
Industry Support for Manufacturing
06/09/2018
Enabling Greater Levels of Business Innovation
How can we Support your business?
Find out how ASTUTE 2020 & EEF - the manufacturers’ organisation can support you through research, development and innovation (RD&I).
This free event will showcase how the high-value manufacturing sector in Wales can collaborate with the academia partnership ASTUTE 2020, to increase competitiveness and facilitate the adoption of advanced technologies. EEF - the Manufacturers’ Organisation will highlight one aspect of the UK Governments Industrial Strategy grand challenges to put Wales at the forefront of the industries of the future.
The event will allow manufacturing companies to engage with highly qualified technical experts to understand what RD&I support ASTUTE 2020 can offer to manufacturing businesses.
Why should you attend?
Industry Support
Understand how ASTUTE 2020 can support manufacturing companies through Industry demand-led collaborations to de-risk new technologies.
Collaboration Benefits
Understand what ASTUTE 2020 can offer and provide access to highly qualified technical experts, world-class academics and state-of-the-art facilities.
Manufacturing Focus
Hear from John Davies, Process Development Manager Frontier Medical Group, how industry-academia collaboration has helped his company.
Future Proof Performance
Hear from Paul Byard, EEF - the Manufacturers’ Organisation, on Future Proof Performance - Route to Growth: 4 key ambitions to achieve sustainable growth.
Agenda
9:30 am - Registration & Coffee
10:00 am - ASTUTE 2020 - Working with the Welsh Manufacturing Industry
Prof Hans Sienz, ASTUTE 2020 Operation Director
10:20 am - Enabling Greater Levels of Business Innovation through Collaborative Projects
Prof Hans Sienz, ASTUTE 2020 Operation Director
10:30 am - Advanced Materials Technology - How is it relevant to High-Value Manufacturing
10:50 am - Computational Engineering Modelling - Reducing costly “Trial and error” approaches
11:10 am - Manufacturing Systems Engineering - Exploit resources and connectivity in manufacturing processes
11:30 am - Frontier Medical Group: Industrial Collaboration - Benefits & the impact realised from joint industry-academia collaborations
John Davies, Process Development Manager, Frontier Medical Group
11:50 am - M2A – Part-Funded R&D excellence through Postgraduate Collaborations
Lee Bridgeman, Project C-Ordinator, Materials & Manufacturing Academy (M2A)
12:10 pm - EEF - the Manufacturers’ Organisation Route to Growth: 4 Key Ambitions to Achieve Sustainable Growth
Paul Byard, EEF - the Manufacturers’ Organisation National Director Wales
12:30 pm - Networking & Lunch
14:00 pm - Event Close
Speaker Biographies

Paul Byard, National Director Wales, EEF - the Manufacturers' Organisation
Paul is the National Director for Wales at EEF Ltd, The Manufacturing Organisation. This key appointment represents a development role to ensure the voice of industry is understood and translated into credible long term sustainable support for business growth.
Prior to EEF Paul was Managing Director of ProGen and has extensive experience in providing practical support to manufacturing businesses throughout Wales. He has helped businesses identify and prioritise improvement opportunities, introduced them to international best practices and provided ‘hands on’ support to deliver significant tangible performance gains.
This was achieved by holding the position of Chief Exec for the Manufacturing Advisory Service for Wales for 3-4 years. Under the leadership of this contract Paul Byard transformed MAS Wales into a high performing, widely respected initiative that not only exceeded its delivery targets but also elevated MAS Wales to its position as one of the highest performing MAS organisations in the United Kingdom.
Prior to his business consultancy role, Paul was employed by Hills Industries for 20 years – starting in design and production engineering, moving to Technical Business Director, prior to leaving Hills Industries Paul held the key role of Manager Director of sites in Caerphilly and the Czech Republic. This extensive industrial experience has given Paul critical insight into overseas sourcing strategies and their associated benefits and limitations.
Overall, Paul has 30 years’ design, manufacturing and general management experience within Welsh companies and in the consultancy and business support environment.