Malvern tech start-up helps improve manufacturing e ciency

A Malvern-based tech start-up is collaborating with Make UK, the UK manufacturer’s organisation, on an innovative new tracking system for Make UK’s Technology Hub in Aston, Birmingham.

FloWide’s system provides ‘GPS-like’ indoor tracking for the manufacturing shop floor.

Manufacturers need never lose anything on the shopfloor again.

Its system is composed of electronic tags and anchors on the hardware, coupled with a software interface. Tags are fixed on mobile items within the manufacturing shop floor: forklifts, trolleys, boxes or directly on parts. The anchors are placed in key locations around the shop floor. It means that a digital version of the shopfloor is accessible online with the real time location of every tracked item.

Vincent Borgraeve, co-founder of FloWide, said: “We installed our system at Make UK because of their pivotal role in UK manufacturing. Our short-term goal is to bring manufacturers on site so that they can experience our solution and its benefits.

“Our long-term goal is to make apprentices familiar with location tracking. We believe that today’s apprentices are digital natives who will accelerate the adoption of digital manufacturing.”

Williams Advanced Engineering to co-develop Electric Vehicle Fluids with Castrol

Williams Advanced Engineering has entered into a five-year partnership with Berkshirebased British oil giant Castrol to co-develop high performance Electric Vehicle (EV) Fluids. As part of the agreement, Castrol will become the official supplier of EV Thermal Fluids for Williams Advanced Engineering’s growing electrification programmes and motorsport activities.

Castrol will develop and supply EV Thermal Fluids suitable for Williams Advanced Engineering’s high-performance motorsport batteries from May.

Four years after The Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology was established on the company’s Malmesbury campus in Wiltshire, 33 students have graduated after studying and working at Dyson.

The students all achieved a BEng Degree Apprenticeship in Engineering, awarded by the University of Warwick, and have all chosen to accept full time roles at Dyson.

During their four years at Dyson the undergraduate engineers have collectively worked in 42 different teams gaining practical experience.

Sir James Dyson said: “Our first cohort of undergraduates were pioneering and brave to put their trust in Dyson for their degree, but by any standards their finals results are extraordinary.”

He added: “At my ripe old age, I should be able to pass on some advice. But I’m stumped. The world is moving so fast, tomorrow is so different from today. Experience is not necessarily the help it used to be, problems need to be approached differently and this gives you an unprecedented advantage. Be bold, be radical. The world needs radicals.”

While the partnership will initially focus on Oxfordshire-based Williams Advanced Engineering’s motorsport activities, the companies will look to develop a full range of EV Fluids for wider electrification projects covering the aerospace and marine sectors. With many forms of mobility now focused on electrification, the need for advanced battery cooling systems to operate reliably and efficiently is essential, said Williams Advanced Engineering.

The partnership will enable Williams Advanced Engineering to access Castrol’s latest developments in EV Fluids for battery cooling systems, including immersive cooling technology. Concepts will also be explored to improve second life performance and circularity of batteries and fluids.