September 6, 2019 11.08 am This story is over 54 months old

The Lincolnshire company stopping thieves in their tracks

Smoke Screen recently won a £10 million contract for the Brazilian banking sector
Smoke Screen protects businesses from thieves.

A Lincolnshire company claims to be the best-kept secret in the security industry, even after it recently won a £10 million contract in the Brazillian banking sector.

Smoke Screen is based in Swineshead, Boston and made its name by developing fog machines which are triggered when a thief breaks into a business.

It is a non-violent and visually impenetrable system which confronts and spooks criminals, whilst also protecting the business’ staff and property.

Smoke Screen protects businesses from thieves.

The company has 15 direct employees at its Lincolnshire base but also works with lots of different partners across the world who install the products.

Launching the business in 1991, Smoke Screen started by repurposing fog machines from war games before the company decided to develop their own version.

The new product was better in quality, and when activated it does not leave behind any dusty residue or smell for the business to worry about.

Matt Gilmartin, managing director at Smoke Screen, told Lincolnshire Reporter: “Smoke Screen is the best-kept secret in the security industry. Our products are great at protecting the small and high-value items that thieves want to grab.

“We work with a lot of big businesses abroad but we are now looking at the small to medium-sized businesses based in the UK.”

Smoke Screen charges customers £1,500 for each machine to be fully fitted, but now they are looking at charging smaller businesses £75 a month for their lease model.

When asked what Brexit means for Boston-based company, the managing director said that they have to weigh up the options between the Far East and Europe.

“Our main problem created by Brexit is how the uncertainty has affected exchange rates because we buy a lot from European suppliers.

“But we already have multiple points of manufacture, and we always weigh up the options between developing in Europe and the Far East.

“Natural disasters can affect supply chains just as much as Brexit, but it’s always going to be Brexit that dominates the headlines.”