# Marketing Controller Management Review – Vandagraph Sensor Technologies Ltd

**Review Date:** 10 August 2026  
**Review Type:** First Formal / Baseline Marketing Controller Review

## Purpose of Review

This is the first formal Marketing Controller management review undertaken specifically for Vandagraph Sensor Technologies Ltd (VST).

VST shares a number of staff, systems and operational processes with Viamed. It is therefore expected that substantial parts of the marketing infrastructure and supporting activities will be common between the companies.

The purpose of this review is not to duplicate those shared activities, but to consider whether they remain appropriate and effective when viewed specifically from the requirements and commercial activities of VST.

This review establishes the baseline for subsequent Marketing Controller reviews.

## Overall Position

The review demonstrates that marketing activities relevant to VST are incorporated into an established and controlled system of recurring processes.

These include:

- market and competitor research;
- product cross-reference work;
- proactive marketing;
- customer and CRM information;
- website and online marketing activity;
- research into products and applications;
- customer feedback;
- exhibitions and follow-up where relevant;
- product discontinuation and supersession; and
- supporting Intrastats development.

The evidence indicates that marketing activity is taking place and that VST benefits substantially from the shared marketing infrastructure operated across the associated companies.

## VST Market Focus

For VST, the most relevant marketing considerations are those relating to its OEM customers, product applications, competitor products, cross-references, pricing, product availability and identification of future commercial opportunities.

Product Cross Reference is therefore a particularly relevant activity for VST because accurate comparison and compatibility information assists customers in identifying appropriate products and provides useful information on competitor activity.

Research Activities and Pro-Active Marketing also support VST by providing a structured means of considering changes in customer requirements, competitors, applications, prices and potential future markets.

These activities demonstrate that VST marketing is not limited to processing existing customer enquiries but includes active consideration of future opportunities.

## Shared Marketing Processes

The close operational link with Viamed means that some marketing processes, employees, systems and records are shared.

There is no value in artificially duplicating identical work purely because two separate companies are involved.

Shared processes are therefore considered acceptable where:

- responsibility remains clear;
- VST customers and activities can be identified;
- VST-specific information remains accurate;
- relevant VST quality requirements are addressed;
- resulting actions can be allocated to the appropriate company; and
- the effectiveness of the process for VST can be demonstrated.

Where a process contains both Viamed and VST activity, the supporting records should make the applicable company sufficiently clear.

The company-level Marketing Controller review should remain separate, as this provides clear evidence that the effectiveness of marketing has been considered specifically for VST rather than assumed from the Viamed review.

## Resource and Continuity Risk

The principal common risk identified is dependency on Catrin Hird across the operational marketing processes.

Catrin is linked throughout the active process group and two processes currently show only one trained employee.

Although there is no indication that this has resulted in current process failure, it represents a continuity risk.

For VST, proportionate backup knowledge should therefore be maintained for the key activities necessary to support customers, product information, market research and ongoing commercial activity.

The objective should be operational resilience rather than unnecessarily training multiple employees to the same specialist level.

## Audit and Management Verification

The report identifies three overdue rolling tasks/audits.

The available evidence indicates that the underlying operational marketing work is generally being carried out, with the weaker area being timely completion of formal supervisory review and audit activity.

The overdue items should therefore be reviewed and brought up to date.

Future reviews should distinguish between:

- failure to carry out a marketing activity; and
- delay in recording or completing the subsequent management verification.

These have different levels of significance and should not automatically be treated as equivalent.

## Audit Coverage

Five processes currently show no separate audit configured.

This should be reviewed on a risk and relevance basis.

A separate audit is not required merely because the system identifies that one is absent. Where a process is adequately verified through another audit, recurring management review, measurable objective or other established control, this may provide sufficient evidence.

Where no effective verification exists, an appropriate audit or review should be introduced.

## Customer Feedback

Customer feedback remains an appropriate marketing and management input, including feedback relevant to VST OEM customers.

The existing report also indicates that some historic methods of requesting feedback have changed or become obsolete.

Where this has occurred, the relevant process wording or responsibility should be updated so that the documented process reflects the method actually being used.

## Development and Improvement Activities

VST also benefits from the ongoing development of the common Intrastats and CRM systems.

Outstanding development work should continue to be prioritised according to its effect on customers, commercial opportunity, efficiency and process risk.

The presence of outstanding development requests does not by itself indicate failure of the marketing system where the existing operational process remains effective.

## Company-Specific Documentation

This first VST review has highlighted the importance of ensuring that shared processes and generated management reports do not inadvertently retain wording that applies solely to Viamed.

VST records should refer to VST requirements and activities where company-specific wording is required.

References relating specifically to Viamed medical-device requirements should not be treated as VST marketing requirements merely because the underlying process is shared.

This is primarily a documentation and reporting distinction rather than evidence of an operational marketing failure.

## Actions Arising

The following actions are considered appropriate:

1. Review the three overdue rolling tasks/audits and complete or formally disposition them.
2. Review the two processes dependent on a single trained employee and determine proportionate backup requirements.
3. Review the five processes without configured audits and confirm whether existing verification is sufficient.
4. Continue development of practical backup knowledge for key marketing activities.
5. Continue VST-specific market research, competitor monitoring and product cross-reference activity.
6. Ensure shared processes and generated reports distinguish VST-specific requirements from Viamed-only requirements.
7. Review obsolete or superseded marketing activities and update process wording where the actual method has changed.
8. Continue monitoring significant CRM and Intrastats development actions through the normal management system.

No marketing-related non-conformance or corrective action is considered necessary solely as a result of this review.

## Overall Conclusion

The first formal Marketing Controller review concludes that the **VST marketing system is generally suitable and effective**, with good evidence that VST benefits from an established, structured and recurring marketing framework.

The shared-process arrangement with Viamed is not considered a weakness in itself. In a number of areas it provides VST with a more comprehensive marketing and information infrastructure than would otherwise be proportionate for the company.

The important control is that **shared operation must not result in loss of company identity or applicability**. VST customers, products, requirements, actions and conclusions must remain distinguishable where necessary.

The principal improvement areas are the same underlying management-control issues identified by the report: reliance on individual employees, overdue management verification and confirmation of proportionate audit coverage.

There is no evidence from this review of a systemic failure of VST marketing activities.

This review therefore establishes an appropriate baseline for subsequent six-monthly reviews, which should assess progress against these actions and identify significant changes in customers, products, competitors, market opportunities and resources.