The second category of Award, for Longer-term collaboration, was won by
Wiltan Ltd., who are working in partnership with the
Wolfson Centre for Magnetics Technology, located in the School of Engineering.
Wiltan is a company specialising in the manufacture of stripwound cores, both cut and uncut, made from electrical steels for use in the transformer and associated industries.
After a visit by the Wolfson Centre staff to the company to assess the test systems used to check outgoing products, Wiltan decided to set up a project to improve their test procedures.
A successful project plan was submitted to the WDA for financial support from the Technology Implementation Programme. The aim of the project was to develop a comprehensive and versatile test system for the accurate assessment of magnetic permeability of wound toroidal cores. This system is currently undergoing the final stage of development and testing and will be commissioned at the factory over the next few weeks. The test equipment will be innovative in design and should result in growth of quality and profitability for the company and long term stability for Wiltan’s employees.
Following arrangements initiated through the Wolfson Centre, the company also engaged two Cymru Prosper Wales graduate placements to work on the development of its stock-scheduling computer systems. Additionally, the Wolfson Centre has developed the company’s website, which is seen as an important source of information of the company’s product range.
The partnership with the Wolfson Centre has allowed Wiltan to benefit from specialised technical support and provides the company with access to comprehensive facilities for magnetic analysis of materials.
The partnership has worked both ways, in particular where Wiltan provided support for the Wolfson Centre’s successful application for £150k funding from the Knowledge Exploitation Fund to implement an improved range of magnetic measurement and design facilities. This project will assist Wiltan in the development of improved cores for use in high-accuracy current transformer applications. Wiltan also supports the Wolfson Centre through recommending the Centre’s services to its own customers.
Wiltan is now the major supplier to the UK Market of strip wound cores, having grown from one of the smallest businesses in this sector. Wiltan’s main competitors are part of a multinational concern and, unlike them, Wiltan did not posses the resources to employ its own technical specialists. Therefore, since 1999, the Wolfson Centre has become an invaluable testing and advisory resource to the company.