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Schemes for University Lecturers Industrial Secondment Scheme: Case Study Development of a remote monitoring device for monitoring corrosion protection equipment attached to pipelines
Jack Hale completed his undergraduate studies in Mechanical Engineering in 1974 and completed his MSc and PhD in Mechanical Engineering at UMIST in 1979 and 1983 respectively. He is a Chartered engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Institute of Physics. Having held a number of engineering posts in industry for 9 years, he took his lectureship post in the School of Mechanical and Systems Engineering at Newcastle University in 1991 and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2000 and to Reader in Structural Dynamics in 2002. Why a secondment? Jack’s industrial experience was some time ago and the main aim of his secondment was to update his knowledge of and experience in up-to-date industrial practice with a view to informing the teaching of Manufacturing Technology to Mechanical engineering and Marine Technology degree programme students. The main objectives of the secondment were:
Advanced Engineering Solutions Ltd Advanced Engineering Solutions Limited (AESL) is a Small –to-Medium sized Enterprise specializing in inspection and refurbishment of pipelines. Jack had previous links with AESL staff over a number of years and the agreed project enabled him to concentrate mainly on the management of the product development, determining the technical requirement and setting the specification, taking part in the design and manufacture of the prototype, as well as in laboratory testing and field trials and in preparing the batch production. Benefits The secondment has given Jack the opportunity to manage the development of a new product for an SME company and to collect material for case studies for his Manufacturing Technology 1 first-year course. The main tasks in the development were assessing the financial viability of the project, defining the technical specifications and budgets, obtaining a DTI grant to pay for the development, finding suitable contractors and organising manufacture. At all stages Jack maintained contact with a potential customer to ensure that the product would have a market, ensuring a technical edge on competitor products and providing a saving to customers whilst making a profit for the company. ‘There is no doubt in my mind that this will help me to put over to the students the important truth that product development is only partly a technical process. Just as important are the financial and organisational aspects of the project which ensure that it will end in a saleable product which will make money for the company. My time in the company has
been rewarding for me and I think my work there will
provide a small but profitable income stream for
several years. But most importantly it will be
useful for my students, whom I will be able to teach
with more authority on the vital topic of how to
turn ideas into products.’ Statement from the Industrial Host ‘From the point of view of Advanced Engineering Solutions Ltd, Dr Hale’s secondment has been very successful. He has helped us to quickly develop a new product, an automatic device for monitoring corrosion protection equipment attached to pipelines in remote locations. As a supplier to the pipeline industry, the Company should benefit from the product development and I am confident that with appropriate marketing steady sales will be achieved. A secondary but significant
further benefit has been Dr Hale’s successful
integration into the business team. The company
employs a good number of graduate engineers and his
enhancement of the academic ability within the
company has helped them to use proper engineering
analysis in their work.
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Dr Jack Hale|
Updated July 2012 |
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