Skills Hydraulic System Products Ltd (HSP) celebrated its 50th year of business during 2023. As an established designer and manufacturer of hydraulic components and valves we first established a range of hydraulic check valves in the 1980s. Our main client focus is construction plant OEMs, but we also supply smaller manufacturing companies in the UK as well as an overseas distributor in the US. Our current Managing Director Stephen Hollis bought the company about eight years ago and decided to further invest in developing the company; purchasing new CNC production machinery and recruiting staff in key areas of the company to strengthen our resource. R&D I joined about three and a half years ago, and since late 2020 we have spent much of our time and effort in R&D to broaden our range of products. Previously, we offered a niche range of hydraulic components. Now, we are busy designing, producing, and developing new products to bring to market. This, we feel, will make us a more attractive proposition to new customers and thereby help to grow the company further. Partnership with the University of Bath On the product development side, we found that designing, testing and manufacturing the components internally took much longer than had been originally anticipated. Although we had new products ready to launch onto the market after three years of development, we realised we could still benefit from a greater depth of understanding of our products and expertise to be as competitive and innovative as possible. Mr. Hollis applied for funding in the form of a KTP partnership with the University of Bath to further strengthen our technical understanding of hydraulic component design and manufacturing. Having been successful in our bid for the KTP Partnership and having gained the support of the university to take on the services of a candidate, it then took a further six months to find a candidate that was the best fit for HSP in terms of hydraulic component design knowledge and understanding. We are now in the process of appointing a post graduate design engineer. Two-year graduate agreement The graduate will be employed by, and report to, the University of Bath. This will be a joint venture between the university and HSP whereby the graduate will work at our premises in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. Supported both by the University and the company, the two-year agreement will help develop internal processes and understanding to develop both the company’s design ability and the graduate’s knowledge and expertise during this shared partnership. Master’s degree in advanced mechanical engineering As a post graduate design engineer with a master’s degree in advanced mechanical engineering, he already understands application specific calculations and is proficient in the use of CAD drawing software. So, with this grounding, within a few months he will be familiar with more advanced hydraulic calculations. He will also understand and have access to fluid dynamics supported by the University of Bath. This will bring a whole new wealth of experience to HSP in the engineering department regarding the development of valves and The value of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) 46 www.bfpa.co.uk Steve Westwood, General Manager, Hydraulic System Products, discusses the company’s decision to enter into partnership with the University of Bath and the benefits this brings in the areas of product design and development. Steve Westwood: “Supported both by the University and the company, the two-year agreement will help develop internal processes and understanding to develop both the company’s design ability and the graduate’s knowledge and expertise during this shared partnership.”
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