Our clients are taking on some phenomenal challenges, things which seem almost impossible – its marvellous to see and be a part of Dr Neil Trigwell heads up Exova’s Technology Transfer team of specialists. Based in Daventry, in the UK, he travels the world, expanding and improving existing services, and fast-tracking these into new sites Technology Transfer is about harmonising best practice, evaluating new technologies, and generally providing technical support across the group. We work across all the regions, so there’s a fair bit of travel involved, and it can get us into some pretty wild ranging activities. I originally wanted to be a researcher. My first degree was in metallurgy, and I did a doctorate in fracture mechanics, working in the nuclear side of power generation. However, I wanted to get some experience working for a small company, because I felt you get a better view of the totality of the business in a smaller organisation, so I took up the offer to join a small independent testing lab in Daventry. I planned to return to research in a couple of years,
but 31 years later I’ve still got a desk here. The reason I‘ve stayed is that there’s been such a variety and diversity of work – every time you think it might be time for a move, the job or the challenges change, and that’s very motivating. I love technical challenges. That was what inspired me to become an engineer and it’s what still inspires me now. Some of our clients are taking on some phenomenal challenges, things which seem almost impossible – its marvellous to see, and great to be working with them to develop the solutions. Outside of work, I do some work with disabled people at an outward bound centre, and I get the same satisfaction – seeing someone with a disability taking on and achieving something that they didn’t think they could do, whether it’s rock climbing or canoeing, is fantastic. It’s essential to keep an open mind. If you approach a challenge with preconceptions, you’ll soon see it doesn’t work. Equally important is the ability to listen and observe – you will never be able to get to grips with a problem unless you can do that. The best thing about my career has been the diversity of projects I’ve worked on. One of the most impressive was the testing of a quarter-scale model of an oil rig leg, which was around 12m by 12m by 6m. These rigs
are designed to withstand the biggest wave they’d expect in 100 years, so we had to apply large mechanical loads to the structure, using hydraulic actuators to simulate this force. Other programmes I’ve been involved with include testing suspension and steering systems for buses and trucks; the testing of missile systems for aircraft; and the setting up of Greenfield laboratories across the world. The need to focus on the positives in people is one of the most important lessons I’ve learnt from my career. There can be a tendency to pick up initially on the negative aspects of a person, but if you can put that aside and focus on what positive things someone can bring, then you will get a lot more benefit. Other lessons I learnt are: be honest with people; don’t put off the difficult decisions; and there’s no monopoly on good ideas – they can come from anyone and anywhere. There are exciting times ahead. The creation of the role of Group Technical Director and the technical alignment of our business globally by discipline will enable us to bring more coordination, and give us the opportunity to leverage our technical strengths much more effectively. It will also allow us to better develop our technical people and provide them with fresh opportunities. It’s a true milestone in our corporate development and another step to bringing us much closer together as a group l
issue 5
THE Exova Magazine
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