We were pleased to welcome Vaughan Gething, Welsh Minister for Economy to TWI Wales’ laboratories, based in Port Talbot, on Wednesday 7 September 2022.
The visit marked the successful completion of a number of major milestones as part of the initiative known as the Advanced Engineering Materials Research Institute (AEMRI).
During the visit, Ian Nicholson, manager for AEMRI presented an overview of the project accomplishments including the development and procurement of state-of-the-art equipment.
Aamir Khalid, CEO for TWI, presented on the history of TWI Wales and the importance of public funding in how TWI supports new research capabilities to enhance our support of UK industry.
Vaughan Gething (left) alongside TWI's Ian Nicholson and CEO Aamir Khalid (right)
The minister toured the laboratories and saw a range of equipment and offerings unique to TWI, including the new digital radiography suite and the IntACOM robot cells used for the automation and deployment of non-destructive testing.
The minister said it was always fascinating to see the variety of unique commercial offerings in Welsh industry and he was pleased that TWI, through AEMRI, is working closely with industry and academia. He also stated that the Welsh Government is keen to encourage this in order to harness the commercial opportunities of innovation and research, as well as emphasising the importance of retaining local talent for the future of Wales, noting how the close collaboration with Welsh universities helped foster this.
