By Malcolm Schulstad
You see a lot of businesses come and go over a ten-year period. The pace of change, evolving technology, and global uncertainty can test even the strongest companies.
Survival is one thing. Growth and genuine impact is something else entirely.
Over the last decade, I’ve watched many businesses disappear. MOVUS hasn’t been one of them.
That’s not to say getting MOVUS to its tenth birthday has been easy. The company I joined more than five years ago was a very different beast to the one you see today.
Back then, my first impression was: sensor-focused. Our goal was, and still is, to prevent unplanned downtime, increase efficiency, and reduce global resource consumption through continuous asset monitoring. It’s a noble purpose. But at the time, I felt we hadn’t fully figured out how to help our customers get the most from the tech in their day-to-day operations.
Maybe that perspective came from my background in disability support, in turning around an academic tuition business, or even in the odd jobs that taught me to meet people where they are (like coaching beginners to avoid riding into trees on mountain bikes or rescuing swimmers from rips). Whatever the reason, I’ve always believed that helping a business succeed starts with helping people succeed by delivering an experience they genuinely value.
So, when I joined MOVUS, I focused on what I knew best: how to help people get real value from technology.
From Sensors to Solutions
To say we’ve learned a lot since then would be an understatement.
We’ve had to build a deep understanding of how different industries, assets, processes, and failure modes behave not to mention the impact of environment, supply chains, and human factors. We’ve climbed a huge learning curve. And it’s made us better.
We also came to know the limitations of what we’d built. Through that process, I’ve learned more than I ever imagined about lithium batteries, WiFi, magnetic fields, FFTs, AI, resonance, and industrial design. We had to get creative and practical to build solutions that could stand up to real-world complexity.
Despite the challenges, we’ve always stayed true to our vision: helping the world reduce resource consumption and waste. The release of FitPower was a major step forward, but more importantly, so was building a team that doesn’t just deploy sensors, but actively helps customers solve problems that matter.
The Turning Point
Last year, we asked Flinders University to run an independent study to understand what our customers really thought of us. The feedback was clear:
- Simple to deploy
- Easy to use
- Exceptional support
But there was something else, too. Customers wanted more value. More insight. More help using that insight to act.
We could have made excuses. Or assumed they weren’t the right fit. But that’s never been our way. Helping customers get what they truly need from us has always been our big, hairy, audacious goal.
MOVUS, All Grown Up
Now, we’re ready.
As we enter our second decade, I couldn’t be prouder of how far we’ve come. MOVUS is no longer just a sensor company. It’s a full-stack diagnostics and support partner, working side-by-side with sites across Australia and beyond.
Later this year at IMARC, we’ll be launching our complete, next-generation solution suite. This includes:
- Both piezoelectric and MEMS wired sensors
- A full predictive diagnostics stack that not only identifies faults, but tells you what actions to take
- Optional 24/7 remote monitoring and vibration analysis from a world-class team of AI and human experts
In short, we’re making life easier and more valuable for the teams that rely on asset health every day.
The Journey Ahead
They say it’s about the journey, not the destination. And in our case, I believe MOVUS’s journey is only just beginning.
We’re still MOVUS. Still Australian.
But today, with global support, a stronger team, and a sharper focus, we’re delivering 10x more value than we ever have before. And we’re just getting started.
Visit MOVUS 2.0 to learn more about how we’re evolving to support you with smarter tools and better insights.