. Our customers really appreciate being able to sit down with their customers and discuss the report with them there and then, because not only does it save them time in not having to go back to the office to create the report, but it enables them to progress the job to the next stage if any correctional works are required. And with the integrated survey photos, the end user has complete faith in not only what the problem is, but it can also be used after the works have been completed to show the finished works.“

This message has been echoed by our customers:

“Sending the reports from a mobile phone direct to the customer whilst still on site is an absolute game changer. It will speed up the entire process and our customers will be delighted.“

Graham Ross, SW Drainage

“Having completed our first survey with the new software we can already see that the Maxprobe system will enable us to produce survey reports more efficiently – we delivered our first report directly to the client whilst still on site! I absolutely love the Scanprobe system & I tell everybody, if you want cameras, go to Scanprobe!“

Bryon Emmett, Maintain A Drain Ltd

“In the past I would have gone home and carried on working, going through the videos and stills and created the report by hand, but with mina the job was finished on site and now I can spend more time with my family.“

Rui Fernandes, RF Drains

So the 1000 downloads mark may have been hit, but don’t be fooled into thinking that is the end goal for mina; 2020 has plenty more in store…!