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T H I S I S W A L E STRADE & INVEST | Good people do their best work in Wales

Where heritage meets innovation

Collaborating to fight cyber crime

Building a global technology cluster

The race to a more sustainable future

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Editor: William Ham BevanDesign & Art Direction: SmörgåsbordContributors: David Adams, David Atkinson, Kelly Rose Bradford, Paul Bray, Lucy Jolin, Nick Martindale, Penelope Rance, Julian RollinsPhotography: David Ryle, Jonty StoreyIllustrators: Jed de Pyper

This is Wales is published by the Business Marketing division of the Welsh Government © 2019.

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Print ISBN: 978-1-83876-783-9Digital ISBN: 978-1-83876-921-5

This publication is available in braille, large-format print, and/or audio on request. It can also be downloaded from: tradeandinvest.wales.

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This magazine is also available in Welsh.Welsh Government cannot guarantee the accuracyor reliability of the information in this publicationand hereby disclaim any responsibility for any error,omission or misrepresentation.

8.The value of innovation

Welcome to a nation that supports innovators and helps ideas take flight, says Eben Upton.

24.GE Aviation

The centre of excellence where the world’s largest aircraft engine will be maintained.

32.Fre-energy

How patented Welsh technology is converting waste into a source of clean power.

30.Nimbus Foods

A tale of export success for the company that adds sparkle to cakes and confectionery.

50.Calon Wen

The dairy co-operative that has used smart networking to build a premium export brand.

46.AMRC

The centre that provides gamechanging innovation solutions to businesses of all sizes.

Beyond silicon —10.

An in-depth look at the world’s first compound semiconductor cluster in South Wales.

IQE —14.

The leading supplier of atomically engineered wafers to the semiconductor industry.

Newport Wafer Fab —16.

Why the chip foundry is making ambitious plans to grow its workforce and operations.

SPTS Technologies —18.

Manufacturing the wafer-processing equipment used by the top semiconductor makers.

Microsemi —22.

The business of turning semiconductors into the building blocks of modern technology.

10. FOCUS: Compound semi

Fighting the cyber threat —38.

Our profile of the burgeoning cyber security industry – represented by Cyber Wales.

Wolfberry —40.

How ethical hacking helps firms find vulnerabilities and secure their computer systems.

Pervade Software —42.

An award-winning company supplying technology to tech firms and police forces alike.

36. FOCUS: Cyber security

52.CAF

Why the rail manufacturer chose Newport to assemble Wales’ next generation of trains.

All content is available under the Open Government Licence, except where otherwise stated.

Contents


102.Capital Law

The entrepreneurial Cardiff law firm that’s competing with the big names in the City.

62.Collaborate to innovate

Professor Peter Halligan, Chief Scientific Adviser for Wales, on linking business and academia.

68.Castle Dairies

The family firm aiming to turn its traditional Welsh butter into an international brand.

64.Dulas

A renewable energy business whose technology helps fight disease in the developing world. 104.

Ortho Clinical Diagnostics

An established South Wales company that supplies hospitals and laboratories around the world.

114.AMPLYFI

Providing the tools to harvest vital information concealed in the deepest levels of the internet.

96.Seven symbols of innovation

A swift look at Welsh ingenuity, enterprise and invention throughout the centuries.

118.Ipsen

A centre of excellence in biological therapies, with state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities.

Delio —110.

A profile of the growing Cardiff software company kicks off our look at Wales’ fintech industry.

Vizolution —112.

The tech firm with a mission to help businesses provide a better remote customer experience.

108.FOCUS: Fintech

84.Frontgrid

The two former military parachutists using virtual reality to share the thrills of paragliding.

74.Chemostrat

Chemical analysis specialists who serve the biggest players in the global oil and gas industry.

76.Spirit of creativity

Laura Davies, distillery manager at Penderyn, on the revival of the Welsh whisky industry.

98.CellPath

How a strong focus on research is keeping the diagnostics company at the forefront of its field.

58.NiBS

The Mid Wales battery company that has pioneered its own training courses for the industry.

Bad Wolf —90.

Our TV and film section opens with a look at Wales’ biggest independent production company.

4Wood TV and Film —92.

Building the sets that film-makers rely upon to immerse viewers in their imaginative world.

Dragon Studios —94.

How world-class facilities and stunning film locations are attracting productions to Wales.

88. FOCUS: Film & TV

72.JoJo Maman Bébé

The Newport firm that’s one of the UK’s biggest names in maternity clothing and babywear.

78.Adventure Parc Snowdonia

Why the UK’s only artificial surf lagoon is just the first chapter for the North Wales innovators.

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Making Pi:Right and facing page,the manufacturing facilityat Pencoed

The valueof innovation

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Eben Upton, founder of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, has built more than 10 million units of his revolutionary low-cost computer in Wales — a nation that supports innovators and helps them realise the potential of their ideas.

E B E N U P T O N

FounderRaspberry Pi

Everything we have as a species is the result of innovation: every difference between living in a cave and the life-style we have now. But innovation isn’t just about good ideas. Lots of people

have bright ideas, and lots of people have the same bright idea. The discourse on the business of technology tends to privilege ideas over execution, which is unhelpful. There are virtually no big technology companies who were the first to have the ideas they now rely upon. Google wasn’t the first search engine, and the iPhone wasn’t the first mobile phone to run applications. Rather, successful innovation is about having ideas, coming up with ways to turn those ideas into something valuable to a customer, and then finding ways to capture some of that value. Wales is a fantastic venue for innovation, which is why we moved the bulk of the produc-tion of Raspberry Pi here within six months of launch. We have a proud tradition of industry and manufacturing in Wales. When I spent time in Newport as a child in the 1980s, there was always a sense that it was an industrial powerhouse. You had successful companies – in particular, technology companies – providing opportunities for a skilled, motivated labour force. The Government and industry have put a lot of investment into infrastructure, and auto-mation in particular, so we can compete on the global stage. What’s exciting for me right now is the democratisation of access to the equipment that’s needed to innovate. Manufacturers here have invested in auto-mation because salaries are high, and they can now offer technology innovators access to

manufacturing capabilities that are competitive with what bigger organisations can do offshore. That’s great, because these small start-ups and scale-ups are a vital source of economic growth and innovation. Once you remove the shackles of scale, they have the ability to create innovative products that previously would have been beyond the range of all but the largest multinational companies. Then there’s the role of government in industrial strategy. One area in which the Welsh Government has been successful is supporting technology clusters. These provide scale and bolster industry’s capacity to innovate. In Wales, you already have world-class capa-bilities in aerospace engineering, and there’s the burgeoning cluster around compound semicon-ductors. Having a successful industrial policy means spending on the things that support innovation. They’re assets of society, and society needs to invest in them. Collaboration between academia and industry is key. Universities are important as a talent source, as a customer base, and as an environment in which people can have freedom to think thoughts not immediately connected to economic return. When industry wants someone to talk to about future innovations in production, future trends and future possibilities, it’s the local universities they reach out to. It may seem a bit Utopian, but the presumption we have to make is that things will continue to get better; and if tomorrow is going to be better than today, in the same way that today is better than yesterday, then people are going to have to keep innovating. Good ideas, good execution and good business-model design – all these things are valuable, and we must keep on nurturing them.

We have a proud tradition of industry and manufacturing


Beyond silicon

The world’s first compound semiconductor cluster is taking shape in South Wales. It’s a unique partnership of universities, research centres and innovative companies, all driving forward the technology to power the next industrial revolution.

F O C U S : C O M P O U N D S E M I

When explaining the potential of compound semiconductors, Sam Evans of Newport Wafer Fab uses a simple analogy. “The first industrial revolution relied on

steam,” he says. “That made the magic happen. Today, compound semiconductors are the steam – the enabling power – for what’s being called the fourth industrial revolution. And we have all the process knowledge to create that steam in Wales.” Compound semiconductors are atomically engineered materials that enable high-speed processing hundreds of times faster than current silicon technologies. They’re already all around us – in fibre optic communications, in digital media and sensing, including 3D face recognition, and in the circuitry of almost every smartphone. But as the latest technological revolution promises to turn both work and leisure upside down, their importance can scarcely be overstated. “We’re talking about applications like 5G communications and artificial intelligence, or enabling truly autonomous vehicles,” says Kevin Crofton, president of SPTS and chairman of the Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult. “These types of applications demand very high-speed transmission rates to allow instantaneous decision-making. When a driverless vehicle needs to decide how to avoid an impending accident or whether there’s a pedestrian in front of it, you can only afford nanoseconds of delay in decision making and action.” The South Wales cluster, branded as CSconnected, brings together research and development compe-tence and industry expertise with almost a complete supply chain in a very concentrated geographical area. Four companies are involved as collaboration partners: IQE, which makes the wafers; Newport Wafer Fab, which processes the chips; packaging specialists Microsemi, a wholly owned subsidiary of Microchip Technology; and SPTS, which makes the equipment used in manufacture. They work closely with the five development partners – organisations and institutions directly involved in R&D and innovation. Core research is carried out at the Institute for Compound Semiconductors at Cardiff University, which will be joined by Swansea University’s Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials. Product, services and skills development are the responsibility of the

There isn’t another region anywhere with our breadth of capability

Building the future:Work in a manufacturingroom at Microsemi

C S C O N N E C T E D

LocationNationwideFounded2017

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Compound Semiconductor Centre (CSC) – a collaboration between IQE and Cardiff University that offers cutting-edge facilities to help researchers and industry work together. The Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult focuses on helping the industry sector to exploit the advances made by researchers in key areas such as healthcare, the digital economy, energy and space. Lastly, a Future Compound Semiconductor Manufacturing Hub will conduct research into large-scale manufacture of the devices. It’s an impressive offering, and one that has attracted significant investment from research investment funds and government at regional, Welsh and UK level. “We see the power in clustering and having regional capabilities, just like Silicon Valley in the 1960s,” says IQE’s Chris Meadows. “Once you’ve reached a critical mass, you get what I like to call the Hay-on-Wye effect. You may think, ‘Why would you have so many bookshops competing with each other?’ but the point is that people know there are lots of bookshops, so they all go there. “It’s the same with Silicon Valley. It attracted people into the region because they knew they could build a career – they could move from one company to another. And it provides opportuni-ties to grow the cluster. Not only do you attract people in, you attract further elements of the supply chain.” Jim Ryan, director of worldwide module operations at Microsemi, a subsidiary of Micro-chip Technology, agrees. “It’s why we wanted to be part of the cluster,” he says. “We could see a real opportunity for Wales if it offered fully integrated semiconductor solutions for customers in a one-stop shop. It means we can grow Wales’ economy by many times what would be possible if all we did was produce the chips themselves.” And for the foreseeable future, the South Wales cluster is likely to remain the only one of its kind. Kevin Crofton says: “There isn’t a region in the world right now that has the breadth of compound semiconductor capability that exists here. If we can attract and retain talent, and get the educational systems aligned with our vision, we’ll be a centre of excellence for the world – not just for the UK or Wales. “It could be a worldwide phenomenon. We have the potential. We could evolve into a Silicon Valley for the compound semiconductor arena.”

IQE is the leading global supplier of the atomically engineered wafers that are made into advanced semiconductors. As

corporate systems manager Chris Meadows explains, it’s a sector that demands a skilled workforce and provides high-value jobs.

Compound semiconductors have been around for a long time, and IQE has been an integral part of the industry for the past three decades: we celebrated our 30th anniversary last year. Government support was one of the factors in our decision to set up in South Wales. Another was our close links to Cardiff University, which was already active in compound semiconductor research. Back then, compound semiconductor compo-nents in domestic appliances included things like the lasers in CD players. Today, they’re in pretty much every mobile phone – not just the communications part, but things like sensor technologies that switch the screen off when it’s close to your ear, or 3D sensing for facial ID.

IQE has around a 60% global market share of these components. Because mobile devices usually have several, we’re almost guaranteed to be in every handset. We produce the atomically engineered wafers that can then be processed by chip fabrication companies such as Newport Wafer Fab, using equipment made by people like SPTS. They then get packaged by the likes of Microchip in Caldicot. While we have the core of an industry sector entirely within Wales, our markets are truly global: North America and the Far East are among the major ones. If you have a handset, the chances are that the device and its components have travelled round the world a couple of times to get to you.

We’re almost guaranteed to be in every handsetI Q E

LocationCardiff and Newport,South WalesFounded1998Employees180

White room:IQE’s cutting-edgeproduction site

As we go forward to higher performance requirements with 5G, then the need for compound semiconductors and IQE’s products will increase with that. A lot of other connected devices – including driverless vehicles with all their sensor technologies, power management and so on – will be dependent on them. We’ve established a new site at Newport, and between that and our existing Cardiff site, we expect to take on 500 people. We’ve worked very closely with the Welsh Government, which owned the new building – a former LG semiconductor plant. They transferred it over to the Cardiff Capital Region, and now we’re their tenant, with an option to buy the plant over the next 11 years. Because it’s a global business, we recruit in Wales, across the UK and internationally.

We have strong links with Welsh universities, and also with the likes of Bristol and Manchester, as well as institutions in Scotland. We’re working particularly closely with Cardiff and Swansea: just last year, Cardiff University launched two Masters degrees specific to compound semiconductors. They also recently announced that they’d won a bid to create a centre for doctoral training based on compound semiconductors. It’s important to stress, too, that these are all hi-tech, high-value jobs. A couple of feasibility studies, one by Cardiff University and one by KPMG, established that the average salaries are about two-and-a-half times the average for jobs in manufacturing. Within IQE and across the wider cluster, we have a very attractive proposition for talented people here.



What sort of client base do you serve?

It’s worldwide. We’re an open-access foundry, which means we can work with any semiconductor company that has designs they want to run in a wafer fab, and we have customers all the way from Europe to South-East Asia and North America. How long has semiconductor fabrication been going on at the Newport site?

The site was set up in 1982 as INMOS, a British company set up to introduce silicon technologies into the UK. For the first 10 years we were an integrated device manufacturer, designing and shipping our own products, then we became a silicon foundry under the control of a Hong Kong company. We eventually became a research and development centre for International Rectifier, which was bought by Infineon. They decided to sell the company, and in September 2017 Newport Wafer Fab was acquired by a local Cardiff-based entity called Neptune 6. We’re a private company now. What sort of support have you received from the Welsh Government?

The Welsh Government has always been massively supportive of us in Newport. When Infineon wanted to sell the site, it was very proactive in helping us to find a solution – which we did. Newport Wafer Fab is the largest semiconductor site in Britain, and both the Welsh and UK Government understand its importance. To build two wafer fabs of our size from scratch in a green field with brand new equipment would be massively expensive.

There are ambitious plans to grow the company and the cluster. How will you recruit the right people?

It’s a challenge that we’ll meet with a mixture of strategies. Some recruitment will be through universities such as Cardiff, supplying graduates and PhDs. We’ll also be upskilling our own people: we have a long tradition of identifying operators and putting them back through college. At the moment, we’ve got 50 of our staff going through further education.

Overseas recruitment is also very important: it’s vital that we attract talented people to this part of the world. The benefit of a cluster is that if you’re moving your family from somewhere like Singa-pore, you’re not confined to one company. In terms of a career span of 20 to 30 years, you might end up moving from Newport Wafer Fab to Cardiff University for a while, or working at SPTS. What changes will we see at Newport as you expand the business?

We’ll be adding additional cleanroom investment. We have the space to double the capacity and employment count at our site, and we’re already working on the technology streams that will make that happen. We expect this to take place over the next two to three years.

We also plan to establish an innovation village, which could potentially generate additional employ-ment of 300 to 400 people on cluster business. That would be our major contribution to the 3,000-plus extra people the cluster is looking to employ.

Newport Wafer Fab is a silicon and compound semiconductor foundry with the capability to produce the world’s most advanced chips. Sam Evans, director of external affairs and quality, tells of the company’s ambitious plans for growth.

N E W P O R T

W A F E R F A B

LocationNewport, South WalesFounded2017Employees46

Talent pipeline:Far left, work at the plant,designed by architectRichard Rogers. Left, the iconic exterior

Q&A

S A M E V A N S

Director of externalaffairs and qualityNewport Wafer Fab

Forging ahead


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SPTS Technologies designs and manufactures the wafer processing equipment used by major players in the global semiconductor industry — and the company has built up strong links with Welsh universities to aid both research and recruitment.

In its publicity materials, SPTS Technologies uses a four-word formula to sum up what it does: “We make electronics possible.” It’s a bold claim, but not an unwarranted one. The Newport-based company provides the

equipment used by many of the world’s leading electronics manufacturers to turn silicon wafers into advanced semiconductor devices. As a result, we come into contact many times each day with technology built using the company’s equipment. Kevin Crofton, president of SPTS, says: “Imagine, for example, a micro-electro-mechan-ical machine system, a MEMS device, such as the airbag sensor in your car. That switch, which senses the change in momentum in a crash, is made of silicon – and there’s around a 75% chance it has been made on SPTS equipment. “Depending on the exact type of the device, its manufacture may involve as many as 2,000 processes to go from bare silicon to the end product. We build equipment that addresses anything from 50 to 100 of those processes.” Work this specialised demands a highly trained workforce. Crofton says: “We’re a very geeky company. We need people such as plasma physicists, chemical engineers and mechanical engineers. In fact, around half of our employees are qualified engineers or physicists of some nature, and many of them hold advanced degrees. We’re very active in grooming apprentices and graduates into our workforce – hopefully drawing them into the company when they leave school or finish their degrees – and we hire a lot from within the EU as well.” The long-standing relationships between SPTS and Welsh universities and their commercial

arms provide valuable benefits for both parties. Crofton says: “If you were to go into the labs at Swansea University, you would definitely find SPTS equipment there. Their undergraduate and graduate programmes are using our equipment to do experiments, to create pseudo-functional to fully functional prototype devices and explore what’s possible. As a result of that, they get used to using our equipment – and we can use that as a way to attract them to us as they come out of the higher education system. “We sponsor graduates as well, with the idea that they come to work for us for a certain number of years after they’ve finished their degree. With ongoing collaborative engagements with many of the universities, the graduates get the opportunity to do research in a commercial environment.” Alongside the company’s collaborations with academia and the other companies in the compound semiconductor cluster, Crofton identifies a strong partnership with the Welsh Government as an essential ingredient in past and future success. He says: “You’ve got a devolved Government that is hungry to support bringing in hi-tech businesses, because – let’s face it – it’s good for the economy. They take the attitude that we’re open for business, and they want to be part of that success; and they try to knock out bureaucracy in any way they can to make working together easy. “The ecosystem is already here. We’re all well-established companies: some of us go back 40 years in the semiconductor industry. And together, we’ve helped build a localised capability that exists nowhere else in the world.”

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Assembly of the plasma processing module

SPTS president Kevin Crofton

Building a module for robotic handling of wafers

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In layperson’s terms, what does Microsemi do?

Our role within the cluster is to take the bare chips – ideally having had an input into their design and layout – and package them into a module, using various leading edge assembly technologies. So, in the process of going from a chip to a module to the end device motherboard, we typically work in the middle layer.

To do that, we’ll mount the chip on a substrate, normally a printed circuit board or flex circuit, and surround it with various components to come up with a subsystem. We’ll then provide that as a fully tested building block for our ongoing customers to build into their motherboards. We also do the final assembly of the motherboards for certain customers – we’re able to offer a full turnkey solution, from design all the way through to manufacturing and aftermarket servicing. How are you developing tomorrow’s workforce?

It’s a key need within the cluster to have a powerful engine for skills development. As we’re a technol-ogy company, we are naturally biased towards building technical skills to service our particular needs. We’re supporting and feeding into a number of initiatives across South Wales that will ensure we can upskill and recruit the right people for these roles. However, it’s also vital that we generate increased skills in terms of leadership, so we can future-proof our business. It’s the same with all the companies in the cluster: we all need to think beyond the technical and make sure we’re also fostering the business, commercial and leadership skills we need.

What’s the prognosis for the business sector over the next decade?

We’re certainly on a growth path, and have been for many years. We expect that to continue, because the offering that we have – building integrated, miniaturised packages for our customers – is proving to be very attractive. A feature of our modules is that you can design them quickly, and they’re very flexible to change in the early development stage.

If you want to re-design a piece of silicon, you’re talking about £100,000 to make a new mask set, whereas we can alter a module very quickly to get into the market. That has been a very powerful offering for us, and we expect to keep growing. Obviously, being part of the cluster, we’ll be able to collaborate with our other partners to drive that through. Aside from the cluster, what are the advantages of being located in Wales?

A major one is proximity to a very strong support network, in terms of the Welsh Government and industry bodies. We work very closely with universities – our technological virtual family – so being close to Swansea University, Cardiff University and the University of South Wales is very important to us. I’d also include the Welsh workforce: the quality of people we’re able to employ, their productivity and their loyalty to the company. That’s part of the culture within this area.

Microsemi, a subsidiary of Microchip Technology, specialises in taking semiconductors and turning them into the modules that form the building blocks of modern technology. Jim Ryan shares his thoughts on the future of both company and cluster.

M I C R O S E M I

LocationCaldicot, South WalesFounded1983Employees100

Chipping in:Packaging and inspecting the modules

J I M R Y A N

Director of WW module operationsMicrosemi

Modular building


Q&A

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Cutting-edge engineering knowledge, rigorous stand-ards, constant innovation: the aviation industry has always demanded the best from its people and its products. That’s why global giant GE Aviation’s choice of its Nantgarw facility to maintain, repair

and overhaul (MRO) its new GE9X engine is such a big deal, says managing director Nick Blakeney. “Nothing is more exciting than having a brand-new engine coming to the Wales facility,” he says. “We’re hoping to demonstrate best practice not just across GE Aviation, but show that we’re world-class within the wider industry as well.”

The Nantgarw site is no stranger to excellence. It’s one of the largest aircraft maintenance facilities in the world, with more than 90 customers on its books and the ability to handle more than 500 engines a year. Its engineering team wrote GE Aviation’s technical manual on overhauling engines (known internally as the “Bible”). And it’s one of just three facilities able to perform the full MRO service on the GE90, currently the world's most powerful aircraft engine. The GE9X will place even greater demand on the site. Once built, it will be the world's largest aircraft engine and

will be 10% more fuel-efficient than the GE90. It has been designed and produced for the new Boeing 777X aircraft, and it’s hoped that test engines will be on site in Nantgarw by the end of 2019. GE’s decision to bring the GE9X to Wales was by no means a foregone conclusion. Blakeney says: “We had to work hard to win that contract. Of course, we have the expertise and the experience. But the support and encouragement we received from the Welsh Government really made a difference. The First Minister personally travelled to our head office in Cincinnati to support us.


The world’s largest aircraft engine will be maintained at the GE Aviation site in Nantgarw, South Wales. It’s the latest vote of confidence in a facility that has achieved global recognition as a centre of excellence in the aviation industry.


G E A V I A T I O N

LocationNantgarw, South WalesFounded1991Employees1,300


“Having a devolved government means that Wales is engaged and supportive of businesses, and there’s a real commitment to working together in partnership. The Welsh Government has supported the £20million investment.” The expertise that the Nantgarw facility relies upon hasn’t appeared out of nowhere. There’s a long-standing and highly regarded appren-ticeship programme, which attracts on average around 400 candidates for between 20 and 25 apprenticeship places every year, making it more selective than the world’s top universities. The three-year course is run in partnership with the local FE college, Coleg y Cymoedd in Treforest. It’s an initiative that’s fundamental to the success of GE Aviation, says Blakeney. “The college is very close to the site, so apprentices can access an incredible hands-on, real-life learning experi-ence, and they get brilliant support from the rest of the workforce. Being such a big brand, GE is very attractive to young people. And the college are true partners: they are very responsive to our needs as a business and work closely to ensure that our business priorities are reflected in the course.”

Learning doesn’t begin and end with appren-ticeships. A dedicated learning and develop-ment department co-ordinates and runs a wide range of personal development and job-specific courses. GE also has a close relationship with the University of South Wales through its Network75 programme, a five-year work and study route to a degree in which undergraduates apply their academic knowledge to real-life work within GE Aviation Wales. The programme has been turning out industry-ready graduates since 2000, with a 100% employment record. Nantgarw is also the place of choice for other GE technical staff to come for their training. Currently, around 40 engineers from Poland are studying in Wales to ready themselves for the GE9X. “We have become very important to the GE family, as they look to Wales for development and training,” says Blakeney. “It’s a massive vote of confidence in us as a site.” Wales, he points out, has a great manufacturing and engineering legacy. Nantgarw will continue to take that forward. The site’s five-year plan is aimed at staying competitive, increasing capacity and improving productivity. He says: “All these things are all going to be massive benefits for the Welsh economy – for the people we employ and for our business. There’s a real sense of pride, and people want to be part of this. And because aviation is always changing, there are even bigger things to come for our site in the future.”

Maintaining high standards:Below, servicing a GP7200 engine.Right, an apprentice at work

We have the expertise, the experience and the support


Where are we likely to encounter a Nimbus product?

Almost anywhere. Our ingredients are used by all sorts of manufacturers, including major businesses such as Mars and Nestlé. What we’re all about is helping to turn an ordinary product into something extraordinary. Our ingredients and inclusions – such as sugar strands, fudge cubes, honeycomb chips and marshmallows – add texture, flavour and colour. What influenced Nimbus Foods to opt for a North Wales base?

Originally, we were established as part of a company called Halo Foods, which was a cereal bar manufacturer at Tywyn on the Gwynedd coast. We made ingredients for Halo’s products. Nimbus Foods was spun off as a separate company a few miles away at Dolgellau. We remained part of the same group, but since then Nimbus has been through several changes of ownership.

Valeo Foods bought Nimbus last year and has since made significant investments. We’re just planning the next stage of that expansion. We’re in such a specialist, niche market that know-how is more important than facilities or equipment. Lots of our team have worked for Nimbus since the 1990s, and it’s the knowledge of those guys that dictates the quality of our products. Is sourcing the right people an issue?

We’re the biggest employer in Dolgellau, which has a population of about 2,000 people. We recruit production and administration staff fairly easily in the town, and from a radius of about 20 miles. We do sometimes have to go further afield for more senior positions, but people have always been happy to relocate. Have you collaborated with local colleges or universities?

We have our own development team, but we also work closely with the Food Technology Centre at Coleg Menai, Llangefni, over on Anglesey. They do a lot of joint development work with us.

Innovation is important. Much of what we do is driven by the customer, who will come to us with a detailed brief of what they’re looking for. For example, an ice cream manufacturer might ask for a fudge to put into ice cream that will stay soft and chewy. We’ll start working with those ideas, and then present back to them so that they can select the option they want to take forward.

How important are export sales?

If you go back two or three years, the split between our overseas and UK sales was 20 versus 80%. That has been changing. One of my strategies since joining Nimbus has been to find new markets abroad, and now the export to UK split is around 40:60. We sell to 29 different countries around the world, including Australia, Mauritius and South Africa.

We’re expecting that in the next few years, export sales will keep growing, moving the split to around 60:40. That’s to say, our UK sales will remain steady, but we’ll achieve growth in our export sales. How did you find these overseas markets for your products?

The key to our success has been having a presence at the big international food exhibitions. Last autumn we were part of the Welsh delegation at the Salon International de l’Alimentation (SIAL) in Paris, which is the world’s biggest food innovation exhibition. The Welsh Government has been extremely helpful, subsidising the cost of going along to events like SIAL. If they hadn’t, we wouldn’t have been able to take part: we’re a small company, and funds are limited.

When I first joined, we didn’t go to these exhibi-tions, but since 2014 we’ve probably done 14 or 15. You go to these events with meetings planned in advance, but people will also just walk up to the stand and introduce themselves with a view to sourcing new suppliers. It’s very worthwhile.

From fudge cubes in ice cream to marshmallow toppings for hot chocolate, Nimbus Foods makes the ingredients that add extra sparkle to our favourite treats — and they’re finding favour as far afield as Australia and South Africa, says Jack Proctor.

N I M B U S F O O D S

LocationDolgellau, North WalesFounded1996Employees88

Special ingredient:Adding flavourings and churning the caramel

J A C K P R O C T O R

Sales directorNimbus Foods

SweetSuccess


Q&A


Power plant:Generating and storingbio gas at the Wrexhamfacility

Renewable energy isn’t just about solar panels and wind farms. Denise Nicholls, managing director of Fre-energy, explains

how the Wrexham company’s patented technology is turning farm and food waste into useful power.

The “Fre” in our name stands for Farm Renewable Environmental. Essentially, we process waste streams – predominantly those generated on farms, but also food waste – to capture the green-house gases. We then convert these to generate electricity, and we’re also currently looking to process the biogas into transportation fuels. The key to this is anaerobic digestion, a biological process in which microorganisms break down biodegradable material. It’s a different approach to generating renewable energy than solar, wind or hydro power. I joined Fre-energy in 2012. It’s an industry that’s still very much in the embryonic stage as a contributor to generating renewable energy and managing waste, as well as improving the health of our soils. We’ve developed and patented our own ways of processing the waste, and we’re proud to be

able to say that we use Welsh technology which has been validated and is robust. Designed to process farm-generated wastes, it’s a year-round operation, day and night, and can reduce the impact of farming on the environment. Wales is a very good fit for our business. It’s a place where the agricultural sector is still strong. The ability to collaborate on research and development with leading Welsh universities such as Bangor, Swansea and Aberystwyth has been particularly valuable to us. We have even part-funded a PhD student from Bangor University to investigate the environmental and economic benefits of the technology we have developed. There are currently five people in the company, and we always try to work with local organisations. We’re keen to support the next generation of scien-tists by sharing our knowledge – spreading the

F I R S T P E R S O N

word about how our patented process can support an efficient waste management system for farms. There’s good support for business owners in Wales. My advice to entrepreneurs would be to get out there and be proactive about exploring how each region would fit with your business aims. Do your homework about what assistance and tailored support is available. For example, we successfully applied in 2010 for a SMARTCymru Pre-Competitive Development Grant and used that money to secure the patent for our technology. We’re expanding into new fields at Fre-en-ergy. We’re increasingly doing troubleshooting work for failing plants, and we’re also working as part of a bio-refining collaboration agreement between international industry and academia to produce useful products from the waste streams of the Indian sugarcane industry. This is a new

direction for us, and we were pleased to be have been invited to take part in the project by Aber-ystwyth University. Beyond this, we’re aiming to develop new processes to enhance the social, economic and environmental benefits of the energy of the future. For me, North-East Wales has the best of both worlds in that it’s close to the coast and countryside but also has great transport links. I’m an environmental scientist by background and feel so lucky to live next to a 71-acre nature reserve, Maes y Pant. It’s a former quarry that’s now managed by the local community, with woodland trails and wonderful views across the Dee Valley. Wales is a great place to find the perfect work–life balance.

F R E - E N E R G Y

LocationWrexham, North WalesFounded2007Employees5

We’re proud to say weuse Welsh technology

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WALES IS...

A culture of collaborationIt’s good to talk. And within every industry sector in Wales, you’ll find established networks that bring businesses together. Bodies like the Welsh Automotive Forum, Aerospace Wales and the Electronic and Software Technologies Network help companies to collaborate, speak with a collective voice and find a way through common challenges.

ILLUSTR ATION: JED DE PYPER



Joining forces against the cyber threat

Protecting computer systems from attack has never been more important. Wales is a place where cyber security firms can thrive, with a growing tech ecosystem, forward-thinking universities and active networking groups such as the Cyber Wales clusters.

F O C U S : C Y B E R S E C U R I T Y


Friendly, open and collaborative, with Welsh cakes for all: a typical Cyber Wales meeting is not how most people would picture the supposedly secretive cyber security industry. But

according to John Davies, director of Pervade Software and co-founder of the Cyber Wales cluster, this kind of informal collaboration is essential to take the sector forward. “As a nation, we’re very collaborative,” he says. “We do things for a cause, to help each other and for the good of the wider community. The cyber threat is huge and growing every day. If we do not all work together to share knowledge, learn from each other and find new ways to fight cyber attacks, we won’t be able to combat it.” In 2014, Davies established Cyber Wales with Dr Cerian Jones, partner at law firm UDL. Both felt that representatives of cyber security teams should have a forum in which they could discuss industry issues face to face. It began life as the South Wales Cyber Security Cluster, a monthly meet-up for anyone involved in cyber security to get together and chat. Specialists such as Wolfberry Cyber soon joined to help drive the idea forward. The idea grew rapidly. The following year saw the start of the North Wales Cyber Security Cluster, founded by Jason Davies of Hashtag Cyber in Wrexham. He says: “It got to the point where we couldn’t fit everyone who wanted to attend in the car to go down south, so we formed our own cluster." This was followed by subject-specific clusters dealing with GDPR, IP Protection and Women in Cyber. The latest addition is an Education and Training cluster. All the groups are now included under the Cyber Wales umbrella. Cyber Wales has two main aims: to share information and to encourage growth. To fulfil the first of these, Davies says he gathers and shares “bucketloads” of information and guid-ance from the National Cyber Security Centre at GCHQ, the UK Government, trade associations and the 19 other cyber clusters in the UK.

C Y B E R W A L E S

LocationNationwideFounded2014Employees1,000+

The cyber threat is huge and growing every day

Connecting people:Cyber Wales directorJohn Davies

Information exchange:Previous page and above, a Cyber Wales conferenceat the University of South Wales

“I want all cyber companies to grow and develop their capabilities,” says Davies. “It’s not about competition, as we have such a massive range of jobs and skill sets – from hardcore code-writing to hardware and software products, and from governance to training. We have a tiny amount of competitive overlap and a huge range of complimentary tech, products and services.” In just five years, Cyber Wales can point to numerous real-world successes. Six new limited companies have grown out of members coming together at meetings and deciding to start joint ventures. It’s helping inward investment, too: in 2017, Cyber Wales was invited to become one of just 14 founding members of GlobalEPIC, an “ecosystem of ecosystems” that includes MIT in the United States, the Hague Security Delta in the Netherlands and CyberSpark, the Israeli Cyber Innovation Arena.

As an example of how this global collaboration works, each country’s ecosystem undertakes to provide a “soft landing” to help any other members who want to set up businesses in a different country – such as advice, desk space and introductions to key players. Already, cyber businesses from Israel and the UAE have used the programme to establish a presence in Wales. This success, says Davies, means businesses are realising that they don’t need to go to London to find their cyber security experts. “If you’re a business in Wales, you’ve got 700 organisations that can help you with your cyber challenges. That's very reassuring. So when you need more staff, you can trawl the market and say to up-and-coming cyber people: come to Wales.” The Welsh government has been proactive in spreading the word about Cyber Wales, letting businesses across the world know about our local expertise. What’s more, members have been given all the help they need to take part in large expos such as InfoSec, where they can talk to global cyber companies and showcase what they have to offer. To ensure a steady stream of expertise, Cyber Wales is working to develop a talent pipeline in collaboration with specialist institutes. These include the National Cyber Security Academy at the University of South Wales – which relies on small cyber companies coming up with real-world challenges for students to provide invaluable experience – as well as Cardiff University’s Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Analytics, Swansea University’s new Computational Foundry and Glyndŵr Univer-sity’s Cyber Programmes. Members are also sharing their expertise as lecturers on Cardiff Metropolitan University’s new cyber courses. A delegation will shortly be heading to Japan to help set up that country’s first ever cyber cluster. It’s evidence of the Cyber Wales network’s global ambitions – something that’s entirely down to the goodwill and hard work of the members who have pushed the idea forward. “All these clusters are entirely voluntary,” adds John Davies. “So many people have stepped up and said: ‘Someone needs to do this – it might as well be us. Let’s collaborate and help each other to grow our businesses, and make Wales a globally recognised hub for cyber security expertise.”




don’t just do systems testing any more; we also do network monitoring and governance. We’re hoping that projects like the Cyber Academy will become a talent pipeline for the cyber security industry. As for the future, the sky’s the limit. A year ago, I didn’t expect to have an office in Dubai. We’re planning to expand and at least treble our workforce, but we’ll be staying in Wales. I’m proud to be Welsh, and I’m proud that my company is based here. It’s a wonderful place for cyber security companies because everything is on your doorstep, from fantastic broadband services to world-class universities – not to mention a wonderful quality of life.

Pooling resources:Wolfberry CEODamon Rands

Security service:Keeping critical ITsystems safe

Almost everything we do in modern life is managed and operated by computer systems. These systems are behind all our vital services, from hospitals to nuclear power stations. And because they’re all connected to the internet, they’re vulnerable to cyber-attack. That’s where cyber security firms like Wolfberry come in. We’re ethical hackers: we test systems to find their weak points before the bad guys do. We fix them, and we educate organisations to understand the threats that their businesses face. In the world of IT and technology, we’re used to companies understanding the importance of their computer systems operating smoothly. But operational ability doesn’t always go hand-in-hand with security. It’s worth thinking of security on a sliding scale: at one end is usability and the other end is security. The more usable something is, the less secure it becomes, and vice versa. The risks are not always obvious. For example, we worked with one company that specialised in cleaning clothes. When we reviewed potential threats, we came up with a list of threat actors that included activists who might be very interested in hacking their systems. The reason? One of their major clients was the nuclear power industry. It’s an exciting time to be working in this field in Wales. We’re very lucky to have the Cyber Wales cluster, a group of cyber security businesses that

has groups for both North and South Wales. Just six of us went to their first meeting, but we now have nearly 890 member businesses throughout the UK, and have been recognised internationally as a cyber ecosystem by GlobalEPIC. It’s expanding worldwide. We now have clusters in Dubai – where Wolfberry also has an office – and Japan. We’re looking at setting one up in Abu Dhabi. Through the cluster, we can collaborate effectively, and this is great news for businesses in Wales who need our services. We’ve worked with other cyber security businesses on projects that previously would only have been viable if carried out by large companies. Now we can pool our resources, and I think that’s the reason we’re so successful. We’re not secretive and we like working together. Likewise, we’ve had great support from the Welsh Government, who have got behind us and helped to create this ecosystem. Wolfberry collaborates closely with academia. We’ve done a lot of work with the Cyber Academy at the University of South Wales, which takes on real-world projects to upskill its students, and Swansea University. It’s all helping to address the critical shortage of cyber security skills across the globe – not just in Wales. Because of this, recruitment can be a challeng-ing task. We have to be careful to pick the right staff as our company grows and diversifies. We

W O L F B E R R Y


A co-founder of Cyber Wales, Wolfberry helps firms secure their computer systems against threats by attempting to breach their defences. It’s an exciting time to be part of this fast-moving

and important field, says CEO Damon Rands.

We’re not secretive: we like working together




Like many start-ups, Pervade owes its existence to a specific technical challenge – and a “eureka” moment when its founders realised how it could be solved. In their case, the

issue was one of cyber security, and the fact that many businesses needed multiple pieces of software to keep their computer systems safe. Managing director John Davies says: “The problem is that you need to monitor different sources of data, such as the logs that register what’s happening at any given moment, and configuration files that tell you what’s installed on your system. These are very different types of data, so you need a separate database for each one. “My business partner, who’s a programmer, said, ‘I think there’s a way to solve that, and create a database that can include all data types in one.’ After further discussion, we decided to go for it. He quit his job as a tech manager at a big American firm. We started Pervade in 2009 and by the end of 2012, he’d written the entire data-base from the ground up – every line of code.” This formed the basis for the company’s first product, OpView. Now deployed in more than 80 countries by clients including BT, Hitachi and JCB, it allows security managers to collect, correlate and report all data types in one system, rather than have to manually cross-reference information from different screens. At the end of 2013, a surprising piece of busi-ness intelligence prompted Pervade to tweak its business strategy. Business solutions manager Mark Howells says: “We decided to do some research, and asked our clients why they’d bought our product. It almost seemed too obvious to ask: after all, it remains the only product on the market that can do the job of several monitoring systems in one. “However, it turned out that the real driv-ing force was compliance. Companies needed to prove they had robust IT policies in place to

put tenders in for large contracts or deal with government agencies, and we could help provide that certification.” Taking these insights on board, Pervade quickly developed a second product. OpAudit is a tracking tool that allows businesses to gather and manage all evidence of compliance in one system. This includes technical data, signed statements from data handlers and questionnaires from staff and suppliers. It’s a painless way of ensuring both internal policies and external standards are upheld. Pervade’s portfolio has been expanded with a third product, OpIndex. Designed to sniff out threats in the Dark Net – the parts of the internet beyond the reach of search engines – it has found favour with businesses and law enforcement

agencies alike. UK police forces now rely on it for intelligence gathering, and it has already delivered the insight that there more than six times as many servers on the Dark Net than previously believed. “That work, in turn, has attracted the interest of the mili-tary,” says Howells, “and we’ve had enquiries from the armed forces about our original product, OpView.

The ability to have one person monitoring multiple streams of data would be very useful in a forward operations base – perhaps in a tent in the middle of nowhere.” A key to Pervade’s success has been its decision to go for steady growth rather than take venture capital, John Davies believes. He says: “We’re 100% self-owned, and we’ve never taken finance. We wanted to grow organically. It’s slow, but it gives us total control over what we do next. If we’d been about massive growth, we’d have taken venture capital in 2012 for our monitoring software. “That would have locked us into one road: we’d still be a monitoring company, and would never have pivoted into the compliance market. That’s not what we’re about. We’re doing what we want to do. We’re making a difference, creating some really cool stuff, and enjoying every minute of it.”



We built an entire database from the

ground up

P E R V A D E


S E C U R I T Y M A D E S I M P L E

With its three award-winning products, Pervade Software has applied fresh thinking to the processes of cyber security. It’s an approach that

has won the company a wide and varied client base, from multinational tech firms to law enforcement agencies. Tackling the threat:

business solutions manager Mark Howells


From the mountains to the coast, Wales is a country overflowing with wonder. Even in a publication full of technical innovation, it’s worth stepping back now and then to take in the splendour that surrounds us. Our great outdoors makes a perfect playground for family adventures – and now is the ideal time to go exploring, seek out new paths and find your own epic in Wales.

visitwales.com/discovery

Work, life, balance.


Advanced thinking

F E A T U R E

With partners that include Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Boeing, AMRC offers game-changing innovation to manufacturers large and small. The launch of a new base in Broughton promises to bring the benefit of its expertise to Wales.

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F E A T U R E

First established by the University of Sheffield in 2001, the Advanced Manu-facturing Research Centre (AMRC) is a network of world-class research and innovation centres. It has driven the

development of countless new industrial and engineering technologies – forging partnerships with companies of all sizes across a wide range of sectors, including aerospace, automotive, space, construction, energy and medical. From an initial staff of nine, the AMRC now employs more than 700 people across Northern England. And in 2019, it is gaining a Welsh base with the launch of the Advanced Manufacturing Research Institute in Broughton, near the English border in Flintshire. Executive director John Baragwanath says: “We were set up to improve the performance of manufacturing across South Yorkshire, but our remit has expanded to take in the whole of the UK and around the world. We carry out applied engineering research to deliver innovative solu-tions to industry, and we work with all sizes of company – from dynamic start-ups to large internationals such as Airbus and Rolls-Royce.” In its first phase, the new Institute at Broughton will focus on improving productivity, commer-cialisation, innovation and skills in the aerospace and automotive industries. It’s being created with a £20milllion investment from the Welsh Government, and it’s estimated that its work could increase Wales’ Gross Value Added (GVA) – a key economic indicator – by £4billion over 20 years. One key factor in choosing Broughton was that Airbus, a longstanding AMRC partner, had a nearby facility. Another was the opportunity to work with the Welsh Government. “They have been excellent,” says Baragwanath. “Wales has devolved decision-making, so things can happen quickly, and Government officials have put a lot of effort into introducing AMRC to potential partners across the country. They have ensured we are off to a flying start.” The Broughton site forms one point of a geographical triangle for the AMRC, with other major facilities at Catcliffe near Sheffield and Preston in Lancashire. “It’s the Northern Power-house in action, if you like,” says Baragwanath. “We’re joining up high-value manufacturing across the North to help rebalance our economy and create high-value skills and jobs that will drive the digital Fourth Industrial Revolution.”

A M R C

LocationBroughton, North WalesFounded2019Employees14

We work with all sorts of companies, from start-ups to multinationals

Nothing left to chance:Testing the engineered tools and equipment

Kit inspection:Using virtual reality to check equipment status

Recruitment of the first engineers for the Broughton site began in early 2019. “We’re building up to about 30 engineers as quickly as we can,” he says. “That’s because when we set up the original AMRC site, we thought we might get to 30 engineers in a few years. In fact, we outgrew our first building within six months and we’ve grown exponentially since. We expect Broughton to take off in the same way.” The new facility will also have a beneficial impact on the training and education of the local workforce. The Broughton leadership team includes commercial director Nick Tyson, on secondment from his role as assistant principal and curriculum director at Coleg Cambria – one of the largest higher and further education colleges in the UK. “We’ll be working with local education provid-ers, and appointing Nick means we have an immediate link to all the colleges and universities in Wales,” says Baragwanath. “At Sheffield, many of the techniques we develop subsequently find their way into the training curriculum. We intend that to happen in North Wales, too.”

A great quality of life and access to a skilled local workforce will attract other businesses and their prospective employees to North Wales, he believes. “It’s a really nice place to live, and that’s important when you’re looking to attract inward investors. The first thing they do is look around the countryside to see what that has to offer. North Wales has a good skills base and some large companies – so if you’re a small business wanting to set up as a supply chain company, it’s an ideal location.” What’s more, Baragwanath is determined that Broughton is just the start of AMRC’s engagement with Wales. “This is the first phase,” he says. “Watch this space. Hopefully we’re going to outgrow this building within a couple of years, and we’ll be looking to set up new facilities in Wales.”


Scene of the herd:Above left and above,a dairy farm at Narbeth.Top, managing director David Miles

Organic dairy co-operative Calon Wen has grown into a premium export brand — proving the value of a strong international

presence, says globetrotting sales manager Stuart McNally.

Calon Wen is a co-operative of 21 farmers from across Wales, and an organic ethos is behind everything we do. We have an overall turnover of £9.5million, and we work hard to ensure a fair price for all our farmers. We produce around 20 million litres of milk per year, and the product range includes butter, cheese and frozen yoghurt. All our production is outsourced, and we work with Welsh companies wherever possible. Plas Farm on Anglesey handles our frozen yoghurt, for example, while Gower View Foods at Cross Hands in Carmarthenshire produces all our butter. Keeping jobs in Wales is vital to us, and it supports our low-food-miles philosophy. Recruitment isn’t a problem. We’re in the fortunate position that lots of people want to move back to West Wales. We get a good response to adverts for new positions and attract a high calibre of candidates. And we think it’s valuable

to have Welsh speakers on our staff. We attend around 20 events each year, including the Royal Welsh Show and music festivals. Networks are important for everyone doing business in Wales. We’re members of the Fine Foods Wales Cluster – part of the Food and Drink Wales Cluster Network – which comes together to share good practice and invite along guest speakers. There’s also the Food and Drink Wales Export Club. Export is a major focus for our business. Our five-year plan is that 30% of our total revenue will come from overseas sales. I’ve been on several Welsh Government trade missions to the Middle East and have always brought new business back to Wales. The Export Club offered help in setting up one-to-one meetings with local companies, and this has proved invaluable. Trying to set up

We always bringbusiness back to Wales


trade links from a laptop doesn’t cut it; personal relationships matter overseas. By going out there and meeting people face to face, it shows we’re serious about growing our business. We will be shipping our first produce to Qatar shortly with a range of cheese, butter and frozen yoghurt. Organic produce has a real kudos in the Middle East, and it attracts a premium price. In Qatar, I found the average food spend per person is equivalent to £118 per week, compared with just £43 in the UK. Brand Wales is growing on the international stage, and there’s a real sense of momentum. Gareth Bale has made a difference, as has the start of Qatar Airways flights from Cardiff Airport – plus the exposure through our presence at headline events here in the UK. We are regulars at Taste Wales at the Celtic Manor Resort. These events are a great way for us to pick up new business.

We’re not neglecting the UK market. We’re currently involved in Project London with Total Food Marketing, which works with Welsh food and drink producers to provide expertise and business mentoring. We’ll be focusing on London over the next 12 months: it’s an important market, as 70% of all organic sales are currently within the M25 area. The support we get from the Welsh Government is unrivalled. It was a real eye-opener for me to find that you can always pick up the phone and ask for expert advice. Given the rural locations of many businesses in Wales, working together is essential. And however wide we can cast our net, we’ll always be a Welsh company – it’s intrinsic to our success. With the support of Welsh Government, we believe we can increase our capacity and secure more jobs for the future.

C A L O N W E N

LocationNarberth, West Wales Founded2000Employees9


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Rail vehicle manufacturer CAF considered more than 100 locations before picking Newport for its flagship UK assembly plant. The facility is already designing a new generation of trains for the Welsh network, in an order worth more than £400million.

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Before too long, when you board a train at Bangor, Aberystwyth or Cardiff Central, you may notice a few improvements in your journey. Over the coming years, the old Sprinter and Pacer trains are to be replaced by new rolling stock with generous

legroom, air conditioning, real-time information screens, USB charging sockets and Wi-Fi. Seats will even be aligned with the windows so passengers can best enjoy the magnificent Welsh scenery.

Over the next few years, scores of these trains will enter service across the Wales and Borders rail franchise operated by Transport for Wales. What’s particularly gratifying is that more than 70 of them will be built in Wales, at the new CAF assembly plant at Celtic Business Park in Newport. CAF will initially be supplying 44 two-car and 26 three-car diesel multiple units, then a further seven two-car units by September 2024. The final tally will be 180 vehicles, at a cost of more than £400million.

It’s a coup for Newport, and for Wales as a whole. Since the 1990s, Spanish-owned CAF has won many major orders in the UK, from clients including Heathrow Express, Northern Ireland Railways and the tram networks of Birmingham and Edinburgh. In 2016 the company resolved to set up a major assembly plant in the country. After a UK-wide search that considered more than 100 potential sites, Newport emerged as the clear winner. A multi-million pound funding package from the Welsh Government’s inward investment programme was one factor

in Newport’s favour. However, with every UK region offering similar incentives, it was the other advantages of the South Wales location that tipped the balance, according to CAF Rolling Stock UK’s chief programme director, Graham Taylor. “Funding was important, but not critical,” says Taylor. “My advice to anyone looking to relocate is that if it’s not the right location, no amount of funding can make it right. What’s important is infrastructure, transport links, access to local labour, a positive attitude from government – things that will


M A D E I N W A L E SM A D E I N W A L E S

Doing the locomotion:Left and previous page, construction in progress.Right, programme directorGraham Taylor

The South Wales economy has engineering in its DNA

C A F

LocationNewport, South WalesFounded2018Employees300 by mid 2020s

be key parts of your presence in the area well after any funding has ended.” On this score, Newport and Wales provided everything CAF needed. “We were very pleased about the availability of suitable skilled labour,” he says. “Recruitment has gone even better than we expected, and that’s important. Now that we’re established, we’ll continue to grow and need additional staff – and the South Wales economy has engineering in its DNA.” When recruitment is complete, CAF’s work-force at Newport will number more than 300. The company took delivery of the £30million, 46,000 sq m plant in 2018, and production started shortly afterwards. Good transport links were vital, including easy access to the UK’s national rail network. “Being able to deliver our product directly from the site was one of our key criteria, and the Welsh Government’s commitment to developing a new station at nearby Llanwern will give us even better access. And the removal of tolls on the Severn Bridge means people living in Bristol are more open to us as potential employees.” CAF’s whole experience has been that Wales is investment-ready. Taylor says: “The Welsh Government have demonstrated very strongly that they have an environment that’s open, and they’ve continued to engage with us long after the champagne bubbles have died away. Now that we’re through the development phase and into operations they’re still very keen to work with us.”

The company is already looking to fill its order book beyond the Transport for Wales contract. Taylor says: “Newport is a rail vehicle assembly factory, currently set up to do standard UK gauge, so we could potentially build anything from trams or the likes of Docklands Light Railway trains, right the way up to high-speed trains for HS2.” The 300-plus jobs at Newport could be just a small slice of the total benefit to the Welsh economy. “We’re essentially becoming a hub, and I’ve been working closely with government on how we can attract tier-one suppliers,” he says. “Gathering a supply chain around us that will provide more value into the local economy will be great for everybody – and the politicians and civil servants have been working hard to make it happen.”


What drove the company to relocate from Scotland to Powys in the 1990s?

Partly, it was the potential support. Ever since the days of the Mersey Dee Alliance (MDA) in the 1980s, Wales has been known to back industry. We’re now right on the border with England, and while the founder, Bob Gilliard, could have estab-lished the business on the English side, he realised that this support plus competitive rent and rates made it more advantageous to be located in Wales. You operate in a specialised industry. Does Powys offer a good access to the right talent?

Our core business is in battery supply, installation and servicing – plus training. We operate through-out the UK, and our site engineers can be based anywhere in the country. But because the battery industry is very bespoke in its requirements, we prefer to train apprentices to grow our business.

Our first apprentice, Rob, has now been with us for 12 years, and we’ve had a dozen more over that period. We’ve never had a problem getting the right quality of person: there’s obviously talent out there. How important has it been to create a qualification geared to the industry?

It’s been a bugbear of Bob and his son Chris, the current MD, that people can work on batteries with absolutely no qualifications, so we developed the EAL-accredited, Ofqual-approved VRQ Level 3 in Standby Battery Systems. It takes up to two years, and all our site engineers are put through it.

We also deliver one and two-day battery awareness courses, and are in the process of getting those accredited. This gives us an enormous market. We’ve trained warehouse people who work with batteries, people who install them, employees of major car companies and workers in the nuclear sector. Creating suitably qualified and experienced personnel is fundamental to our industry.

What’s the attraction of Wales for your company, and for businesses in general?

Culture and talent. There are a lot of very capable people who were brought up here, have gone to university, developed tremendous skills, and now want to come back. We’re able to get well-qualified people because it’s the lifestyle they want as much as the work.

Our belief as a company is that it’s the culture that matters. We look after our staff and our customers, we do the right things environmentally, and we reinvest to make sure we’re moving forward as a company. Our culture fits very comfortably in Wales in that context. What’s in the pipeline for NiBS?

One of the frustrations I have is that people are obsessed with growth. By contrast, what we’re after is a company that’s sustainable. This is a family-owned business and we have no debts or commercial shareholders. We’re about making a reasonable profit, and we invest that in the business.

It’s all about being built on solid foundations, so that the company carries on for a long, long time. Instead of having another 50 jobs this year, 50 next year and then imploding, we’d prefer to support 25 jobs over 100 years. That sort of long-term vision is far more important to us.

Empoweringthe people

To address the lack of training courses for the industrial battery industry, Mid Wales firm NiBS established its own. Grant Brackley explains why producing qualified personnel is essential to the sector.

N i B S

LocationLlanymynech, Mid WalesFounded1992Employees22

Our belief as a company is that it’s the culture that matters

Leading the charge:Far left, cutting-edge battery technology. Above, a training day

G R A N T B R A C K L E Y

Commercial directorNiBS


Q&A


Turning heritageon its head

Once, it was the world’s largest slate quarry. Today, you can get clipped up to a zip line and soar above it at more than 100mph. It’s an example of how Wales is creating new adventures out of its industrial heritage. And for further thrills, how about surfing artificial waves at a former metal works or trampolining in a mine chamber, deep underground?

WALES IS...



Inspiration.Collaboration.Innovation.

O P I N I O N

Welcome to a nation where academia, business and government work together to produce research breakthroughs with real-world impact, says Professor Peter Halligan, Chief Scientific Adviser for Wales.

Wales has made exceptional progress in leveraging its academic base

In the last year, since taking over as Chief Scientific Adviser for Wales, I’ve spent time travelling across the country and learning more about the huge range of research and innovation that takes place in our univer-

sities and businesses. It’s a part of the Welsh economy with an unrivalled capacity to grow and generate inward investment, which is why research and innovation are so vital in helping us achieve the Welsh Government’s objectives for prosperity, security and wellbeing. Wales’ growing research profile is character-ised by several areas of excellence, international engagement and real-world impact. Recent groundbreaking developments in Wales span diverse fields – including biotechnology (such as the identification of diagnostic biomarkers for detecting early-stage lung cancer), energy (the patenting of microbial fuel cell technology), medicine (the development of treatment for neurodegenerative diseases) and optoelectronics (next-generation computer graphics based on ray tracing and photon mapping). In terms of innovation, Wales outperforms the European average in terms of collaborating with SMEs, lifelong learning, scientific publications and sales of new-to-market innovations. In 2017, we were also ranked as the top “Strong Innovator” in the Regional Innovation Scoreboard. Wales has made impressive progress in leveraging our academic base and developing links with business. For example, Wales is indisputably an international leader in the field of compound semiconductors – a topic covered in depth else-where in this magazine. Cutting-edge innovation can be found in all parts of Wales. At Swansea University, there’s SPECIFIC – a centre developing building mate-rials that can actually generate energy. This has gained significant international attention and funding. cyber security is another area in which we have a large number of supply companies and academic institutions – notably Cardiff University and the University of South Wales – all working together. In North Wales there are exciting facilities such as the Deeside Advanced Manufacturing Research Institute and the new Menai Science Park operated by Bangor University, with plans for an advanced nuclear research facility. Here, the Welsh Government is funding two chairs at the Nuclear Futures Institute. As a neuroscientist involved in setting up the first CUBRIC – Cardiff University Brain

Research Imaging Centre – I am really pleased to see how the centre has been transformed by a £44million investment, moving to a new purpose-built location. It is one of the jewels in our life-sciences crown, alongside the MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics and the new Centre for Ageing and Dementia. Within the UK, Wales is the most efficient nation at translating its funding into high-quality, high-impact research. Using field-weighted citation impact, which compares the number of citations received by a research publication to an expected average, Wales’ performance has risen over the past 16 years to such an extent that it’s now above the other UK nations, and ahead of Denmark, the Netherlands and Finland. Areas where Wales is doing particularly well include natural and medical sciences, engineering and technology. So how is Wales achieving such success? One key factor is the increase in international collab-oration. This type of “research without borders” supports cutting-edge R&D by providing access to infrastructure, expertise, data and popula-tion aggregation at a scale beyond the reach of one nation alone. The principles of excellence and competitiveness that underpin European collaboration have helped drive up the quality of research outputs and contribute to higher skills levels. Over the past 18 years, structural funds allocated by the Welsh Government to research and innovation have helped grow our international research base and facilitated greater international collaboration. In a recent evaluation, nearly 70% of Wales’ academic publications were international – one of the highest rates of the UK nations – and these involved Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland. Wales has seen collaborations with places such as the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Tech-nology, and Harvard and Berkeley Universities in the United States. This is not just a matter of partnership between higher-education institu-tions, but long-term relationships that involve many research organisations and charities. The impact of Welsh research innovation can be seen in national and international policy, health and social care, science and engineering, creative industries, energy and environment, education, food and agriculture. Across these sectors and more, Wales is providing solutions to multidisciplinary problems that cross national boundaries in search of productive solutions.


We’re achilled– out place to work

F E A T U R E

Based in the market town of Machynlleth, Dulas is an award-winning renewable energy firm whose refrigeration technology is helping to fight disease in the developing world — and its co-operative model means every employee has a stake.


F E A T U R E

Once Owain Glyndŵr’s capital of Wales, Machynlleth has become equally notable as the capital of Wales’ alternative energy industry. A cluster of innovative companies have

carried the town’s name – and locally developed technology – throughout the world. Dulas is among Machynlleth’s success stories, and its wind-power, hydro-power and solar designs have been deployed in the UK, throughout Europe and across the developing world. The company’s dedication to sustainability and its enlightened workplace practices have earned an impressive list of accolades – including the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2004, the 2016 Welsh Social Business of the Year, and the Working Families Best for Motherhood award in 2017. The company operates out of two units at the Dyfi Eco Parc in Machynlleth: one owned by Dulas, and one rented from the Welsh Govern-ment, which had it purpose-built. It’s testament to a close working partnership, explains the firm’s managing director, Ruth Chapman. “We have an account manager who comes and sees us quite regularly,” she says. “He’ll always try to spot opportunities for us to engage with any useful programmes the Welsh Government may be running.” Dulas can also call upon the help of a Welsh Government innovation specialist, who has helped to secure funding for one of the company’s most groundbreaking designs – a refrigerator that enables vaccines to safely be stored in the developing world where there is no access to mains electricity. First designed by the original Dulas team at Machynlleth’s Centre for Alternative Technology in the 1980s, original models used solar power during the day but required batteries to maintain power after dark. However, batteries are no longer required in the latest generation of fridges. “We identified there was a gap in the market for battery-free solar fridges,” says Chapman, “and the Welsh Govern-ment gave us some funding to develop prototypes. We designed fridges that are lined with a special ‘phase change’ material, which freezes and thaws at +5 degrees Celsius. When it gets dark, the material slowly melts, and this maintains the temperature throughout the night.”

D U L A S

LocationMachynlleth, Mid WalesFounded1982Employees57

Our people are passionate about renewables

Nerve centre:Right, the Dulas offices and Machynlleth. Below, a directional wind vane

New generation technology:Interim managing director Ruth Chapman

Dulas works with UNICEF to supply fridges for the Gavi programme, a global health partnership that provides access to immunisation in poorer countries. And while the company’s ethical stance is one factor in attracting and retaining the right staff, Chapman admits there is another attraction – the spectacular setting of its headquarters on the southern fringe of Snowdonia National Park. “The Dyfi Forest has excellent mountain biking trails and mountains,” she says. “Cadair Idris is just to the north, and the beach at Aberdovey is 20 minutes away.” Indeed, a good work–life balance is some-thing Dulas is keen for its staff to maintain, with HR policies and procedures that support flexible working and help employees to take up commitments outside the office. Chapman says: “We have quite a few people who are trained as mountain rescue climbers, or work as lifeboat crew. They can do shifts that allow them to be on call-out for those services.

“We all work extremely hard, and we’re all very dedicated to what we want to achieve within Dulas. But along with that, we get to have much more of a work–life balance here in Mid Wales than I believe you would get anywhere else.” There’s a high level of staff retention – and thanks to the firm’s co-operative business model, all employees have a say in its direction. Chapman says: “Our people are passionate about the renewables industry, and they’re passionate about Dulas. Every member of the company has an equal share, which basically gives them a right to have a say on the strategic direction of the company. “We have an annual AGM at which the strategy and the budget is presented, and that goes to a vote. It gives every single person a voice – and makes Dulas feel more of a family than a business.”



S P R E A D I N G T H E W O R D

A family firm rooted in Caerphilly, Castle Dairies has been churning butter from rich Welsh cream for more than half a century. After major investment, it’s now looking to take

its products to breakfast tables across the world.


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Every pack of Welsh butter from Castle Dairies has a distinctive hallmark: a rampant dragon enclosed in a styl-ised outline of Caerphilly Castle. It’s a proud declaration of origin, both

national and local, and one that’s more than justified. Since the company started trading 53 years ago, it has used Welsh ingredients to create its traditional Welsh dairy products. Today, Castle Dairies is seeking to ride the wave of international demand for Welsh produce, and buying locally remains at the heart of its ethos. “We purchase our cream from supply dairies in Wales,” says managing director Nigel Lloyd, who took over from his father John in 2000. “It’s logistically important to be close to cream-producing centres – for transportation costs and also for our environmental footprint.” Local expertise is as vital to the firm as local ingredients, and a partnership with Cardiff Metro-politan University helps to keep the necessary skills in Wales. Nigel says: “We run knowledge transfer projects with the university to educate our staff in sensory analysis and develop new techniques in measuring quality. As for recruitment of higher-skilled staff – engineers, new-product development and technical staff – we’ve been able to find some very high-quality people. Wales has got a good skill set in that area.” Demand for Castle’s Welsh butter is booming, and this has prompted the firm to invest around £1million in infrastructure and product develop-ment. “Over the past two years, there has been a tremendous investment in the company to set it up for future growth,” says Nigel. “We put in a very sophisticated cold-mix spreadable plant, one of only two or three in the UK, and created a new product development department.” Financial support from the Welsh Government has helped the company realise its plans. “Over the years, the Welsh Assembly has been very supportive,” he says. “We’ve had grant aid to help us with capital expenditure. This has been critical in retaining and enhancing employment, and will

probably play a role in future development.” The Welsh Government is also supporting the company’s ambition to bring its products to kitchens and breakfast tables overseas. Nigel says: “In terms of exports, I think our Government have one of the best systems in the UK. They realised at an early stage that exports, especially in the food sector, are critical for Welsh businesses. “They attend most of the large trade fairs, subsidising stands that companies can access. One of our export sales managers attended Gulfood 2019 in Dubai, and the Welsh Government helped with his travel arrangements.” Castle Dairies has also taken part in a promising trade mission to New York, sounding out the US

market. “We’re dipping our toe in the water because exporting does require a lot of homework. It’s not something that should be taken lightly, but we believe that the risks can be covered with the help of the Welsh Government.” Carrying the brand across the Atlantic would have seemed like an impossible dream when John Lloyd started at Castle Dairies in 1968 as a delivery driver – or even

when he took over the firm 18 years later in a management buyout. Despite passing control to Nigel at the start of the millennium, he continues as chairman; and he’s not alone in his long-term commitment to the company. “We’ve got a lot of staff here who have been with us for more than 30 years, or even 40 years,” says Nigel. “I think that bedrock in the community is very important. It sets the culture, the way that we treat people. I’d like to think we offer a lot of flexibility as an employer, and people know who the owners are. They know we’re committed to the area.” So in due course, will the company see a third generation of the family taking the helm? Nigel admits it’s too early to commit his 14-year-old son to the business. But he’s confident that Caerphilly Castle and its dragon will be appearing on butter packs, in Wales and further afield, for many years to come.

C A S T L E D A I R I E S

LocationCaerphilly, South WalesFounded1966Employees70

Exporting requires a lot of homework

—it’s not to be taken lightly


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Managing director Nigel Lloyd

The production line

Packaging the butter

The churning process4



students need for our industry. We have both graduate and non-graduate trainee programmes, and we run work placements for local schools. Over the last two generations, we’ve seen South Wales move away from heavy industry, but the Welsh Government and local education providers have been focused on ensur-ing that students come through the system with the qualifications that modern businesses are looking for. Staff development is important to us, too. If someone on our team wants to pursue studies that will be of benefit to themselves or to the company, we’ll support them. Ours is a busy workplace and we’re a growing company, so people need to work around the pressures of the business; but where possible, we’ll give them the time to study and revise for exams. Empowering people through education is essential. All our people have to have an international mindset. JoJo Maman Bébé now ships to around 56 countries on the trade business side, and we have two international websites, selling directly to consumers in Ireland and America. We send our Welsh teams all across the world to meet wholesale clients or train our local workforce. Our four stores in the United States are run directly from our retail operations team in Wales. We want our American customers to be able to talk to JoJo rather than go through a local call centre, so we have a US customer services team here in Newport, working an evening shift to allow for the time difference. It’s important to me that the world sees Wales as an international, outward-facing country. We’re not insular – we are the “Global Welsh”.

I started a Welsh company with a French name because I wanted to make clear that we had inter-national ambitions. Wales isn’t just a beautiful country; it’s a great place to run a global opera-tion. We have extremely good communications networks. It’s easily practicable to commute from South Wales to London, where we have our marketing and design office, and Heathrow is less than two hours from our base in Newport. We’re part of Europe and part of the world. The JoJo Maman Bébé ethos has always been to put social responsibility above profit. I come from a large family, and I’ve tried to stay true to two of my mother’s mottos. The first is “waste not, want not”. When I worked for other people, I couldn’t fathom all the wastefulness I encountered, and was determined to run a lean and efficient business when I started up on my own. That’s why we’ve always aimed to be envi-ronmentally responsible – even before the term became part of our vocabulary.

The other motto that was drilled into me was “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. If you look after your team, it makes for a far better and friendlier working environment, and the business gets much more out of everyone. The workforce we’ve built up in South Wales is loyal and dedicated, and employees stay with us for a long time. This means we have people in operational roles who know the brand well and understand our values. It gives them the chance to get better and better at their jobs – and as long as we keep up with the latest technological advances, they become more productive. We work hard to ensure we can recruit from within Wales. It’s a great shame when companies are crying out for a particular skill set and young people are looking for good jobs, but the two just aren’t connecting. We liaise with colleges and educational establishments across our region, and I’ve spent time lecturing in local universities and advising course directors on the skills that


Laura Tenison has grown JoJo Maman Bébé into one of Brit-ain’s biggest names in maternity clothing and babywear, with more than 90 UK stores and a rising international profile. She explains why corporate responsibility and a dedicated Welsh

workforce are key to its success.

This is a great placeto run a global operation

J O J O M A M A N B É B É

LocationNewport, South WalesFounded1993Employees 180 (HQ)900 (across company)

Boss’s little helper:Above, some downtimewith rescue dog RubyTuesday. Right, stock atthe warehouse. Far right,Laura at the Newport site


Hot stuff:Far left, pouring out molten rock.Above, pipetting a sample for analysis

Chemostrat is an unusual company – can you tell us about what it does?

The Hafren Scientific Group, of which Chemostrat is part, offers analytical solutions in sectors ranging from oil and gas to mining, archaeology, water analysis and environmental studies. One example of Chemostrat services is the elemental finger-printing of rocks. All rocks have a unique signa-ture, which makes it possible to map changes in layering. This is useful in assisting international oil companies in oil or gas exploration and develop-ment opportunities.

We’ve grown from a two-person operation to a world-class analytical laboratory that can analyse more than 20,000 samples per year. As well as our base in Welshpool, we have offices in Houston, Calgary and Perth (Western Australia).

We take our laboratory services to oil well sites and other remote locations, and we were the first company in the world to offer chemostratigraphy services on site. In 2001 we entered into a 10-year research collaboration with Halliburton Energy Services, one of the largest service companies in the oil and gas sector. We were involved in launch-ing well-site services in the USA, Canada and the Middle East. How easy is it to find experienced scientists and graduate entrants?

We have a number of qualified geologists who left the area to study elsewhere in the UK, but came back because they prefer the lifestyle here. We’ve been able to develop good relationships with academia. With Aberystwyth and Glyndŵr Universities nearby, we have an excellent pool of potential recruits. We have an ongoing project with Aberystwyth, which gives us access to its Innovation and Enterprise Campus to provide support for developing new services and tech-niques. We also have connections with Bangor and Cardiff Universities. Has working with the Welsh Government been a straightforward process?

Their support has been a crucial part of Chemostrat’s success and our continued development. They have provided help with growth and innovation, as well as useful links through their business network opportunities. The key to this success has been our relationship with our Welsh Government account manager, who helps us to access the right support and information within the Government and in the wider business community.

You’ve received support for expansion, export and R&D. How important has this been?

When we moved to Welshpool, we received Welsh Government grant support for specialist software, laboratory equipment and instrumentation, office fit-out and IT support. This gave us a commercial advantage to grow expeditiously rather than by a slower, organic process. It enabled us to take advan-tage of a growing market for our services. We’ve also received support for specialist training and staff, and for conferences and business trips glob-ally. That has increased our international footprint. Do you think Wales is fertile ground for anyone with an innovative business idea?

The support structure is definitely here. You have access to decision-makers in the Welsh Govern-ment and a desire from Welsh universities to partner with innovative companies. This, coupled with a positive attitude from the Welsh economy, provides the right environment for developing ideas into business prospects.

We’re here for the duration. We have strong local roots, and we’ve recently entered into a joint venture with another Welsh company that has helped increase our service portfolio and reach. Further on, we hope to create a geoscience centre of excellence based in Mid Wales – some-thing we hope will have a global influence.

Chemostrat undertakes chemical analysis of sedimentary rock for the biggest players in the global oil and gas industry. Being headquartered in Wales has helped the firm grow, says Eddie Merrick.

C H E M O S T R A T

LocationWelshpool, Mid WalesFounded1994Employees36 (UK)

Mineral wealth

Q&A

E D D I E M E R R I C K

Director of international operationsChemostrat



We’ve always taken pride in being innovators. When Penderyn started in 1999, it was the first whisky distillery in Wales for more than 100 years. There was

a conscious decision to try to create a distinctive Welsh style of whisky. The founders didn’t have much industry knowledge at the time – that expertise came later – but they were passionate about Wales and wanted to produce the best product they could. The way we distil and cask our whisky is unique. The Scotch whisky industry generally uses pot stills, which produce a spirit at 70% to 76% strength. At Penderyn, we use a specially commissioned column still, and our spirit comes off at 89% to 92% alcohol by volume. One of the reasons you cask whisky is to remove impurities, but because our spirit is lighter, it doesn’t have as many of those harsh notes in the first place. The cask doesn’t have to work so hard, so we can get a quicker maturation, and we end up with a balanced whisky that picks up just the right amount of wine and wood flavours. When I first joined the company in 2012, our range of products was considerably smaller. Today, our range of expressions is growing. This allows us to reach a wider audience, and to exercise a lot of creativity with our distillation, mashing and maturation processes. Our Icons of Wales series – special releases that celebrate a person, milestone or event from Welsh history – has proved very interesting from a marketing point of view, and it has certainly helped us tap into both the whisky market and the loyal Welsh expat community. It’s not just a matter of marketing. Our Bryn Terfel whisky came in beautiful velvet packaging, and I’m sure this will have led some people to wonder whether what’s inside the bottle matched the outside. But that expression of Penderyn won

multiple prizes (it was European Whisky of the Year 2018) and was given a very high rating by Jim Murray, one of the world’s most renowned whisky writers. In a business like this, there has to be substance to what you do. More and more distilleries are springing up in Wales. Around 25 spirits licences have been granted throughout the country – not only for whisky, but vodka, gin and other products. The Welsh Government has been very supportive of us and of the industry. We had valuable help when we set up the visitor centre in 2008 and tripled our production capacity in 2014, and they do a lot to promote us around the world. We don’t try to emulate the Scotch whisky market. That has been there for a very long time, and has an export value of around £5billion. But increasing our production in Wales is good from both a manufacturing and tourism point of view, and we’re currently planning new Penderyn distilleries in Swansea and North Wales. We don’t have problems with recruitment. If you’re in Scotland and you’re looking for a new distiller or member of the technical team, you can find lots of people with specific skills and experience. We don’t have that in Wales, but we do have a talented workforce that’s willing to learn. We can train our people from the ground up; and in some ways that’s better, as they really get behind our brand and our values. I certainly had no experience of whisky before I came here. We have an all-female technical team at the distillery, including distilling and blending, purely because those individuals were the best people for the jobs. We are recognised for the jobs we do rather than for our gender, but I’m very keen to use our example to encourage women to come into the industry and become part of it. I think it bodes well for the future of Wales as a whisky-producing nation.

Still life:Where the whisky is born


A spirit of creativity

O P I N I O N

From its base in the Brecon Beacons, Penderyn has spearheaded the revival of the Welsh whisky industry. Laura Davies, who heads the distilling team, explains how business success has been driven by bold innovation and a willingness to experiment.

The way we distil and cask our whisky is unique


A new wave of adventure

F E A T U R E

After pioneering the UK’s only inland wave lagoon, where confident surfers can test their mettle on artificial breakers up to six feet tall, Adventure Parc Snowdonia has ambitious plans to turn into a year-round attraction — complete with a new four-star hotel.


As the gull flies, it’s about seven miles from Dolgarrog in the Conwy Valley to the nearest part of the Welsh coast-line – so there’s something weirdly wonderful in the fact that it’s where

Britain’s most reliable surf break is to be found. At Adventure Parc Snowdonia – formerly Surf Snowdonia – a giant lagoon offers artificial waves to suit the skills of every board rider. Beginners can find their balance on white water waves. For advanced surfers, the Wavegarden technology easily whisks up head-high breakers that present more of a challenge. When the centre opened in 2015, it provided the world’s longest manmade surfable wave, prompting one national newspaper to ask: “Is inland Wales the best surf spot on the planet?” Since then, it has played a part in establishing North Wales as a prime destination for innovative adventure travel.

Getting the community on board:Adventure Parc Snowdonia’s Andy Ainscough

Peak flow:The vital water supply from Dolgarrog mountain

A D V E N T U R E P A R C

S N O W D O N I A

LocationDolgarrog, North WalesFounded2012Employees45

Adventure Parc Snowdonia occupies what was previously a post-industrial blot on the landscape – though in the heart of spectacular mountain scenery. Until 2007, aluminium had been smelted at the site for more than a century. Its transfor-mation was made possible by local entrepreneur Martin Ainscough, who bought the land without having any settled plan for its future. Andy Ainscough, his son, is now managing director of Adventure Parc Snowdonia. He says: “The economy was in crisis at the time of purchase, so the time wasn’t right to do anything with it. By the time we did begin to think about a future for Dolgarrog, all sorts of options were on the table. And at the time, I happened to be working summers as an outdoor instructor in Wales and the Lake District.” What the site did have was lots of good quality water: its near-neighbour is a hydroelectric power station. Water from hills to the west flows down

to RWE Energy’s plant, where it drives generator turbines, and in the past it was then discharged into the River Conwy. “We now borrow that water for a while”, says Andy. Keen to make good use of all that pure Welsh rain, the Ainscoughs looked into developing the site as a watersports facility. They soon discov-ered the artificial wave technology pioneered by Wavegarden, based in the Spanish Basque Country, and the rest is history. Visitor numbers have exceeded the estimate laid down in their initial business plan. Andy says: “In our first full season, in 2016, we expected 70,000 surfers to come to Dolgarrog. We actually had 150,000 visitors.” He believes this success has a lot to do with the support the new venture received from both local and national government. “Both Conwy Borough and the Welsh Government were very proactive,” he says. “We were able to get access to the right people, and explain to them what we wanted to achieve, far quicker than we could have done in other parts of the UK. People were very understanding and open.” At first, recruiting staff to “wet” roles such as lifeguards and surf instructors meant looking far afield. In the first year, 70% of these staff were from outside Wales. That situation has now been reversed, with 80% drawn from the local area. Across all roles, local people now make up 95% of the workforce. Andy and the team are now well into the next chapter of the centre’s story. The rebranding of Surf Snowdonia to Adventure Parc Snowdonia reflects how phase two will see a wider range of nature-inspired experiences offered at Dolgarrog. A new indoor activity zone, Adrenaline Indoors, has been launched in summer 2019. There will also be a zip wire that will fly users over the surf lagoon, plus further outdoor activities on and off the site. With the help of a major investment, the company will be able to extend its on-site accom-modation beyond the current wooden “glamping pods”. In 2020, a new four-star, 106-bed hotel will meet the needs of visitors seeking more luxury. The ultimate hope is that a season that starts in March and ends in November can be extended. “Our phase-two developments will help with our all-year-round offer, which is key for us,” says Andy. “At the moment we have about 20 staff members who stay with us all year, but we’d love to retain more.”

We’ve been able to get access to the right people, and quickly


It’s not all work, work, work. We’ve created The Wales Way – three national routes to help you explore our greatest scenery. The Coastal Way, The North Wales Way and The Cambrian Way will lead you along the coast, across castle country, and through our mountainous heartland. At every turn, we’ve suggested detours so you can tailor-make your own epic journey.

thewalesway.com


Frontgrid is the second business that I’ve set up in North Wales. When I left the military, I became a mountaineering instructor and expe-dition leader, before attending Bangor University to do a business degree. That first start-up was an expedition company, which took young people on expeditions around the world. A lot of the people who live in my part of Wales have chosen to be here because they enjoy the natural environment. Like me, they’re here for the mountains and the sea. There are a lot of people around who are at a later stage in their career and who have extremely good skills. They’re looking for exciting opportunities, which is great for innovative companies such as ours. Our head office is within walking distance of home for me. We also have a satellite office in Salisbury, Wiltshire, and an engineering partner, Simworx, at Kingswinford in the West Midlands. So we’re based in Wales, we’re innovating and manufacturing in the UK, and we’re shipping globally. Looking to the future, it’s our ambition to be recognised globally as a leader in the field of innovative, world-first adventure attractions.

Up and away:ParadropVR in action

High flyers:Matt Wells, left, and David Wood

For me, what’s so great about virtual reality is that it allows you to take people to places they would otherwise only dream about. Paragliding is one experience that most people can’t access in the real world, but we can provide it with our ParadropVR product. We could see there was a gap in the adven-ture experience market for this. What happens is that the user sits in a fabric harness and then puts on the VR headset. The machine is started up, and they’re taken up to 3,000ft in ParadropVR’s virtual world. They’re then released, taking control of their journey using toggles in each hand to soar around a mountain environment. Anybody can fly, whether they’re seven or 107. And we’ve also “gamified” the experience: there’s a set of rings that you fly through, each earning you points that add up to a final score. There’s an international leader board, provided via the ParadropVR mobile app, so every player can potentially become world champion. From the start, we wanted ParadropVR to

be as close to the real thing as it could possibly be. Frontgrid’s executive chairman David Wood and I have a military background. We’ve both served with the airborne forces and are both parachutists, so we’ve been able to draw on our own experience to make sure the product feels just right. Our product development has been focused on making sure that the sensation that you experience as you fly is authentic. We founded the business in 2015 and sold our first product in September 2017. Currently, 90% of our revenue comes from overseas. Thanks to an overseas business development grant from the Welsh Government, which subsi-dises exhibitions abroad, we were able to take ParadropVR to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Expo in Orlando last November. I doubt we could have done this without the assistance. Attending these events is vital for us to build our brand and our reputation: we needed to be there to be part of the game.


Matt Wells co-founded Frontgrid to develop and bring to market cutting-edge adventure experiences. Its first

product, ParadropVR, draws on his expertise as an Army airborne engineer and parachutist to let anyone

experience the excitement of paragliding.

Anybody can fly —and it’s as close to the real thing as possible

F R O N T G R I D

LocationConwy, North WalesFounded2013Employees147

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WALES IS...

Winning the race to zero waste

Could Wales consign waste to history by the middle of the century? It’s an ambitious goal, but one we’ve taken to heart. From eliminating single-use plastic to fitting out workplaces with recycled timber, businesses are finding more and better ways to eliminate refuse — and the people and government of Wales are right behind them.


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S T R A N D T I T L E


A healthy picture

The past year has been the busiest yet for Wales’ buoyant film and TV industry, with the completion of a string of high-profile productions — including His Dark Materials, the latest flagship drama for Cardiff-based independent producers Bad Wolf.

F O C U S : F I L M & T V


S T R A N D T I T L E

It may share its name with an evil corpora-tion in Doctor Who, but Bad Wolf has only been good for Wales’ burgeoning TV and film industry. It’s the biggest independent player in a sector that has seen exceptional

growth, increasing by 334% between 2006 and 2016 in terms of Gross Value Added (GVA). For an idea of the breadth of home-grown talent, it’s worth looking to Screen Alliance Wales. The industry body’s key partners and supporters include studio complexes (Dragon International Studios), set constructors (4wood TV & film), camera and lighting providers (Movi-etech and Panalux) and even specialist caterers (Scene Cuisine) – not to mention the University of South Wales and Bad Wolf itself. In real life, as on screen, the Bad Wolf story begins with Doctor Who. After working on the 2005 revival of the science-fiction series, BBC executive Jane Tranter and producer Julie Gardner opted to make the BBC Worldwide co-production Da Vinci’s Demons in Swansea. In 2015, the two decided to start a new production company headquartered in Cardiff. Their belief that Wales had the locations, crew and supply chain to cope with the biggest and most prestigious productions has been proven right – not least by their flagship production of 2018, an adaptation of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials novels for BBC One and the American HBO network. “It has contained every challenge a produc-tion could face,” says executive producer Dan McCulloch, “from child filming hours, huge set construction and complicated stunts to cutting-edge FX and remote filming locations. But Jane and Julie had met these challenges before in Wales, and it felt right to bring the show to Cardiff.” Much of the filming took place at Wolf Studios Wales, their newly opened studio complex in Cardiff Bay. “It’s a one stop shop for pre-pro-duction, production and post-production,” says McCulloch. “Wales has its own ecosystem in terms of talent, crew and locations. Urban streets and dramatic countryside, coupled with excellent infrastructure and construction teams, means you have all the right resources.” Chief operating officer Natasha Hale says: “Bad Wolf is the only high-end television drama production company based out in the regions. Having filmed all over the world for BBC Worldwide, including South Africa, Canada, London and Los Angeles, the founders felt their best experiences in being able to find the right people was in Wales. You can never ask too much – supply companies here are always willing to go the extra mile.”

Wales has its own ecosystem of talent, crew and locations

Dream factory:Previous page, below and right,the Wolf Studios Wales complex

B A D W O L F

LocationCardiff, South WalesFounded2015Employees30

Financial incentives helped to cement the deal. “We received a repayable commercial loan from the Welsh Government,” says Hale. “Jane and Julie had an amazing track record and could have set the company up almost anywhere, but they wanted something that anchored them here.” While being in Wales meant everything to Bad Wolf’s founders, it also means a great deal for Wales to have them here – 30 full-time jobs is just the beginning. Hale says: “This year we’ll make three productions, all worth many millions of pounds. By headquartering here, Bad Wolf is developing a long-standing, significant industry that will be based in Wales for many years to come. When most companies go into the regions to make a production, they finish up and leave nothing behind. Bad Wolf is here 365 days a year. “Our turnover on productions will be over £80million this year, and on average more than 60% of that will go into local supply chains. We use local construction companies to build our sets, and we use local scaffolding companies, electricians, drivers and security firms.” Bad Wolf was instrumental in setting up Screen Alliance Wales to train production

crew for these new jobs and build up Wales’ infrastructure. “We like to think we begin training at nine years old where we invite local children in for tours of the studio,” says Hale. “On His Dark Materials season one, more than 2,500 children came through the doors. They can see what’s being made here, have a go at filming, and meet inspirational people. Then we have workshops, work experience, and paid training programmes.” There’s a strong emphasis, too, on equality. “We have a very strict policy in terms of equal opportunities and diversity,” she says. “The foremost thing is to advertise widely every single opportunity that we have, to get away from industry nepotism.” And while creating a sustainable television industry, the company is determined to preserve the country’s natural resources. “The environ-ment is at the heart of what we do,” says Hale. “We run on 100% renewable electricity. Our sets get recycled, we have environment runners to make sure we’re not using too much fuel, and sustainability is monitored on every production.”




we offer a good-value proposition with easy transport links, plus a variety of locations that make optimum use of the beautiful landscape. I think His Dark Materials will really put Wales on the map when it’s screened this year. It’s a truly Welsh production, with sets built in Cardiff and locations around South Wales. Aside from that, one of the most challenging sets we’ve recently worked on was for A Discovery of Witches. We had to recreate a period-building library with a huge stained-glass window and moulds to create the idea of thousands of stacked books. We also constructed a challenging set for the Channel 4 series Traitors. We used a car park in Cardiff Bay to sculpt two part-ruined 1940s houses, recreating the aftermath of a bomb strike. We are now looking to expand the company. We’re investing in new technology and machin-ery, and training new contractors – all to keep the momentum growing within the creative industries. We’re always talking about the next project. That reflects the growing confidence in the creative industries in Wales.

Creating illusions:Craftspeople turning the set designs into reality

Set for success:4Wood directorScott Fisher

We started as an exhibitions company, but when production of Doctor Who came to Wales, we started to move the business more towards building sets for TV and film. At that time, the infrastructure in Wales for the creative industries was limited, but the sector has really grown over the past 14 years, with an increasing number of high-profile productions shooting here. We worked on eight productions in 2018 – twice the number of the previous year – including A Discovery of Witches for Sky and Keeping Faith for BBC Cymru Wales. There are 12 productions on the board for 2019, notably the TV adaptation of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials novels, for which we’re working closely with Wolf Studios Wales. We used to have to go to Bristol or London to find work, but there’s now a real hub of oppor-tunities in Wales. This gave us the confidence to establish a permanent base here, first in Barry and now in Cardiff. The Wales brand has become far better known overseas. We’re established as a place to produce international-scale produc-tions such as Sherlock for the BBC and the new Netflix production Sex Education.

We have around 100 subcontractors on our books, including a core team of around 30 skilled, creative craftspeople. They range from the scenic carpenters who make the sets to creative welders who look after the finish, and most work on a self-employed basis. Together, it’s our job to take the vision of the production designer and turn it into reality. It has to look believable on screen. We work closely with local colleges, such as the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. We bring new talent into the industry, first through work experience and then paid work placements. I think it’s important for Wales to train up a new skill base and then have the continuity to keep work in the region. For us as a company, it means 95% of our work and suppliers are now based within Wales. Working collaboratively with the Welsh Government has been essential. Without its support, there would be no work. It plays a crucial role in enticing production companies to Wales, and makes them aware that the infrastructure needed for a major production is all available here. It successfully conveys the message that

From Doctor Who to His Dark Materials, the biggest Welsh productions rely on spectacular sets to immerse

viewers in their imaginative world. Many of them are built by 4Wood TV & Film, as director Scott Fisher explains.

Wales is a real hub of opportunities

4 W O O D T V & F I L M





What are the latest developments at Dragon Studios?

I’m part of the team that acquired Dragon Studios in early 2019. We finalised the deal and immedi-ately started work with the people at NBCUniversal. They’ll be basing themselves in Wales for the rest of this year to shoot their next series – an adapta-tion of Brave New World, the Aldous Huxley novel.

Looking beyond that, we’re planning to create a media hub at Dragon Studios, and we’ve already had several enquiries from businesses wanting to be part of it. We’re talking to lighting companies, post-production facilities, special effects people and location kit supply companies. There’s a broad range of businesses keen to have a presence here and work with us. Why are so many film companies choosing to come to Wales?

From my own background as a film and TV location manager, I can say – hand on heart – Wales is one of the best places you can come for stunning film locations. There are just so many fantastic places in Wales that we can access relatively quickly.

If you’re shooting in London and you drive for two hours, you haven’t really got out of London. But two hours from Dragon Studios can take you to Mid Wales, Bristol, the coast of the Gower Peninsula or the Brecon Beacons. You have all these different types of scene, from cityscapes to landscapes to epic wilderness – or forests, beaches, caves – all within reach. They’re all easily accessible from where we are. Has the Welsh Government been able to help you attract business?

Yes. We liaise very closely with the Welsh Govern-ment when film productions want to be based here. The film company will quite often contact the Welsh Government directly. They, in turn, will get in touch with us, and we can think about putting a package together to explain how we could work with them.

How are you making sure you have the skills base to cope with these big productions?

One of our main goals is to educate the next generation. We’re collaborating with Screen Alli-ance Wales and other industry organisations, and we’ll be linking with colleges in the region to set up work experience and other schemes to allow talented young people to learn on the job. I think that’s among the most important things we can do as an industry. What would you say to other businesses in the creative industries that are considering Wales?

In the last few years, the talent pool in Wales has grown. There’s are plenty of skilled people work-ing not just in our part of the industry, but in other sectors alongside us – such as the carpenters who build sets for our productions. Where we’re positioned in Wales, we also have easy access to cities with a wealth of knowledge and skill. At the moment, Cardiff is one of the most advanced places in the UK for creative technology, and that’s feeding into the post-production capabilities that we have available to us in Wales. What does the future hold for Dragon Studios?

It’s all positive. We’re seeing a lot of demand, a lot of calls and emails, from production companies that would like to be based here. That’s something we knew would happen because we know what Wales has to offer. We have great studio facilities, some of the best locations in the country and an incredible workforce. It’s no wonder the industry is thriving here.

Prime location:The Dragon Studioscomplex near Bridgend

Where imagination takes flightWith four large stages and a vast backlot area, Dragon Studios can accommodate the biggest film productions — and it’s within easy reach of Wales’ most spectacular filming locations. Tom Guy shares his ambitious plans for the studios’ future.

D R A G O N S T U D I O S

LocationBridgend, South WalesFounded2007Employees8

Hand on heart — Wales is one of the best places you can come for stunning film locations

Q&A

T O M G U Y

Operations managerDragon Studios



02.The Red Book of Hergest

04.Cambriae Typus

The first printed map of Wales was produced in 1573 by Humphrey Llwyd, an eccentric scholar, collector and politician from Denbigh. Although the nation had been seen on earlier maps, his Cambriae Typus was the first to show it as a nation distinct from the rest of Britain. Its place names are recorded in Welsh, English and Latin, and it was relied upon by travellers well into the 18th century.

Today, it provides an invaluable record of Renaissance Wales, though it would be ill-advised to use the map as a sat-nav replacement – particu-larly in South Wales. Its many errors include the complete absence of the Gower Peninsula.

01.Raspberry Pi

M I L E S T O N E S SE

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BO

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TIO

N05.The Felinfoel beer can

Beer in a tin can? Commonplace today, but unknown to Britain back in 1935. It was first manufactured that year at the Felinfoel Brewery in Llanelli, whose owners were tin magnates as well as brewers. They came up with the idea of coating the inside of a can with an inert wax to stop the beer inside getting a metallic tang.

It proved a hit with drinkers, and didn’t do any harm to South Wales’ domination of the tin industry. In 1945, the region still had more than 300 tinplate mills in operation.

03.The Coal Exchange tide clocks

Cardiff once ranked among the world’s most important ports, and the Coal Exchange was its beating heart. A local legend holds that the first million-pound cheque was signed here. Whatever the truth, deals made on the market floor affected supply chains that stretched across the world.

The entrance hall featured two intricately carved clocks, supported by wooden lions. These were set to the port’s high-water times in the morning and the afternoon: essential information for the traders and shipowners, whose cargo movements depended on the tides. Now that the Coal Exchange is a luxury hotel, the clocks that flank the reception provide a talking point for guests and a poignant reminder of the building’s past.

06.A cnapan ball

Rugby union has been a symbol of Welsh identity for more than a century. But if you think that’s a physical game, try cnapan. First recorded in the ninth-century History of the Britons by the Welsh monk Nennius, it involved the entire male popula-tion of two villages fighting to steal a hard wooden ball and carry it home.

Though violent and chaotic, cnapan is widely considered to be a direct ancestor of modern rugby. Some researchers even think it contained primitive versions of the scrum and line-out, but one practice has fallen out of use in the modern game: cnapan balls were often left boiling in fat overnight to make them extra-slippery and difficult to handle.

07.The fuel cell

When humankind went to the Moon in 1969, a piece of Welsh ingenuity blasted off with the three NASA astronauts. The electric power and drinking water in the Apollo spacecraft were produced by fuel cells, which combine hydrogen and oxygen in a controlled electrochemical reaction.

It’s a process that was first described in 1838 by the Welsh physicist and barrister William Grove, who managed to create a working prototype just three years later. Fast-forward 180 years, and the same technology is at the heart of the Riversimple Rasa, a lightweight fuel-cell car now under development in Abergavenny.

In Wales, innovation is nothing new. And while it’s a tall order to pick a handful of items to represent Welsh ingenuity, enterprise and invention through the centuries, each of these seven has a compelling story to tell about our nation.

Invented by Pontypool-born Eben Upton, the inexpensive, credit-card-sized Raspberry Pi is the best-selling British-designed computer of all time. Intended to introduce young people to programming, it has also proved a hit with adults.

The Pi was originally manufactured in China. But in 2012, Upton moved production to the Sony UK Technology Centre at Pencoed, near Bridgend, to take advantage of its “unparalleled manufacturing standards”. More than 10 million units have since emerged from the production line, making the Pi third only to the Apple Mac and the mighty PC in worldwide popularity.

Wales is a nation of storytellers. Long before Dylan Thomas or Roald Dahl were practising their craft, audiences were being held spellbound by the folk tales of the Mabinogion. They’re collected in the Red Book of Hergest, arguably the most important medieval manuscript in the Welsh language.

Its stories introduce a rich cast of characters: the heroic prince Pwyll and the enchanted horsewoman Rhiannon; Blodeuwedd, the flower maiden transformed into an owl; and even King Arthur and his warriors. By the time a scribe had copied out the tales in the late 14th century, they would already have been centuries old, but their themes of valour, treachery, heartbreak and loss are timeless.


Thepath to success

F E A T U R E

CellPath is a Welsh life-sciences business with a global footprint, supplying high-quality products and services for cancer diagnostics. A strong focus on research and development is helping to keep the company at the forefront of its field.


F E A T U R E

As a company that provides products and services to the cellular pathology sector, helping medics to diagnose and treat cancer, CellPath touches many thousands of lives each year.

“I know for a fact that my father was tested with our products,” says research and development director Dr Neil Haine. “That really hits home how important CellPath is as a company. But we’re not resting on our laurels – we’re always striving to make new products and keep ourselves ahead of our competitors.” CellPath’s products are used in two areas: histology and cytology. Histology involves looking at cells that come from biopsies, including inves-tigations for prostate or breast cancer. Cytology tests cells in suspension, such as from cervical smears. CellPath produces all the consumables needed for diagnosis, from the chemicals needed to process laboratory samples to the slides that pathologists use to examine them. It’s also respon-sible for a cellular pathology archive (CellNass) that stores tissue samples for the NHS. Cancer diagnostics is a challenging, fast-mov-ing field, and CellPath aims for constant innova-tion. “We want to develop the next generation of products and services, providing better perfor-mance in cancer diagnosis and reduced turnaround times,” says Dr Haine. “Out of our workforce of 100 people, five are full-time research and development. We’re looking to make more and more of our revenue from new products.” The company moved to Newtown from Hertfordshire in 1990, but 83-year-old chairman Peter Webber’s association with Wales goes back much further. In 1940, he was evacuated here as a five-year-old during the Second World War. “Mid Wales is God’s own country,” he says, “and we’re very proud of our entrepreneurs: Laura Ashley, Robert Owen, Sir Pryce Pryce-Jones. I always say there’s something in the water up here.” There’s certainly something in the ecosystem. CellPath is a member of the MediWales network, exhibiting regularly at its events, and it enjoys good relationships with Welsh universities including Aberystwyth and South Wales. The company

C E L L P A T H

LocationNewtown, Mid WalesFounded1990Employees100

We’re looking to make more and more revenue from new products

Construction set:One of CellPath’s injection moulding machines

Peter WebberFounder, Cellpath

has received financial support from the Welsh Government, including funding to assist with R&D equipment. Being in Wales has delivered the benefits of good transport links and high-speed internet – plus, Peter Webber believes, the ability to build a strong, loyal workforce. “We have a strong family atmosphere and a lot of loyalty, being a Welsh company in Wales,” he says. “We’re well known for supporting the local football team. We have many people who have worked here for a long time, and multiple generations of the same family. At the same time, the strength of our brand and the quality of life here attract skilled people from all around the world. We have people from Spain, Romania, Malta and Poland. We’re a global company with a global workforce.”

CellPath is certainly thinking globally. It holds ISO 13485 certification for design of in vitro diagnostic devices, and this is a big draw for multinational companies seeking to use Cell-Path’s expertise. Webber says: “We’ve also had excellent support from the Welsh Government in achieving export growth, such as assistance with trade missions and attending exhibitions to promote our products. That’s been highly successful in helping us to increase our export sales. The cancer diagnostics market grows by 8 to 10% per year, and we're growing the market all the time for our products and services.” Webber has high hopes for CellPath’s future. “All my life, I’ve always believed that there is a better way to do things. We’ve designed and developed unique products and services, such as CellNass, that put us above the rest. We’re growing at a good rate, we’re well-financed, and we have a very substantial base, with a turnover of £10million and a healthy profit. The opportu-nities are tremendous.”

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More than a decade ago, when I was working in another law firm, a couple of my fellow partners and I realised we could do things differently. We decided to create a commercial law firm that could compete with the big City-based and international firms across Europe, but which would be proudly based in Wales. In doing that, we felt we could achieve two things: a different working culture and a lower cost base. Because Wales is a great place to work and lots of people want to live here – particularly those who already have Welsh connections – our idea was that we could attract super-bright lawyers from the City to come and work with us. We would then effectively sell them back to the City and around the UK and Europe. When we set up Capital Law, a couple of other aspects set us apart from traditional law firms. We only do commercial law, serving businesses,

the public sector and the third sector. We don’t get involved in areas such as personal injury, family law or crime. The other element is harder to define, but we call it “Our Way”. We operate in a manner that allows our people to be grown-ups and take responsibility for their own lives. They have to ensure their legal work is of the highest possible standard, but work is just a part of their life rather than all of it. This has helped us to recruit the bright people we need. Most of them are aged between 30 and 40 and either have small children or are planning on starting a family, so work is only one factor in their decision to come to Cardiff. In the main, we bring people in from London and Bristol, although we have also recruited from other firms in Wales. We’re firmly rooted in Cardiff. The firm where the three of us used to work was based

We knew we could do things better


C A P I T A L L A W


here, and none of us had any intention of living or working elsewhere. Wales is a great place to set up a business. We have access to finance, such as from the Development Bank of Wales, which is wholly owned by the Welsh Government and funds businesses with between £50,000 and £5million. We also have Business Wales, which can provide support and financial assistance to very early-stage businesses. A few years ago, the Welsh Government took the decision to grow the economy in partnership with the private sector, and put in place a range of panels to advise them. I’m now a member of the Ministerial Advisory Board, made up of 10 people from the private sector who advise the Government on policy. As part of one initiative, I asked chief executives from the financial services sector what the main advantages of basing a business in Wales were. Every one of them said it was the people here who made a difference.

Cardiff itself is predicted to be the fastest-grow-ing city in Europe over the next 20 years. We have extensive housing and Grade-A office development, and a new transport network in the Metro project. Our three universities produce tens of thousands of qualified students every year. People tend to think about Cardiff as being a modestly sized city. But if you look at where you can get to in a 40-minute drive, we’re talking about an area of 1.4 million people with good communication links. That’s a big pull for firms looking to set up in Wales. As for Capital Law, we’ve achieved what we set out to do 10 years ago, having grown around 10% a year since then. Our plan for the next few years is further aggressive but organic growth. To do that, we will need to continue to attract brilliant people who want to come here – and we can do it, because Wales is a great place to live and work. Wales is at the very centre of our business model.

In their blueprint for Capital Law, Chris Nott and his two founding partners envisioned a firm that could compete with the big names in the City, support entrepreneurship

in Wales and offer staff an enviable work–life balance. He explains why it’s a business model that works.

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What exactly does the company do?

Around 70% of medical decisions are taken using in vitro diagnostics – the testing of blood and tissue samples – and we’re a global leader in this field. We serve immunohaematology communities around the world, including hospitals, hospital networks, blood banks and clinical laboratories in nearly 130 countries. If a doctor asks you to give blood for a test, it may well be one of our products that will test it. How does Wales fit into your global strategy?

On site in Pencoed we’ve got about 450 people making immune assay and immunohaematology products. We’ve had a presence in this area for around 40 years. We started in Cardiff in 1980, and moved to a state-of-the-art facility at Pencoed in 2010. We how have a diverse mix of people, from young graduates and apprentices through to staff with over 30 years’ experience.

Over the years, we’ve seen the life sciences community in Wales grow and grow, and we’re proud to have been a large part of that. We believe that Wales is a vibrant place to do business. It’s got everything we need to serve our marketplace. How is the company ensuring it can recruit the right talent for years to come?

Every company will say that people are its most important asset, and we’re no different. We’re equally delighted with the apprentices that we get from local colleges and the graduates that come out of the fantastic universities we’ve got on our doorstep.

The beauty of being in the sector for a long period of time is that we’re now able to attract the top talent from these universities. We’ve found the students we have hired to be first class in aptitude, attitude and potential. I’m sure that the thinking of these young people will help our company evolve and improve for many years to come.

Has business support been available to you in Wales?

The Welsh Government have been there when-ever we’ve needed them, engaging with us and offering an array of resources to support our continued success. They can help with things on your doorstep, and also with international trade links. I really think the Welsh Government is a champion for innovation and industry in Wales. What advice would you give life sciences companies thinking of locating in Wales?

I would say that Wales hits the mark for business, whether you’re coming here at an early stage or you’re established. The same principles apply whatever stage your company has reached. Wales has a skilled workforce across many disciplines. Location is important, too. Our distribution links are strong: we’re relatively close to all the major ports and airports. Allied to the supportive government, it’s a recipe for success. Do you expect to be doing business in Wales for another 40 years?

Our reason to exist is to save and improve lives through diagnostics. To that end, we’ll keep our focus on serving our global customers in hospital labs and blood banks all around the world. Building on the excellent resources and support we have here in the heart of Wales will help us do that.

Tried &testedOrtho Clinical Diagnostics has been manufacturing complex medical diagnostic equipment in South Wales for almost 40 years. Paul Hales explains why it's the perfect location for a successful life-sciences business.

O R T H O C L I N I C A L

D I A G N O S T I C S

LocationPencoed, South WalesFounded1980Employees450

Appliance of science:Far left, a transfer conveyor at the Pencoed site. Left, the BioVue Filler Module

Wales is a nation with a skilled workforce across many disciplines

Q&A

P A U L H A L E S

Senior directorOrtho Clinical Diagnostics

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W A L E S I S . . .

Capturing a global audience

From bestselling video games to tightly plotted television dramas, the output of Wales’ creative industries entertains the world.

It’s among our fastest-growing sectors, and the word is spreading: last year, more film productions than ever before came to Wales,

taking advantage of our spectacular locations, state-of-the-art facilities and talented workforce.


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Innovation you can count on

Financial technology plays a vital role in Wales’ fast-growing digital economy. And thanks to a vibrant entrepreneur community, easy access to Government support and a pipeline of talent from Welsh universities, fintech is flourishing. Software from Delio heads up our special focus.

F O C U S : F I N T E C H

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The growth of Wales’ digital economy has been spectacular. According to a recent estimate, it’s worth around £8.2billion and employs more than 44,000 people. Much of this success

is down to the booming fintech (or financial tech-nology) sector, which has seen Wales emerge as a go-to location for innovative start-ups. It’s easy to see why. There’s a strong financial and professional-services sector in Wales. We have an entrepreneurial culture, sustained by talented graduates from our universities, and a devolved Government that encourages and supports it. Early-stage companies can benefit from incubator and co-working spaces, accelerator programmes and an active meet-up community that brings investors together with both start-ups and established companies. The latter include such technology giants as BT, Hewlett Packard and Dell – all of which have built up a large presence in Wales – and the consumer brands MoneySuperMarket, Admiral, GoCompare and Confused.com. Up-and-coming fintech companies include Wealthify, an online investment service that uses smart algorithms to democratise investing; Sonovate, a contract finance provider for the recruitment industry; and Bipsync, which offers research management software for investors. Swansea-based Vizolution (see p.112) and Cardiff's AMPLYFI (see p.114) are two companies that have carved a unique niche in the tech sector. And another example of a thriving fintech firm is Delio, which has developed a white label tech-nology platform that enables financial firms to connect their clients with highly curated private investment opportunities. The business was co-founded in 2015 by Gareth Lewis, who chose to return to his native South Wales after starting his career in corporate finance.

D E L I O


A wealth of opportunity:Previous page, co-founder Gareth Lewis. Above andright, staff at the Cardiff office

“We developed a software platform which we license to financial institutions, and which they can brand to their own organisation,” he explains. “It’s essentially a customisable client experience, where wealth management clients can log on and access a range of entrepreneurial investment opportunities.” Due to the specialist nature of Delio’s work and the international growth in private markets, its client base is global. Just three years on, the Cardiff-based business already has offices in London, Brussels and Sydney, and is eyeing further expansion in the Middle East. Lewis says: “We’re also looking at a big fundraise this year to move into the US market, and we’re expecting to double headcount in the next 18 months.” Lewis expects the Welsh fintech sector to continue flourishing over the coming years. “Cardiff is the closest capital city to London, which is home to a thriving financial technology sector. It gives us the opportunity to have a large in-house team here in Cardiff, with a number of exciting opportunities on our doorstep.”

Finding staff in such a competitive sector is not easy. Delio has a number of channels, includ-ing a graduate rotation scheme for students from Cardiff University, and is currently looking to develop links with local schools to make young people aware of the opportunities in the sector. Likewise, when it comes to attracting staff from further afield, there are advantages to being headquartered in Wales. “I believe we’re unique in the opportunity we’re offering and the type of exposure we can offer to people joining us,” says Lewis. “We’ve taken on some fantastic people who are Welsh and wanted to come back to Wales for the lifestyle advantages. We can offer them not just a fast-paced role with plenty of personal development opportunities, but also a good work–life balance.” The firm has received support from Cardiff Council and the Welsh Government’s Accelerated Growth Programme. It has also gained from being based at the Cardiff Business Technology Centre, a flexible office space aimed at developing knowl-edge-driven or technology-based small firms. “We’re probably one of the larger businesses here now, and we have our own private space,” Lewis says. “We’ve had to move offices three or four times because we keep adding more people. The Centre has always been very flexible, and it has been one less thing for us to worry about. But now we’re up to 30 people, we’re looking at laying foundations for an international HQ here in Cardiff.” After three years of putting in place the structure of the business, the watchword for the immediate future is growth – and Lewis thinks there’s an untapped market for Delio’s services. “There are more high-net-worth individuals allocating money to private assets, and more financial institutions are realising they need to do something in this space. We are continuing to evolve and develop on this basis.” What’s more, diversification is never far from Lewis’s mind. “There’s lots we can do, not only in this space but also in other markets,” he says. “We are a private asset infrastructure business, but where else can we look to build out offerings? That’s a question we’ll be looking to answer in the next two to three years.”

We offer recruits a magnitude of opportunity and a great quality of life


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110 111T H I S I S W A L E S

Many consumers find it a chore to deal with banks and utility companies on the telephone or online. Bill Safran,

CEO of Vizolution, explains how the software firm is helping these businesses provide a better customer experience.

Access to talent is why we based ourselves

in Wales

V I Z O L U T I O N

LocationSwansea, South WalesFounded2013Employees147

Tech pioneer:Co-founder Bill Safran


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I set up Vizolution with my colleague and co- founder Huw Rees in 2013. He’s from Llanelli, and that was one of the drivers to set it up in Wales. We’re a customer experience company, and our aim is to streamline complex customer jour-neys. When clients interact with banks or telecom companies, they’re often asked to go on these convoluted, fractured journeys, based on what’s good for the business. We flip that on its head and put the customer at the centre of everything. We achieve this by providing technology that replicates a face-to-face experience over a remote channel. Anything that can be done in person can now be done remotely. So, a call centre can talk through a sales process with a

customer, have them download information or upload photos of their passport or driver’s licence, or sign agreements with them there and then. Since 2013, we’ve grown from two people to 147. We now have 20,000 call centre agents around the world using our software, who deliv-ered approximately two million sessions with customers in 2018. Our biggest customers are RBS, Santander and HSBC, and we’ve also got some big telcos such as O2 and EE. We’ve even had investments from RBS, Santander and HSBC, so they’re now shareholders as well as customers. We originally set up in the Technium in Neath Port Talbot, but soon outgrew that. We’re now at Bay Studios, on the way in to Swansea. We’ve

taken over 12,000 square feet and turned it into a Silicon Valley-inspired hi-tech hub, complete with all the necessary accoutrements such as ping-pong and foosball tables. It really creates a dynamic environment for our employees. Being able to attract and retain talent was one of the reasons we based ourselves in Wales. In London, you may be able to hire staff immedi-ately, but you lose staff quickly too: there are so many competing employers. In Wales it may take longer to find the right person, but the quality of the talent pool is very high. A lot of our employees have been with us for years. The business environment is attractive here, too. We’ve had good support through R&D programmes from the Welsh Government, and

the Development Bank of Wales has been very supportive. We’ve built links with Swansea University, taking on talented individuals with computer science skills. At the moment we’re just employing graduates, but we’d be open to taking on undergraduates who could work part-time and get work experience. There are plenty of other great fintech compa-nies in Wales, but we don’t have any direct compet-itors. We’re expanding rapidly into Europe, and also into North America. We have small sales offices in Boston and in Toronto, but the technol-ogy and support operations are being run out of Port Talbot – and the core of our operations will remain in Wales.

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I N S I G H TWebsites presented by most mainstream search engines represent only a fraction of what’s freely available online. With its DataVoyant platform, Cardiff-based AMPLYFI lets businesses harvest vital information hidden in the deepest levels of the web.


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While working for BP, Chris Ganje and his future business partner Ian Jones had a eureka moment. Mining the internet for business intelligence is nothing new. But

could organisations improve their decision-making even further – and spot potential disruptions on the horizon – if they could analyse online data that normally remains hidden? The duo set up AMPLYFI in 2015, having started working on what would become their flagship product DataVoyant the previous year. It’s a software platform that harvests informa-tion from both the surface web – the pages that are returned by search engines such as Google – and the deep web, the parts that consumer search engines choose not to present. DataVoyant uses artificial intel-ligence, machine learning and big data visualisation to create insights, allowing users to identify and react to trends and disruption. Ganje says: “DataVoyant allows a user to enter a simple query to discover and analyse millions of open source, freely available documents that exist on the surface and deep web. Using intelligent algorithms, DataVoyant develops a picture of a topic that allows you to discover what is happening, where it’s happening, who is driving activity and whether that activity is accelerating or decelerat-ing. The original documents are attached to this analysis, providing full auditability of the results.” Potential users include financial-services businesses who are seeking to understand their exposure to bad debt, or to develop insights on new markets so they can assess whether or not to back a business. DataVoyant has already found favour with private companies and government depart-ments alike. Clients include Airbus, Bayer, BNP Paribas, BP, the Singaporean Government and

Lloyds Bank. In 2017, AMPLYFI partnered with Harvard University to deliver groundbreaking research into bioterror capabilities in North Korea. Ganje says: “DataVoyant located, harvested and analysed over 840,000 documents relevant to biological weapons research. Using the resulting analysis, we were able to uncover the connections between certain assets known to be owned by North Korea and very particular terms associated with bioweapons capability, either directly or indirectly. DataVoyant identified a significant increase in the strength of these connections in recent years.” Ganje and his co-founders took the decision to base their business in Cardiff after assessing

options all over the globe. AMPLYFI continues to operate out of the Tramshed Tech collaborative workspace near Cardiff Central railway station. Ganje says: “We knew that we were on to something really big, and that we needed to base ourselves where we would have access to top talent and could thrive as a start-up. We conducted an assessment of different regions

and cities around the world. Cardiff came out on top, matched only by Boston. “Cardiff turned out to be the right decision, because we have more access to talent here than we would have anywhere else in the world. People come from other countries and enjoy the quality of life in South Wales, including the countryside and the city’s vibrant cultural life.” AMPLYFI is planning to widen its portfolio with a number of product launches. “One is a world-first surface and deep-web search engine,” says Ganje. “That will be coming out this spring. But above all, we’re looking to commercialise technology that was only theoretically possible until recently. Our vision is to be the global leader in business intelligence and research, and we are well on our way to achieving this.”



We did a global assessment of

cities, and Cardiff came out on top

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A M P L Y F I


CEO Chris Ganje

Canine employee Milo

A team meeting at the Tramshed

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Changing lives

F E A T U R E

Therapies developed by biotech giant Ipsen are licensed in more than 115 countries worldwide. Wrexham is home to the company’s Biologics Centre of Excellence, which houses state-of-the- art manufacturing and development facilities.

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F E A T U R E

From its laboratories on the eastern fringe of Wrexham, biotech firm Ipsen is making life better for people across the globe. Research, design, produc-tion and shipping are all based at the

site, which has been boosting the local economy and Wales’s burgeoning life sciences industry since 1994. “Over recent years, we’ve been growing at a significant pace,” says Nick Davis, VP for manu-facturing, ”and the neuroscience therapeutic products we make here have been growing in the marketplace as well. As a result, we’ve needed to invest heavily in the Wrexham site.” It’s an ongoing process. Following £100million in investment over recent years, Ipsen is engaged in a further development project, dedicating £22million to this key strategic location. Davis says: “We’re very proud to be part of the business community here. North Wales has good transportation links, close proximity to academic centres, access to high- skilled talent here and in north-west England. It also has top hospitals and patient advocacy groups – all important to us as a pharmaceutical company. “As one of the largest employers in North Wales, we have strong links with the Welsh Government, directly and through the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry in Cardiff. The Welsh Government supports innovation, and for a business like ours that strives to be innovative, it works very well.” Wrexham’s growing reputation in the life-sciences sector helps to attract the skilled phar-maceutical and support workers that Ipsen relies upon. “In the last two years, we’ve increased our head count by as many as 120,” says Davis. “A large population of employees come from within a 15-mile radius, though some of our higher-skilled, scientific folk come in from slightly further afield. We’ve done a lot to raise our profile in the area and across the UK. As a result, people are coming to us, rather than our having to reach out.” Ipsen’s commitment to the region is underlined by its efforts with local education institutions to develop a workforce for the future. “We’re very active in the Welsh arm of the UK STEM program, and a number of our employees are STEM ambas-sadors,” says Davis. “They visit secondary schools, and pupils are invited on site to learn more. We’re trying to engage with potential future employees at a very early stage in their education.” As well as its links with Welsh institutions – including a tie-in with Cardiff University to accredit courses delivered at Ipsen’s on-site training academy – the company has strong links with colleges in the

I P S E N

LocationWrexham, North WalesFounded1994Employees400

Innovation for life:Staff engaged in sample analysis

Research and development:Pipetting samples in the Wrexham laboratory

north-west of England. “We also work with Wrex-ham’s education institutes to source apprentices,” adds Davis. “And we’re sponsoring PhD students in a number of universities, in the hope that it brings talent to us in the future.” A deep well of talent will be vital for North Wales’s rapidly expanding life sciences sector, which currently has a turnover of £2billion and employs 11,000 people in over 350 companies. “We’re very happy to see the growth of other innovative businesses here,” says Davis. “They can be a catalyst for further innovation, working in collaboration. What’s happening across the pond in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a great example of how multiple companies can live close to each other and benefit as a result.” As for Ipsen, it’s going nowhere – in the best possible way. “Our investment demonstrates a huge commitment to what Wrexham has to offer,” says Davis. “We have exciting growth ahead as a business, both in current production, and also in a pipeline of innovative neuroscience therapeutic products that we’re developing through this facility. The intention is to continue to expand this site, continue to invest, and bring those new products through the Wrexham facility to the patients who need them.”

We’ve needed to invest heavily in our Welsh site

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Find out what Wales can do for your business:Tel: +44 (0) 3000 603000Web: tradeandinvest.wales

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What next?We can get things moving in Wales as soon as you get in touch. Straight away, we’ll team you up with a dedicated business development professional. They’ll quickly get to know you, talk through your business needs and support requirements, and become your “person on the ground” while you weigh up your options. They’ll connect you with decision-makers and respond quickly on support options.

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