BAE Systems
BAE wanted to ensure that every engineer, designer and inspector had a good grasp of metrology to increase productivity by reducing human error. BAE Systems trainers completed the training course to become accredited to deliver the NPL Dimensional Measurement Training Programme to its own staff.
National Grid
"The project demonstrates the superiority of the innovative, automated measurement techniques over manual methods of determination. The testing at NPL allowed these new methods to be proved and provided confidence in their accuracy." - Dr Nick Bates, National Grid.
Bentley Motors
"Thanks to NPL Training, the measurement associates are now thinking out of the box. We are already seeing a faster turnaround of measurement activities with higher accuracy and increased confidence. NPL is known for its technical expertise in this area, and can provide the highest level validated training. It's added to our professionalism and improved communication with our suppliers." - Mark Imms, Metrology Manager, Bentley Motors.
E.ON UK
A new breed of more efficient power stations could be the answer to reducing the environmental impact of burning fossil fuels. But they create an unfamiliar environment for existing materials which could increase the risk of corrosion and premature component failure. Current models can't predict how materials will react to these conditions. This prompted NPL, in partnership with four academic and industrial organisations, to develop new methods for predicting the corrosion behaviour of high temperature materials in coal-fired utility boilers.
Fluke Precision Measurement Ltd
"Working together with a member of NPL has helped us understand and demonstrate the potential for a novel measurement technique. The support has saved Fluke between three to six months of internal engineering development work and £100,000 in monetary terms. We estimated that if development time savings were on critical path for shorter time-to-market, the wider impact on revenue and profits of NPL's intervention could be £1 million to £10 million" - Paul Roberts, Project Manager, Fluke Precision Measurement Ltd.
EURAMET
NPL managed the call on behalf of EURAMET for the first phase of the European Metrology Research Programme which has brought €21 million from the European Commission together with around €43 million from the participating countries to create a €64.6 million budget. Twenty-one projects are now underway addressing challenges in: fundamental metrology related to redefinition of the SI units; metrology for the health sector; and industrially focused electrical and dimensional metrology. NPL has subsequently been appointed to manage the entire proposed seven-year programme worth €400 million.
BP
"BP Exploration has continued to benefit from NPL's world class corrosion testing and modelling capabilities in 2009, and we intend to cooperate even more closely in 2010 and beyond." - Steve Groves Programme Manager - Inherently Reliable Facilities Flagship BP.
Scottish and Southern Energy
"NPL has helped us greatly to understand our environmental monitoring requirements at our site in Slough whilst remaining compliant with regulatory demands through regular monitoring. They have always delivered an extremely professional, helpful and responsive service, on time and on budget." - Peter Bowman, Senior Project Manager, Scottish & Southern Energy.
University of Surrey
The University of Surrey and NPL are to collaborate on the delivery of a £10 million programme to translate the results of research into innovation that makes a real-world difference including areas that cover mobile communications and internet connectivity, next generation materials for space and satellite engineering and nanotechnology supporting the further miniaturisation in the semiconductor industry.
GSD Navigation
NPL provided consultancy to help GSD understand the sources of the RF emissions from GPS systems in order to find shielding solutions, which would allow the police to use the systems in confidence. GSD Navigation, a producer of GPS systems for commercial use, needed to support the police service to ensure Radio Frequency (RF) emissions from GPS would not interfere with their secure communication systems.
TK Instruments
NPL tested the design of a radar system for Thomas Keating which will help understand how clouds affect the Earth's complex climate. Low clouds normally reflect sunlight and lead to global cooling, whereas high clouds act like huge insulating blankets - warming the climate by reducing how much heat is lost into space. The prototype design of the instrument, which will be launched in 2013 as part of the EarthCARE mission, was tested in NPL's anechoic chamber, which has the temperature stability and sensitivity necessary to make these demanding measurements. Dr Richard Wylde, Managing Director, Thomas Keating said "NPL was able to work flexibly with us, taking test results, making changes and coming back to retest. The excellent flexible conditions enabled us to refine the device and provide independent confirmation about its robustness."
Agilent Technologies
As a testament to the partnership between NPL and Agilent, one of the reasons that they recently chose to base their European Service Centre in the UK rather than at the European head office in Germany was the strength of its close relationship with NPL.
Department of Energy and Climate Change
US Department of Energy
Over the last five years NPL in collaboration with leading UK organisations in energy materials and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) have been collaborating with the US Department of Energy (DOE) on fossil energy research and development. Advanced materials have been identified as an essential underpinning technology in the development of new and cleaner power generation systems with lower costs, shorter lead-times and less risk. NPL is leading this work in two key areas, steam oxidation and standards & databases. This continuing research is an essential part of helping to achieve any targets set by future energy policy for energy security and climate change.
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd
"NPL has provided us with very valuable services, which have helped ensure that our satellites offer the accuracy needed provide our customers with technology they can trust, and remain ahead of our competitors" - Dr Martin Unwin, Head of GNSS/GPS Team, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd.
