Kibosh wins UK competition for best innovation pitch

Ross Dickinson, Walkerburn based plumber turned inventor of the Kibosh Emergency Pipe Repair, added another award for innovation in November when he not only won the UK finals of the ‘The Pitch’ competition for small businesses, sponsored by BusinessZone, but also picked up the People’s Choice award.

Celebrity judge Carl Hopkins summed up why Ross was such a deserved winner perfectly, saying "True innovation comes from solving a problem, and Ross has done just that."

Earlier in 2011 Ross won the New Start Scotland Bright business Idea Competition and was runner up in the ‘Take One Small Step’ competition sponsored by Barclays Bank.

Through his own plumbing business, he has designed and almost entirely self-funded the tooling for his invention, which consists of a hand clamping device, injection moulded in a glass reinforced thermoplastic, with a thermoplastic elastomer seal, which can be applied in an emergency to a burst water pipe to contain the water and keep the pipe in use until a permanent repair can be completed.

With help from Scottish toolmakers and injection moulding companies and advice on materials selection from a number of SPRA members, Ross was able to launch his product before Christmas. The Kibosh device is available from seven UK stockists and already he is receiving repeat orders and recommendations from plumbers who have successfully used the product.

To view a demonstration of the Kibosh Emergency Pipe Repair, click here.

Report by Charlie Geddes, SPRA Honorary Secretary, Janueary 2012