Digital services firm expands with major investment

A Barbados-based digitisation company has launched operations with more than $1m in investment and plans for regional expansion, positioning itself to support governments and institutions navigating the shift to digital systems.

Abergower Barbados Limited is a large-scale digitisation and information management service provider that has been in existence for over five years.

Founder and CEO of Abergower, Robin Prior gives a tour to media demonstrating the digitisation process

The company, located at the former Banks Brewery compound in Wildey, currently employs about 40 people. Founder and chief executive Robin Prior said the goal is not only the delivery of technology, but also capability.

He said: “By establishing and expanding our operations here, we are investing in local talent, creating high-quality employment and building a knowledge-based ecosystem that positions Barbados as a leader in digital services within the Caribbean. Our team, now over 40 strong and growing, is at the heart of everything we do. We are deeply committed to developing our people, promoting from within and equipping our staff with the skills needed to drive in an increasingly digital world.”

Prior expressed excitement about the future and the growing demand for more evolved services.

“We aim to extend our services across the Caribbean, supporting governments and institutions as they navigate their own digital transformation journey. The demand for modern citizen focused and future ready services has never been greater, and we are proud of that part in that evolution.”

The company is engaged in a major partnership with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital to digitise its medical records.

Representative of the British High Commission, UK Development Director to the Caribbean and Caribbean Executive Director to the Caribbean Development Bank, Thomas Coward; CEO of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Neil Clark; Founder and CEO of Abergower, Robin Prior; and Abergower’s Facility Manager, Wayne Banfield

As part of the process, measures were taken to ensure quality management and data protection in compliance with international standards, said Prior. 

“We actually wired the building ourselves, we tested all the equipment before we brought it over from the UK; there’s over £400 000 [$1.09m] worth of capital equipment. It’s based on all the latest technology, using high performance scanners for medical records…they have adaptability and we can do other projects here.”

Abergower’s staff of about 40 was selected from over 100 candidates and received extensive training, he added. 

“It basically dealt with all the aspects of handling paper securely with care, and making sure we complied with all the ISO quality management systems. We also run our own operational management systems so we can track and trace every single document in here.”

Abergower’s Facility Manager, Wayne Banfield, Representative of the British High Commission; UK Development Director to the Caribbean and Caribbean Executive Director to the Caribbean Development Bank, Thomas Coward; CEO of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Neil Clark

Abergower’s facility manager, Wayne Banfield, outlined the process of scanning and digitising documents for clients:

“When we receive the boxes from our clients, they are sorted and stored at the back, then they are distributed by our staff to our scanning operators. Once the scanning operators have the box, they go through the process of sorting — each file is representative of a particular patient, and once that file is sorted, it goes through the scanning stages.”

Once documents have been scanned and the information processed, they are then transferred to quality control, where the digital information is compared with the physical records to ensure it is exact. Finally, the documents are retagged, repacked in their boxes and stored for delivery back to the client.

Prior gave an assurance that cybersecurity measures have been put in place to ensure there are no data breaches, and that information is neither lost nor damaged:

“None of the information we’re processing is available anywhere else except here and our backup systems, so there’s no access, there’s no knowledge, there’s no ability for anybody to get into any of the information at all.”

He also gave the assurance that the company is registered as an ISO 27001 company, which requires annual audits to assess processes, procedures and data security.

Prior revealed that the firm will soon sign a memorandum of understanding with the University of the West Indies.

He said: “We have identified three or four key services and expertise that we have that will help them commercialise their opportunities within the university, and we are really proud of that achievement. We’ve been working with them over the last year. This partnership will further strengthen the bridge between academia and industry, helping to develop the next generation of professionals whilst ensuring that innovation remains rooted in local expertise here in Barbados.”

The UWI partnership opens new areas of opportunity in artificial intelligence, manufacturing and dental technology, Prior said. 

“It’s not only digitisation, but it is also in additive manufacturing, it is in microfilm conversion processes, it is in medical technology, and digital dental opportunities, which we’re establishing a base here too, so it’s multi-dimensional and it covers all sorts of different industries.”

Abergower is also exploring opportunities in Saint Lucia, Guyana, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Antigua and Barbuda.

(LG)