Positioning

Category: identity Sources: trace-summary-services-icp-competitors-background.md, founder-brain-dump-ai-systems-reframe-2026-08-16.md, MASTER-BUSINESS-PLAN.md (Trace Launch project, fetched 2026-08-23 — current service names), Glen's direct instruction 2026-08-26 (swap head protection for hearing protection on the About page) Confidence: high Last Updated: 2026-08-26

One Word

One Word Problem: Exposed

Top 3 Causes:

  1. A range already on the market with little or no documentation held per product, or patchy from one product to the next
  2. A product team with no real background in testing or certification requirements, so there's no way to know if what's being sold is actually worthy of being on shelf
  3. One incident with an end consumer is enough to expose the whole gap, with nothing to show if it's ever questioned

One Word Solution: Covered

The Trace PPE Pathway

Core message: Know the route. Move the product. Regain control. Build capability.

This four-part pathway is the umbrella line for Trace's service architecture and customer journey:

  • Get started — Free Triage, Second Opinion: qualify the enquiry, or check documentation someone else produced
  • Know the route — Route Finder: understand the testing and certification route before major commitments
  • Move the product — Certification Management: coordinate and progress PPE testing and certification activity
  • Regain control: Issue Response, Range Review, Embedded Support: manage active issues, understand ranges, take ongoing technical responsibility
  • Build capability — Training: develop internal PPE documentation and decision-making skill

The pathway ties the service groups together into a coherent customer experience rather than isolated offerings.

Core Positioning Statement

Trace is a PPE compliance consultancy. We specialise in motorcycle protective apparel, with selective experience across hand protection, high-visibility garments, eye protection, hearing protection, and sports protection. We help PPE brands understand, prepare for and manage their testing, certification and technical documentation so they can bring PPE products to market with confidence.

Business Category

Specialist PPE compliance consultancy overall, with a controlled category scope:

Master specialism:

  • Motorcycle protective apparel (garments, product evidence, testing, certification, documentation, and claims)

Selected PPE categories (public):

  • Hand protection
  • High-visibility garments
  • Eye protection
  • Hearing protection
  • Sports protection

Internal capability, not currently a public category:

  • Head protection — real experience exists; not named as a public category as of 2026-08-26 (swapped for hearing protection on the About page — see wiki/log.md).

Excluded categories:

  • Respiratory protection
  • Fall-arrest and work-at-height PPE
  • General industrial safety footwear

Public-facing scope line: Trace specialises in motorcycle protective apparel, with selected experience across hand protection, high-visibility garments, eye protection, hearing protection, and sports protection.

What We Do

Trace provides fixed-fee route definition, practical coordination, direct ownership, fast communication and ongoing technical responsibility for PPE testing, certification and technical documentation under PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425 and equivalent UK requirements.

We work with customer situation first, then offer the proportionate service: Free Triage or Second Opinion to get started, Route Finder for first-time questions, Certification Management for defined launches, Range Review for range management, Issue Response for urgent matters, Embedded Support for ongoing responsibility, and Training for capability development.

What Makes Us Different

  1. Full-chain experience: Glen has worked across testing, certification and commercial delivery, not just one part of the process
  2. Master specialism — motorcycle protective apparel is our deepest knowledge area, not a niche of a broader offering
  3. Services matched to situation — customer journey first (find route, move product forward, regain control, build capability), then proportionate service level
  4. Fixed-fee structure: clear entry points with Route Finder; transparent pricing by delivery scope for Certification Management, Range Review, Embedded Support, Issue Response; every price published, no "contact us for pricing"
  5. Trains the team, not just the documentation: Training builds internal PPE champions who can lead their own range, not permanent dependence on external specialists
  6. Combined UK and EU route — one plan covering both markets, not charged separately per market
  7. Trained systems, not a generalist AI shortcut: purpose-built systems accelerate Glen's expert judgement on each service — they draft, flag, and surface; Glen reviews and owns every output. See Modern Compliance and Systems And Ai Stance

What We Are Not

  • Not a testing laboratory or certification body — Trace prepares and coordinates; independent bodies make the certification decision
  • Not a guarantee of certification — Trace provides the route, evidence and coordination, not a promise of outcome
  • Not a generalist compliance agency — specialist PPE knowledge, not broad product-safety coverage
  • Not a low-cost documentation mill: should not compete primarily on the lowest documentation price
  • Not respiratory protection, fall-arrest, or general industrial footwear specialists — we work within our defined category scope

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