Runway lights at airports are crucial to guide planes down safely – but how can airports reliably know those lights are working as they should?
Tailor Made Systems (TMS), one of the first tenants at the University of Warwick Science Park, helps airports test the quality of their runway lights across the globe, with a majority of airports using its Mobile Airfield Light Monitoring System, or ‘MALMS.’
As both the business and the Science Park celebrate their 40th anniversary this year, we look at how TMS has grown to become one of the world’s most important companies in flight safety.
Picture the scene: you’re on a late-night flight, you’re coming into land in foggy conditions and see the rows and rows of twinkly lights guiding the aircraft onto the runway.
If those lights weren’t bright enough, the plane could have a tough time making a safe landing. Potentially, the plane might experience a missed approach or be diverted to an alternative airport, causing an enormous loss of revenue and reputational damage for the airport.
For airports all over the world, ensuring those lights are doing their jobs is vital to allow the safe landing of thousands of aircraft at night or when environmental factors such as fog, sandstorms, precipitation or pollution obscure visibility.
However, airports cannot afford to close their runways for lighting checks. Most runways never close with a constant flow of aircraft taking off and landing 24 hours a day, which means lights need to be assessed in the middle of operations.
The solution comes in the form of the MALMS in-field Photometric testing system.
MALMS is essentially an array of light-measuring sensors which is attached to a vehicle via a trailer. This array is then driven over the runway lights, and the sensors take measurements to determine whether the beam intensities and beam orientation meet national and international requirements.
It also provides information to identify problems, develop maintenance strategies and produce work schedules and maintenance reports.
MALMS is widely recognized as the best photometric measurement system available. A policy of continual development is designed to ensure that this leading position is maintained. Founded by Vernon Taylor and Tony Lane in 1984, TMS Photometrics initially specialised in light monitoring equipment for street lighting.
Later that year, TMS took space at the newly founded University of Warwick Science Park in the same year and was offered Unit 13. At the time, Tony and Vernon were a little superstitious.
They said: “When the Science Park offered us Unit 13, we wondered whether to renumber it as 12a, but then we learned that both previous occupants of the unit had been successful in expanding their enterprises and had outgrown the unit in a short space of time.
“Our confidence was further boosted when on our first day in the Science Park an order landed on our desk.”
They were right to have faith. TMS was awarded two SMART awards from the then Department of Trade and Industry for its street light monitoring systems, which lighting authorities across the county used regularly.
However, TMS’s biggest break came in 1991.
That year, the Civil Aviation Authority, MoD, and the Defence Evaluation & Research Agency (DERA) commissioned the business to conduct research into the performance of high-intensity airfield lighting, and develop a corresponding assessment system. The MALMS Mobile Airfield Light Monitoring System has been developed using the knowledge and experience gained in this UK research programme.
Damon Creed, of TMS Photometrics, said: “MALMS made a laborious job quite simple, and was the epitome of ‘prevention is better than cure’ for so many airports.
“The MALMS system could be driven along a runway, and the light inspection was done in just half an hour. Previously this would have taken at least a day and required a full runway closure.
“Airports caught on quickly, and MALMS’ usage spread quickly throughout the UK and abroad.”
Soon after, the success of MALMS had grown to the point that it was ready to move out of humble Unit 13 in the Venture Centre, and later moved to a factory in Rugeley, Staffordshire.
Further success came in 2006 when it was given the ATC Boeing Development Award for MALMS’ huge contribution to flight safety. The award is recognised as the most prestigious in the industry.
MALMS was also used by national and international regulators world-wide to validate the introduction of eco-friendly LED lights for use at airports.
Initially, LEDs were immediately detected as being too bright with the glare temporarily dazzling pilots when they were first introduced. Further issues, such as not giving off any heat to evaporate water or ice on the lens and flickering caused by pulse width modulation, were also identified.
MALMS is now being used in a majority of the world’s largest airports and has become the industry standard for maintaining compliant visual aids world-wide.
Currently, TMS systems are used by over 600 airports, including some of the world’s busiest including as Heathrow, Amsterdam, Dubai, Sydney, New York, Singapore and Delhi.
MALMS has been featured on ITV’s Heathrow, Britain’s Busiest Airport and National Geographic’s Dubai Ultimate Airport.
“MALMS tests more than 10 million lights per year, with more than 600 systems regularly in use by our customers,” Damon added.
“It’s a testament to the simplicity and reliability of our product, and the ingenuity of our engineers.
“The hard work first done at the Science Park 40 years ago has blossomed into a true success story for the West Midlands and the UK.
“And while we’re delighted to turn 40, we’re looking to the future too. We recently launched our training company, TMS Training, to teach the next generation the basics of light monitoring.
“In addition, we’re looking at other applications for our systems, such as maintaining and measuring the quality of lights at hospital helipads.
“It’s a bright time for Tailor Made Systems / MALMS, and we’re looking forward to what the next 40 years holds. We’re also really pleased for the University of Warwick Science Park, and it’s great to hear
it is still helping innovative companies start their own success stories 40 years on from when they helped us.”
