Get a Gripple

Katie Atkins, SELA Cohort 2015

On the 9 March, SELA’s 2014 and 2015 cohorts had the opportunity of attending a visit to the Loadhog and Gripple site in Sheffield – manufacturers of transit packaging and wire tensioners respectively. Both companies are part of GLIDE, an employee owned company that represents all its shareholders. The company is based on an innovative and creative business model not often seen in the world of engineering, and therefore provided a unique insight in a different style of management. Gordon Macrae, the Special Projects Manager at Loadhog and Gripple delivered a talk outlining their ethos and what to expect from the company.

A tour around the offices and factory floor allowed all the students to see the scope of the company and their unique design process in practice. Ideas boards, suspended art installations and interactive meeting spaces were all present and integrated into the office space. Although, for many of the students the expansive factory floor provided the greatest interest from a technical engineering perspective. Finally, following encouragement from Gordon many of us suggested methods of improvement throughout the design stages and factory processing, some of which were taken more seriously than others.

All members of SELA would like to thank those at Gripple and Loadhog that welcomed us and especially to Gordon Macrae for taking the time to speak with us.

Success for SELA's second cohort

Fourteen first year engineering students have been chosen to be part of the 2015 SELA cohort, the second since the leadership programme launched last year.

The candidates won their places on the prestigious programme through a rigorous selection process, involving a detailed application and interview.

The fourteen chosen are studying a wide range of engineering disciplines, including mechanical, structural, automatic control and systems engineering and materials science and engineering.

Mechanical engineering student and keen sportsman, Sam Barnes, was drawn to the subject through his love of cars and bikes, having spent most of his teenage years mending and maintaining his bicycles at home.  He hopes one day to run his own engineering business and says of the SELA programme: “I’m looking forward to learning how best to combine the knowledge gained from my degree with the management and leadership skills that SELA offers, to become a successful engineer.”

Beth Fenna became interested in engineering following volunteer work abroad, which made her keen to learn how engineering knowledge can be used to solve global issues. She is studying Structural Engineering and Architecture and is interested in how collaborations work between the two disciplines. “I’m looking forward to gaining valuable insight from the industry’s leaders through SELA, as well as working alongside and learning from other members of the programme,” she says.

Ben Quickfall hopes SELA will help him to develop into a well-rounded engineer, by improving his interpersonal and leadership skills. His degree – in Mechatronics and Robotics – already combines aspects of several of the traditional engineering  disciplines, including control, mechanical and electrical engineering. “It’s quite a niche subject, but very diverse, which was what attracted me to it,” he says. “Combining the technical knowledge I gain from my studies with the skills gained through SELA will be beneficial. I’m particularly looking forward to working on the programme’s long-term project with the rest of the cohort.”