Scottish Based Booth Welsh Share Global Journey in Workplace Innovation & Digitalisation So Far
Booth Welsh design and deliver process control systems and have done so since inception in 1989 and have fully embraced digitalisation and Industry 4.0. Booth Welsh operate globally but why does the company choose to manufacture in Scotland?
Scotland has a rich history of engineering heritage and currently outperforms many larger nations when it comes to R&D and innovation. This continues to deliver a rich portfolio of opportunities for innovative engineering businesses who embrace change. Scotland also has an excellent technical skills base to draw from as well as a world leading university and college education system which facilitates training and upskilling of staff. This ensures the skill pool is up to date and contains suitably qualified and experienced personnel.
In addition to practical upskilling, Booth Welsh have recognised, as have an increasing number of businesses, that having the right leaders is critical to their success. Programmes such as the Life and Chemical Sciences Leadership Master Classes have been instrumental in this regard. As well as providing excellent networking and collaborative opportunities amongst the cohorts, this ensures that Scottish businesses have not only the right technical staff but also the right leaders required for the future of the business.
Systems & Technology Manager Hugh Welsh commented “The MasterClass sessions proved to be invaluable time spent outside the business. We learned not only from the excellent presenters but also from each other. We were all at similar stages in our career development although in very different businesses, but the key learnings were consistently relevant.”
Learning new skills is key to Booth Welsh’s success, particularly as the business has evolved over a rapidly changing landscape of technical engineering services. As the company diversified from a predominately trades based organisation in the 90’s, the company has put a strong focus on technical trades to be upskilled to become the next generation of design engineers. As we evolve even further into the digitalisation evolution, there is a huge investment in the type of skills needed to drive this technology growth. For Booth Welsh, this is done in a strategic manner to maximise growth in the business by upskilling staff with the right skills at the right time.
Booth Welsh have proudly embraced the Scottish apprenticeship system for a number of years to develop pathways through the organisation. Interestingly every member of the Booth Welsh Leadership team started out their careers as apprentices in Scotland. Booth Welsh Director Gordon Semple comments that, “the apprenticeship route is invaluable and makes for a more rounded individual. This training goes a long way to grow your career”.
To keep at the forefront of technology Booth Welsh have invested largely in harnessing workplace innovation and have been supported by Scottish Enterprise to do so. Innovating as successfully as they do can often be challenging when trying to strike a balance between the day job and longer-term innovation investment.
Having a more productive and predictable process is critical to all manufacturing, particularly in the ever expanding digital and automation driven world that we live in. Booth Welsh challenge companies to make that first leap to assess their digital assets, before truly realising the benefits that digital and automation can bring to a business. Booth Welsh recognise that identification of early wins enables the rest of the value chain to be unlocked. Not only has this benefited their business but it has done so to the businesses that they work with.
Managing Director Martin Welsh believes Booth Welsh has been actively embracing digitalisation and Industry 4.0. He comments, “As a company which has used technology in our service offering for almost 30 years we have become used to the changes and benefits it can bring. With digitalisation however, this is the most significant change I have seen to date. The convergence of the Internet of Things, Big Data and the other pillars of Industry 4.0 along with Artificial Intelligence will drive immense changes through every business. Excitingly our strategy and services have changed in order that we remain at the forefront of this new world.”
Booth Welsh is a global process control engineering and technology company with strong roots in Scotland. Headquartered in Ayrshire, since 1989, Booth Welsh deliver process control engineering services, including Industry 4.0 and Digitalisation solutions, to sectors as diverse as life sciences, oil and gas, nuclear power, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and defence and joined the Australian company Clough in 2014. The company has over 250 engineers in the UK providing integrated engineering solutions in Process Control, Electrical Control and Instrumentation, Systems Integration and Asset Management.