AIM-listed Westminster Group (LSE:WSG) share price is up more than 15% today following its announcement that it has deployed its advanced Fever Detection Screening Equipment system to an airport in West Africa. WSG shares opened Monday at 46.70 only to fall to 42.00 at closing. The share price languished for the next three days. After opening at 41.00 this morning, shares are now trading at 47.25 as of 3:00 pm GMT, more than recouping its loss at the beginning of the week.
Westminsters designs, supplies and provides service and support of advanced solutions to an entire spectrum of threats ranging from natural disaster to terrorism to disease. Based in England and with regional offices in Dubai and Kuala Lampur, it provides contracted services to such high-profile organizations as the UN, the Royal and the U.S. Navies, the UK Ministry of Defense, British embassies. the European Parliament and many others. It provides a wide range of security services and solutions for airports, seaports, infrastructure, banks and power stations. Longmoor Security is a subsidiary of WSG.
The company is self-described as a product agnostic. It does not manufacture products, but creates specifically-defined, technologically advanced, integrated solutions for each unique situation, entirely dependent upon and designed for the situation’s needs. Solutions may be manned or un-manned, depending on the circumstances.
The system deployed to the West African airport is the WG520 Flu Fever Screening Detection System. It is a portable, but not hand-held, monitoring system that detects when a traveler’s body temperature exceeds a predetermined threshold. Because of the system’s ability to be calibrated to predetermined settings, it can detect and differentiate between common flu systems and others, such as swine flu and, in this case, the deadly Ebola virus.
At 7.5 frames per second, the thermal-imaging system is accurate to 0.01°C or finer. Specialized versions are available at speeds of 30 fps and 60 fps. The WG520 features automatic ambient correction. As passengers move past the screening device, thermal images and date appear within seconds to the operator.
No doubt the investor response to Westminster today is directly connected to the deployment of the WG520 as part of a determined effort to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus that is ravaging parts of Africa.
With geopolitical tensions on the rise around the globe, the growing threat of terrorism, and the potential for pandemic, WSG’s services are going to become in demand. While it does not bode well for the planet or the overall economy as a whole, it should be a factor that drives the growth of WSG and its stock in the days ahead.