Scott Launch Innovation HubScott is continually developing new products, it’s been part of our DNA for decades. To achieve more and to do so faster, we’ve recently established a 'Development & Innovation Hub', along with some new roles. The hub is focused on beyond business as usual. Here we would like to introduce you to some members of our team and what we’re working on. Mark Seaton is our R&D Manager – Mark has been with Scott for many years and has a broad understanding of our products. He has stepped into a role managing R&D across the Group. Separate to our commercial projects, Mark manages a portfolio of 10 -15, what we call Development Investments. Some new product examples include a low cost palletiser, a new Bladestop 600 saw with additional features, Modular robotic assembly cells for Appliance Lines, and in the pipeline we have a new method for grading meat, a new safe meat cutting solution and our first automated solution for LED lighting. Ann Yang, our Research & Market Analyst, joined us over a year ago to improve our understanding of our markets and to assist with product positioning. The market knowledge is combined with financial analysis to help us make more informed decisions about new product development. Ann’s work connects our R&D with our markets. Some of our other newly established roles focus on the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT), or alternately Industry 4.0. Our vision is to have informative reporting systems on our machines and for this information to be easily available to machine owners, operators and service technicians. We’ have appointed Callum McKenzie to a Lead Industry 4.0/IIOT position. Callum has worked for Scott for many years as a specialist Vision Engineer with extensive knowledge of our meat machines. His new role is focused on establishing the IT infrastructure, websites and tools. Our first offering is a reporting package for Bladestop where records on use, events, productivity and maintenance requirements are all easily accessible. Callum is joined by Ed Liddle, who is new to Scott and comes with extensive experience in website development. Further depth comes from Edwin Oude Vrielink, a senior software engineer with experience in cloud applications. Our job is to bring new products with desirable features to you, our customers. We strive to be customer-led in our approach, so we would welcome your input anytime. Barbara Webster, Director R&D |