British Engineering Excellence Awards: Review

The winners of the British Engineering Excellence Awards were announced at a gala luncheon held on 1 October at London's Globe Theatre. Congratulations to the winners and our thanks to all companies who entered the inaugural event. The BEEAs will be back in 2010, so watch out for the call for entries. Meanwhile, here are the winners of this year's event. GRAND PRIX 2009 SPONSORED BY: ELECTRONICS LEADERSHIP COUNCIL WINNER: FLYBRID SYSTEMS The winner of the British Engineering Excellence Grand Prix was selected by the Judges from winning entries in the other Award categories. The winner has demonstrated quite amazing achievement in terms of application of a new technology, innovative design and a leading market development. The Flybrid Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) is a mechanical device that is fitted to a car to reduce its fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The device is suitable for use on all types of car and can be scaled up for use on heavier vehicles like buses, trucks and even trains. According to Flybrid, its KERS will be approximately one third the cost of the key competitor product in volume production, Flybrid expects to become the predominant supplier of flywheel based hybrid systems to the automotive market in both road and racing cars. The intellectual property protection afforded by six patents and a trademark for the word Flybrid should ensure it is difficult for competitors to effectively enter this market. What the judges said: "In a time when the UK is often seen as having come up with great ideas and being poor at implementing them, the Judges Grand Prix Winner has demonstrated that this is simply not the case. And with green issues for automotive so crucial for the world in the future, this company and its product is key. "Having already gained a contract with Jaguar, it is on the way to potentially huge success." JUDGES' SPECIAL AWARD SPONSORED BY: BLOODHOUND SSC WINNER: LOTUS ENGINEERING This special award was made at the Judges discretion to an entrant for any of the Award categories. The Judges wanted to award a company that epitomised the British Engineering Excellence Awards by consistently being recognised globally as being a world leader in their chosen field of engineering. Given Lotus's prestige over the years and its very high end level of automotive engineering, the Judges were very impressed that the company had continued to deliver world leading performance despite the economic problems experienced by the sector in the last 18months. More than 70% of Lotus Engineering's activity is for third party clients on some of the most significant projects in the automotive industry and engineering world. Its clients – major global car manufacturers, new entrants to the industry and everything in between – value its understanding of the automotive business, its engineering expertise and its talented staff. What the Judges said: "Many great names in the automotive industry have gone to the wall, because a name means nothing. But Lotus is doing well in providing consultancy services and is clearly doing something right in what is one of the most competitive industries out there." "Lotus is an appropriate winner of the Judges' Award because it is a truly excellent organisation and an obvious flag bearer for all that is good in UK engineering." CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR SPONSORED BY: PROTOTYPE PROJECTS WINNER: PLEXTEK The Judges expected the Consultancy of the Year category to be one of the strongest and the entries confirmed that view. And it's no surprise: the design consultancy sector is one of the UK's stronger markets, with companies of all sizes offering a range of services. The Judges looked for evidence of the speed with which projects have been delivered, along with the range of technologies. Other critical factors included the degree of innovation applied. Plextek impressed the Judges with the range of its design capabilities and its market reach within the communications sector – from leading edge chip design to supply chain management. Particularly impressive was the recent growth in the company's business, which includes some 'big ticket' projects. Plextek has evolved from a pure 'design house' into a multidisciplinary consultancy capable of managing customers' products from design to manufacture and supply. This transition has seen Plextek become one of the country's fastest growing, unquoted technology companies. What the Judges said: "An excellent capability, high growth consultancy with a low, commercially inspired cost base that has used its communications technology to crash into the military and paramilitary markets as well as achieving civil expansion." DESIGN ENGINEER OF THE YEAR SPONSORED BY: element 14 WINNER: MARK SANDERS, MAS DESIGN PRODUCTS Engineers are the people that make things happen; they take designs from the back of the envelope to the market. Nominees needed to demonstrate innovative designs within strict commercial limits and the development of transferable technology. The Judges also looked for engineers who had contributed to their industry. Mark Sanders was judged to be prolific, practical and creative, with a wide range of design expertise. In particular, the Judges were impressed with his involvement in the education of the next generation of engineers. Sanders specialises in combining engineering and industrial design and can take projects from preconcept stage to production. Most projects involve a high level of innovation and usually result in at least one patent. Sanders also runs a workshops in schools and universities, both in the UK and internationally. What the judges said: "He has the engineering excellence we were looking for, undertaking high quality and valuable design work, with involvement within the education sector." Highly commended Dr Robin Taylor of Lein Applied Diagnostics was highly commended by the Judges YOUNG DESIGN ENGINEER OF THE YEAR SPONSORED BY: RS COMPONENTS WINNER: OLIVER START, POWELECTRICS If designers are the people that make things happen, young designers are the people that will make things happen tomorrow. But, that doesn't stop them contributing today. Factors that influenced the Judges included a demonstration of knowledge which the young engineer has had to apply; the contribution made to a project, the degree of innovation applied and the nominee's personal qualities. Oliver Start's entry highlighted these abilities and impressed the Judges unanimously. In a small company, where employees have to take more responsibility, the Judges thought this was an outstanding achievement. Start's broad skill set has allowed him to develop, singlehandedly, a device which has given Powelectrics a significant market advantage and enabled them to secure a global supply agreement from a major multinational organisation. What the Judges said: "A very impressive young man who gets things done, who has clearly communicated with all stakeholders in the projects and who has delivered with those needs in mind. He has demonstrated a good breadth of skills and applied these across a range design areas." "He is an excellent example of the type of engineer we need to encourage within industry." NEW ELECTRONIC PRODUCT OF THE YEAR SPONSORED BY: NEW ELECTRONICS WINNER: ELECTROSONIC, VN MATRIX Electronics is a pervasive technology, underpinning developments in a wide range of markets. Competing in this global market is a challenge; even for big companies. It's even more challenging for the UK's predominantly SME based sector, where identifying a solution and executing upon a strategy is critical. The Judges looked at the technology used in each entry, the speed with which the design was brought to market and the need for such a product. This was the toughest category and the Judges had to debate for sometime before finally deciding on a winner. All the shortlisted entries could have won on another day. With internet traffic doubling every two years, organisations looking to distribute and collaborate with very high bandwidth image content face logistical challenges. VN-Matrix solves the three way performance paradox inherent in image distribution by maintaining image fidelity, low bandwidth and low latency. A patent application has been made for this innovation, which is based on an absolute imaging principle using wavelet transforms and wavelet signatures. What the Judges said: "Electrosonic is addressing a real need. The amount of traffic on the internet is doubling every two years, simply because of video. Anything that can be done to reduce that figure is good. However, the key factor in Electrosonic's entry is that it overcomes problems associated with latency and maintains sufficient quality in the transmitted video." Highly commended Entries from Atlantic Inertial Systems and Cambridge Semiconductor, were highly commended. GREEN PRODUCT OF THE YEAR SPONSORED BY: CENTRE FOR REMANUFACTURE AND REUSE WINNER: ARTEMIS INTELLIGENT POWER The Award was judged on the application of appropriate technology. The Judges looked for evidence of the product's 'green' credentials, including the ability to be recycled at end of life and its carbon footprint. The Judges were impressed with the quality and diversity of entries. Artemis Intelligent Power swayed the Judges due to its novel approach to a vehicle hybrid power system. By using hydraulics, the system would do away with the need for battery packs and the components used are recyclable. In addition, the company has solved some fundamental issues improve the efficiency of hydraulic systems. Artemis has successfully demonstrated Digital Displacement Hydraulic Hybrid vehicle technology. It believes it has shown there is still progress to be made in hydraulics – particularly on efficiency and noise – and that the well known benefits of hydraulics compared to electrics and low cost can now be matched. What the Judges said:<.b> "Artemis has solved a real problem; normally, the combination of a hydraulic motor and a hydraulic gearbox would reduce efficiency to 60%." "Green engineering isn't always about 'silver bullets', it's about doing things well." NEW MECHANICAL PRODUCT OF THE YEAR SPONSORED BY: EUREKA WINNER: BLATCHFORD Engineering products are an integral part of many systems. Whether it's a component design or an overall system, the degree of innovation is always impressive. The Judges looked at the technology used and the speed with which the design had been brought to market. They also considered how the company assessed the need for such a product. Blatchford won the Judges votes due to its innovative system approach to design and its ability to replicate the dynamic behaviour of the foot. Echelon is an artificial ankle joint that uses an adjustable hydraulic damping device to restore much of the lower limb's natural movements. This is based on the analysis of the combined leg-ankle-foot system, rather than the requirement of each individual component part which then need to be integrated. What the Judges said: "Closer than anyone has ever gone before to being able to replicate the human joint. It's a brilliant design." : Highly commended: Oxford Instruments NanoScience's entry was highly commended. SMALL COMPANY OF THE YEAR SPONSORED BY: TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY BOARD WINNER: SPECIALISED IMAGING With much of UK industry composed of small companies, strong competition was expected. The Judges assessed companies with no more than 20 employees that could demonstrate a sound business strategy addressing a particular market need. The company had to be able to demonstrate an evolving product portfolio and the reception it has received from end users. Entrants all demonstrated an understanding of their abilities and their markets – two companies were undoubtedly world leaders in their particular fields; another had developed a useful platform based design approach. But Specialised Imaging won the Judges' eye. Specialised Imaging is a leading manufacturer of ultra high speed imaging cameras. The market for its products is international, with more than 90% of sales being for export. [Since 2006] the company has been profitable and cash positive. It now employs 12 people and will shortly employ a further two in the US later this year. What the Judges said: "A great range of products designed for use in very complex applications. The company took on a big organisation and that big organisation has since moved out of the market." START UP OF THE YEAR SPONSORED BY: CAMBRIDGE CONSULTANTS WINNER: FLYBRID SYSTEMS The start up has become an important part of the UK's economic make up. Start ups are where entrepreneurs come into their own; people who have the ability to identify an unmet need. But spotting a market opportunity is one thing; developing a solution in a timely fashion is another. The Judges looked for a solution that was not only well designed, but which also met customers' cost expectations. Eligible companies were those developing mechanical and/or electronic products and which had been established no earlier than 1 January 2006. Flybrid 'ticked all the boxes'; it has an elegant solution to kinetic energy recovery, a strong business plan and strong market acceptance. Flybrid Systems has performed better than originally planned. The business is profitable and has been from its inception. There is a strong order book, with all overheads effectively covered until at least March 2010, and there are a number of major sales enquiries on the horizon. The move to road cars has come at least two years earlier than originally planned, and deals have been signed with three major car manufacturers. What the Judges said: "Its product seems to be a world beating design, with patent protection on significant features. It's a great example of British engineering excellence, coupled with entrepreneurial management."