Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE) is proud to be playing a significant role in a consortium of UK industrial, technology and engineering businesses from across the aerospace, automotive and medical sectors, who have come together to rapidly produce medical ventilators in response to the coronavirus crisis.
On 19 March the company were engaged by the VentilatorChallengeUK consortium to conduct re-engineering activity on the ParaPAC300 ventilator unit, producing a number of prototype ventilator components within two weeks.
The VentilatorChallengeUK Consortium is led by the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, a group of manufacturing research centres in the UK and, as well as WAE, includes Airbus, GKN, Rolls-Royce, PA Consulting, Thales, Siemens, Mclaren and BAE Systems. One of the projects is to rapidly produce an initial batch of 5,000 Smiths Group ParaPAC300 ventilators for the NHS.
The majority of the work has been undertaken at WAE’s Grove facility or by personnel working remotely from home and to date, has involved over 50 staff members.
Craig Wilson, Williams Advanced Engineering managing director, said: “We are proud to be working with so many innovative partners on this project.
Williams Advanced Engineering prides itself on speed of response and rapid turnaround; skills we can really maximise as part of the VentilatorChallengeUK Consortium. We are all determined that the results of our collective efforts will make a huge difference and save lives”.
In 2010, Williams Grand Prix Engineering Ltd began diversifying its operations, leading to the establishment of the Williams Advanced Engineering division, which became Williams Advanced Engineering Ltd.
Combining cutting edge technology and the industry’s best engineers with precision and speed to market derived from four decades of success in the ultra-competitive environment of Formula One, Williams Advanced Engineering provides world class technical innovation, engineering, testing, manufacturing and operational consultancy services to the automotive, motorsport, aerospace, defence, health and energy sectors.
Working in close collaboration with its customers, Williams Advanced Engineering helps meet the sustainability challenges of the 21st century and improve performance, with its expertise in aerodynamics and thermodynamics, electrification, advanced lightweight materials, simulation and vehicle integration.
In December 2019, Williams Grand Prix Engineering agreed to the sale of a majority equity stake in Williams Advanced Engineering to EMK Capital, with Williams retaining a significant minority stake in the business.
Williams Advanced Engineering has grown from an embryonic business in 2010 to a company employing 350 people engaged in many innovative and transformative technical areas for a growing list of clients.
The investment by EMK represented a natural next step in the evolution of the company, unlocking the potential for further growth.