Automation, digitalisation and brocantes with Laurence Wood
By Lucy Beddall, SMART Digital Accelerator
Wednesday, November 23, 2022
Laurence Wood is one of the expert advisers on the SMART Digital Accelerator team at University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
He also works atChambers Wales South East, South West and Midas an Account Director and is a Non-Executive Director atPOET Systems Ltdin Bridgend.
With an impressive CV that includes stints at LAC Conveyors & Automation, EBS Automation and STAUBLI, he has a powerful mix of hands-on manufacturing expertise and a drive to develop and transform businesses.
His experience isn’t sector specific either and he has worked across manufacturing, engineering, leisure and tourism, professional services, and retail.
We sat down with Laurence to ask him about his career and about his thoughts and predictions about the manufacturing sector in Wales.
Can you tell me about your current role at Chambers Wales and what it entails?
I am an Account Director at Chambers Wales and as such I generally have a really close working relationship with our member companies, especially management teams. I assist them with their business challenges and opportunities whether that be reaching new markets, people and skills, property and facilities or finance and funding, anything they need support with really.
The thing I love most is the opportunity to work with such a diverse range of businesses across a myriad of sectors.
How did you get into the manufacturing sector?
I kind of fell into it really. My background is business development and I have worked across many sectors, however many years ago when I was in the marine industry I learnt about CAD, mechanical and electrical engineering, hydraulics, pneumatics, material science, etc, on a HNC course I completed in Pembrokeshire. It was while I was carrying out some consulting work for a firm of Automation Engineers that they realised I had some technical ability.
The Automation Engineers designed, built, and installed special purpose machinery for manufacturers across a range of sectors and it was there, many years ago, that I started concepting complex production equipment.
You’re a very active member of the SMART Digital Accelerator team. Why did you decide to take part?
During the years that I worked for STAUBLI Robotics I was lucky enough to be able to work with some of the most advanced robotics in the world. I realised that the manufacturing industry would be changed forever by these technologies and when the opportunity came along to use what I had learnt to assist manufacturers in Wales on their digital journey, I jumped at the chance.
What do you think will be the main outcomes of the project?
I would like to think that we are playing our part in ensuring that businesses in Wales become disruptors, not the disrupted. Technology is rapidly changing and those who don’t embrace digital technologies will get left behind.
I’m sure manufacturers in Wales will continue to embrace these technologies, becoming more productive in the process and ensuring that we have a manufacturing sector fit for the 21stCentury.
What do you think the main challenges of the sector are today?
I could write a book on that, but if I had to pick a one, I would say people and skills is close to the top of the list. There are huge opportunities for manufacturing companies in Wales in sectors such as Renewable Energy (especially Offshore Floating Wind), Electric Vehicles, Agri-Tech, Med-Tech etc, all of which are evolving rapidly, but the challenge is to encourage school leavers and graduates to think that working in the manufacturing sector is a good career choice.
Then we must ensure we are providing apprenticeships and training that fully prepare them for working in these sectors with the correct knowledge of the technology they will be working with, so that they are productive at the point of entry into full-time roles. There is also a requirement to train management teams on how to successfully implement digital technology.
What challenges do businesses face when looking at digitalisation?
The first thing needed is an open mind. It is completely understandable that a business operating on a fairly even keel for a long period of time might feel reticent to change established machinery or processes, so small steps are recommended in the early stages, to allow the business and the workforce to adapt to these changes
What changes have you observed over the past few years and how have they influenced the manufacturing economy?
As I mainly deal with Robotics and Automation, I will answer this question from that perspective. Automation is advancing at a rapid pace. As one example, there are now far more collaborative robots entering the workplace where once there were only guarded industrial robots.
Automation is replacing boring, very repetitive tasks and that in turn allows operators to carry out higher value tasks for which they are being upskilled, so it is a win/win situation.
SMART Digital Accelerator is a UWTSD (and Welsh Government) project. What role do you think academia can play in impacting the manufacturing sector?
我相信这是至关重要的,学术界继续ct as the bridge between new technologies and their introduction. Understanding and training the existing and future workforce to effectively install and operate this advanced equipment is a vital role if businesses are to consider adopting these technologies.
What are your predictions for the trends/changes that will happen over the next two years?
制造商很有弹性,已经making great strides to remain relevant in the 21stCentury by adopting new technologies and pivoting towards new products and sectors. We have a fantastic manufacturing base in Wales, and I am sure they will take full advantage of the opportunities that are going to present themselves in the near future especially in the areas I have already mentioned such as Offshore Floating Wind, Electric Vehicles, Agri-Tech, Med-Tech, etc
What is French brocante?
Haha! A brocante is the French equivalent of a flea market here in the UK, somewhere between a boot sale and an antiques fair. It’s fair to say I am obsessed with them and even started trading the items I was bringing back (but that’s a different story). I love 19thcentury French furniture and objets d’art and on my last holiday to France visited ten brocantes in fourteen days. Well, I did say I was obsessed!!
If you would like to explore any of these issues further or scope out the most appropriate digital tools to enhance your company’s operations, consider contacting theSMART Digital Acceleratorteam atUniversity of Wales Trinity Saint David(UWTSD) via accelerator@www.guaguababy.com.
The project is funded by Welsh Government, delivered by UWTSD, and supported by theAdvanced Manufacturing Research Centre Cymru(AMRC Cymru).
Further Information
accelerator@www.guaguababy.com
