This National Apprenticeship week, we talk to Jake about his experience as a Production Apprentice, what he is studying and why an apprenticeship is a great way to start your career.
This National Apprenticeship week, we talk to Jake about his experience as a Production Apprentice, what he is studying and why an apprenticeship is a great way to start your career.
With the market struggling to settle, we explore what measures can be put in place to mitigate the effects of a changing landscape.
The global supply chain has become increasingly unstable causing component shortages across the industry. So, what does this mean for electronic components and when will we see an end to shortages?
This week, we had the pleasure of Ava Trewen's company as she joined the team for her Year 10 work experience placement. Find out what Ava got up to at Cubik HQ.
We are excited to announce that we are working on EarSwitch, a new medical technology that hopes to transform the lives of people living with neurological conditions, such as motor neuron disease.
We explore some of the reasons why an electronics design project might run into difficulty and what can be done to get things back on track.
Cubik Innovation invests £65,000 in a Fritsch PA520 modular pick and place machine that will increase Cubik's PCB output by up to 50%.
At the start of a project it's important to understand what you want to achieve and identify risks. Specifications can help you organise and prioritise your ideas and avoid costly mistakes.
The UK Government have amended some of the aspects regarding the change from CE to UKCA marking. We've updated this article to reflect these changes.
Target Darts is a leader in darts equipment and sponsors some of the biggest names in the game including Luke Littler and Rob Cross. Their latest product creates a new category of connected IoT devices bringing the skill and excitement of the game to homes at the touch of a button.
The Virt Camera is a two-way camera system that allows users to play competitive darts against a global online community. It's front facing camera lets you opponent watch your throw, while the dartboard facing camera allows them to see your dart land in real time, high-definition video.
Target Darts approached Cubik with a prototype of their new product and asked us to conduct a design review that focussed on design for manufacture and supply. The Virt needed to stream two live video feeds to a remote server and an app that would configure and score the game. The biggest challenge was fitting the amount of tech needed into a sleek, compact design whilst maintaining a high-quality video feed.
As part of the design review, we produced a low volume build of the existing prototype to test and analyse. Using the output, we made design recommendations to improve performance and streamline the manufacturability of the product.
Getting the camera tech right was a big piece of the puzzle. Our team carried out extensive research and testing to select the best camera component. We then designed and built a bespoke PCB that enabled the camera to interact with off the shelf components to bring the whole system together.
With a refreshed design that employed design for manufacture principles, we went on to successfully support Target Darts through the regulatory certification process and achieved CE, UKCA and FCC approval.
The result, a market ready product that is now available to purchase: https://bit.ly/40fuW5k
The IZLID is a compact, lightweight infrared laser device used by the military as a command pointer for target marking and communicating with aircraft. It is small enough to fit into the user’s pocket, or attach to their belt for quick access, offering swift guidance to ground personnel over a range of 39km.
Close Air Solutions (CAS) asked Cubik to design a simulator that replicated the look and feel of the IZLID’s aesthetics, ergonomics and user functions, without the infrared beam. The IZLID simulator needed to connect to CAS simulation system via a single USB lead and return data back to the simulation system.
The IZLID simulator is used in classroom based military training to help soldiers gain knowledge and experience of how it would behave in a real-world application. Simulation is a critical part of military training allowing soldiers to experience realistic scenarios in a virtual world, improving their decision making and readiness for combat situations.
The Reskube offers a simple solution providing access to both continuous power and uninterruptible internet connectivity for itself and any connected devices during a power outage. It’s sleek and portable design means that it can be used in a wide range of settings from powering a home office to life saving medical equipment. This intelligent device has the capability to detect and resolve issues before they become a problem.
With our friends at Bang Creations delivering the mechanical design, we were brought on board to design and build the system architecture and support the product through regulatory certification. We worked closely with Bang to ensure the electronic system fit the custom enclosure without compromising on quality and performance.
Designed with critical remote workers in mind the Reskube gives users the confidence to work from any location without fear of disruption. Outside of the home, Reskube maintains continuous operations during outages for small sites such as retail stores, construction sites, doctor's surgeries, and primary schools, ensuring that critical systems and equipment remain operational. Additionally, it offers the added benefit of remote monitoring and management. In global regions where power outages are commonplace the Reskube offers a source of reliability and resilience in an environment with unpredictable connectivity.
Bristol & London based company, Switchee Ltd developed a smart thermostat solution aimed at reducing energy bills in social housing. The intelligent device learns the routine of the household, detects when the house is not occupied and turns the heating on or off accordingly. The device allows valuable data to be gathered remotely reducing the requirement for complex interaction or configuration from the user.
Switchee approached Cubik for help with the development of the software drivers which allow the operating system to communicate with the hardware. This quickly evolved into a larger scheme of work that incorporated the printed circuit board (PCB) design, prototype manufacture and firmware development.
Switchee is the first internet-connect device in social housing. It delivers real-time data that gives housing providers the insights and tools they need to proactively support residents and manage homes.
With a Switchee device installed, energy efficiency can be optimised on a case-by-case basis reducing energy waste, lowering heating bills and cutting carbon emissions.
Cubik Innovation are proud to announce that it has recently become a business support provider of the West of England Growth Hub, helping our local business community to grow sustainably.
The resource works by creating a two-way referral and collaboration process between the West of England Growth Hub and the existing local business support infrastructure. Finding the help that you need in a quick and easy manner has always been a challenge for businesses. The West of England Growth Hub gives us the opportunity to offer our support and expertise to a wide community.
This fresh approach will be a unique offering nationally and we are excited to be involved in this prospect. It will facilitate access to the most appropriate local providers, via a tailored, intuitive website journey. This is all based upon extensive research and wide consultation with local businesses. The West of England Growth Hub’s unique approach ensures that everything they do reflects the voice of businesses; and the community is at the heart of all it does.
Speaking about becoming a Registered Support Provider, Cubik’s Managing Director, Paul Mullen commented:
“This is a fantastic opportunity for Cubik to give back to the community it serves and has been an integral part of since we were founded in2012. We work with a vast cross section of businesses and sectors and becoming business support for the Growth Hub will assist with our development as well as the companies we work with through the Growth Hub. Lots of very exciting things are coming out of the West of England, it’s a perfect time for us to get involved!”
The West of England Growth Hub is powered by Business West for The West of England LEP.
For more information and to see how you can get involved, visit: www.wearegrowth.co.uk or email: info@wearegrowth.co.uk
The testing processes for software and hardware were rocked when the mobile revolution began. Development teams and testers were forced to think about power sources, the implications of touch technology, bandwidth and dropped connections. But testing trends and recognised procedures are set to see further disruption, this time from the looming shadow of The Internet of Things (IoT) and its far-reaching impact.
IoT is a unique phrase. Obscure yet obvious sounding, it is clear to see why understanding its exact meaning is the first stumbling block in adopting this new technology. Simply put, it means connecting ‘things’ to the internet that didn’t have the capacity for connection before. For example, your thermostat or your washing machine. Smart watches are the most pertinent example. Once a humble time piece they are now a demi-smartphone, connecting you to your calendar, emails, and social networks in addition to being able to track fitness and daily vitals.
The IoT is becoming something that we rely upon to optimise personal performance and enhance domestic life whilst reporting and collating huge volumes of data. With a task so big it is essential these devices are tested adequately using processes that are fit-for-purpose and mindful of this ever-developing technology.
Usability
As for consumer electronics, leveraging a balance between functionality and intuitive usability is an important consideration. Devices must adhere to specification whilst being usable by the average user without hefty training. This becomes crucially important for connected IoT devices as they are often small and minimal for a key purpose.
Think of your Nest. It is collating and sending and receiving data readily across several functions. Making the design consideration of how to integrate these services into a slick, small user interface, quite challenging. These gadgets are geared towards becoming digital partners in life, work and play but it is only achievable through user-centric design. Carrying out user testing to validate interface and experience design is a core process.
Connectivity
Connectivity is the backbone of successful IoT integration, an obvious but central necessity. In cases where connections may be intermittent or unpredictable, it is vital that data will be delivered and saved correctly when it is restored. Testing for this is important and can be achieved by disabling connections during bench testing alongside scalability testing to guarantee connectivity in scenarios with a high number of user instances across numerous features.
Security
According to studies conducted by Hewlett Packard, 70% of connected IoT devices are vulnerable to security breaks with issues surrounding data encryption and password requirements.
Integrating security best practice into the development process as well as understanding expert knowledge on the subject isa necessary task with ever-growing IoT customer bases. Testing for security short comings through development, and prior to release, is the next step. It’s best not to wait for the headline or damning PR incident to uncover your product’s security shortcomings.
Devices
Depending on the purpose of the product, connecting to other devices in the connected homes of our future may be crucial. Having these devices available to test may be a challenge due to the sheer size of the market so gathering a minimal reference set to test on is the next best option. Coordinating user testing during proto release stages goes further by arming your team with the analytics to understand which devices are the most frequently connected, guiding the direction of further testing.
The key to testing for IoT is being mindful of the developing market it sits in. Any process must be regularly reviewed and kept attuned to changes. The rules are almost certainly set to evolve as we see the industry take a firmer hold.
As we head into 2017, we find that the beginning of the new year is the perfect time to reflect on the events of the past 12 months. For Cubik, 2016 was a year of success and growth with many positive changes taking place throughout the year.
January
The beginning of the year saw the team raring to go with the new and exciting projects we had lined up and taking us right through February.
March
We kicked off March with the upheaval of our production lab to make room for a dedicated mechanical assembly area for one of our customers. We also sponsored Wessex TSG (Tears, Sweat & Glory) who took part in PLOD – Cotswold Way 2016 on behalf of children’s charity Action Medical Research, an event which we were proud to be a part of.
We rounded off the month with our Managing Director, Paul, appearing in the Bristol Post on 30 March for the Big Business Interview. Little did Paul know that his face was soon to be seen in many other publications throughout the South West.
April
We had an exceptionally busy month interviewing candidates for our 2016 Internship Programme. With masses of talent on display, a tough decision lay ahead!
Shortly after the tables were turned when South West Business News interviewed Paul for their April Big Interview piece where Pauls love for technology was personified in a terrific article written by Gavin Thompson.
Finally, Cubik were fortunate enough to be featured in the Innovation Space Blog for CFMS where another great piece was written. This time describing what sits at the heart of what we do.
May
Another busy month for the team starting with being featured in a brilliant article for Insider South West which showcased our talented apprentices. Our Project Management team attended the South West Business Showcase 2016 and were on the lookout for innovative design ideas.
Also in May, we renewed our sponsorship of local rugby club Cleeve RFC and the University of Bath’s Team Bath Racing. We are proud to support our local community!
June
We welcomed our new Design Manager, Matthew Griffiths and our latest Design Engineer, Eli Plaza to the team. We were also pleased to receive work experience pupil George Lear from Mangotsfield School. After George had been shown the ropes for the week, he produced a terrific journal to demonstrate the knowledge he had gained in the short time he’d spent with us.
June was also month of planning, with the whole team preparing for the move to larger premises.
July
It was all hands-on deck as we waved goodbye to the Bristol & Bath Science Park where we had spent four happy years as tenants, but waved hello to a new larger space in Verona House. The change in premises gave another injection of growth into our production lab, providing us with greater capabilities for batch and prototype manufacture.
We took on another work experience student, Will Couch, who we welcomed from BTE Academy. We also extended a warm welcome to our new Office Coordinator, Mercedes Tilling, who was our first recruit in the new building closely followed by our Design Engineer Intern, Charlie Freestone, from University of Plymouth.
August
We showed our commitment to ISO standards and quality processes and procedures as we were yet again awarded our ISO 9001:2008 certificate after passing our 2016 audit.
September
This September marks Cubik’s 4th birthday. To celebrate we tucked into a glorious cake!
This month, we were attended several tech events including the End of Summer Big Breakfast at the Engine Shed Bristol and Venturefest Wales where we thoroughly enjoyed networking. Our Technical Project Manage, Luke Davies, was also lucky enough to attend the Protrack Seminar in Gloucester and came away with a generous goody bag.
Finally, we partnered with the West of England Growth Hub, a partnership which we are very excited about and are sure will produce many good things in the future.
We concluded the month by supporting the Macmillan Coffee Morning where one of our resourceful engineers brought in DIY smores, yummy and all for charity.
October
Our hard work throughout the year was recognised when we were shortlisted for the SME Manufacturing Company of the Year award at the Made in the South West Awards 2016. The event attended by Managing Director, Paul Mullen, and Technical Project Manager, Luke Davies, who enjoyed the evenings events. Even though we didn’t take home the prize, it was an honour to be nominated for such a prestigious award.
We also saw Cubik’s very first Annual Pumpkin Carve Off which where the whole team were encouraged to carve a frightful pumpkin - we even invited Amalgam Models to compete for the prize!
November
Another event to round off the calendar was the Bristech Conference held at the Bristol Watershed and attended by our Business Manager, Sophie Adams-Foster. After the event, Sophie advised that she had met some truly interesting people throughout the day and had come away with many new ideas for the business.
Cubik become a member of the Made in Britain campaign, an achievement which we are especially proud of due to our commitment to manufacture all our products within the UK.
December
Snowmen, snowmen everywhere! We rounded off a fantastic year by treating our customers/friends to a PCB themed Snowman Christmas card game. The PCB was designed by our 3rd Year Production Apprentice, Shannon Cribb and the system was designed by 2nd Year Production Apprentice, Barney Smith. We’ve heard that they have gone down a treat so we will need to get our thinking hats on for next year’s card!
The year ahead
As we look ahead to the new projects which 2017 will bring, we start the year with a free 2-hour SET squared workshop at the Engine Shed Bristol on 17 January, presented by our MD Paul Mullen.
Another item on the cards for the New Year will before an open day to be held at our offices in Verona House to invite customers and friends to our new office, so watch this space!
We would like to finish by saying a huge thank you to everyone who we have had the pleasure of working with over the past year. The support and collaborations we’ve had have been fundamental to our growth and development. We wish you a very Happy New Year.
Ryan Smith joined us from University of Plymouth where he is currently studying Robotics and we have thrown every possible challenge at him.
What do you think of your time with Cubik?
It’s been great! I have learned so much, and that’s above and beyond the technical skills you would typically expect. I’ve picked up some good design tips and lots of best practices that I have seen other designers use. But that is not the reason to do a placement year. A year in a real business offers the opportunity to see how that business works including how customers are dealt with, and how things are done in a real-world setting. It has given me a great insight into the world of electronics, a part of the world which the end user doesn’t typically get to see.
One thing that you don’t experience at university is customers. When you’re writing an essay, or designing a project, the closest thing to a customer that you encounter is your lecturer. At Cubik, I have been given the chance to interact with real customers; to go through design development cycles, talk through problems, and produce reports on tests that I have conducted.
There are not many companies out there that would trust an intern to travel to a customer’s office and trouble shoot problems on behalf of the company.
On reflection, the most important skill I have learned at Cubik is the way to write documents. I know it sounds a bit crazy, but writing a good quality technical document is harder than it initially seems. It needs to hold all the possible information it can, including all the technical stuff; yet also be simple enough for anyone to read. The document could be read by somebody with no technical experience who knows nothing about the design process. This will be helpful in years to come, with final year projects and exams. Being able to write a good quality document is invaluable.
How has this year helped me?
There is only so much university lecturers can teach you about the world of work. No number of exams can prepare you on how to interact with a customer in a particularly tense meeting. Being in an active design environment forces you to think quickly, and to learn even quicker. My Cubik experience has strengthened my desire to be an engineer. I have spoken to other interns who haven’t enjoyed their experiences as much as I have and unfortunately haven’t been given the opportunity to have those experiences. I’m fortunate to have seen every part of the electronic design process and been able to directly be a part of it. Not many interns can say they’ve done that.
Has Cubik helped you?
Of course! The things I have learned will help me for many years to come; and will help the rest of my time at university. I have found things I enjoy, and things I don’t. That’s the idea after all. All in all, this year has been a success, and I have gotten everything I wanted out of it, and more. I would recommend a placement with Cubik to anyone.
Following our success at the IoD Director of the Year Awards, we continued our winning streak, at the Bristol Post Awards where we were awarded ‘Start-Up Business of the Year’. The team’s spirits were high after just being shortlisted, so to win is beyond expectation and entirely humbling.
The award ceremony was hosted at Brunel’s Passenger Shed where delegates heard from a range of inspirational speakers including Andy Green of Bloodhound, who gave attendees a high speed glimpse into the world of land speed records and flying Tornado F3s.
The team at Aardman Animations took centre stage receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award for a company so synonymous with the huge success the city has enjoyed in the creative industries.
After just two awards it was our category, and we were delighted to hear Cubik Innovation called out as Bristol Post’s Start Up Business of the Year 2015. At this point, our Science Park colleagues, ‘The Noise App’, which enables the public to report noise complaints to their local authorities quicker and easier, would have found its purpose. Cheering, clapping, and photo snapping ensued from the Cubik table for a quite a while following the announcement.
On receiving the award, Cubik’s Managing Director, Paul Mullen, commented:
“It feels amazing to have won. It is great to have this kind of recognition for a start-up. To get on the shortlist was an amazing feeling and I didn’t expect to win it this evening. Bristol is a fantastic place to be based in. There are a lot of inventors here, and I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”
This award is a testament to the hard work of our young and talented team of engineers and creative brains, but also a huge nod to our customers: the inventors, entrepreneurs, SMEs, and corporations who come to Cubik armed with stunning design concepts, products, and ideas. Without these customers, an award like this would have been impossible.
We would like to thank the award’s organisers and judges for a fantastic evening. Everyone who attended was delighted and left the event with a sense of pride for our city, which is so obviously alive with great ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit. A special thanks goes to Dom from Mobile Menswear for hooking us up with spangly waistcoats and perfect bow ties.
Congratulations to our fellow winners:
December at last and it’s starting to look a lot like Christmas. We’re closing a few projects, preparing for brand new work in the New Year and getting in the spirit with mince pies and DIY fairy lights.
But there is also some other excitement in the air.
The force is awakening
Christmas may bring the inevitable rewards of sherry, merriment, and a well-earned holiday, but what could be more exciting to a proud band of sci-fi geeks, engineers, and developers than the gift of a new Star Wars film. True joy and peace on earth!
Since it’s release was announced, discussions have been gaining momentum and it’s been a long year of waiting. As engineers we haven’t simply debated the looming Mark Hamill secret or tried to tie up the inexplicable plotlines – we’ve been asking the real questions. The engineering questions.
And we’ve noticed a few things.
The Empire is a sad example of a huge enterprise which has completely failed to understand the importance of an all-encompassing quality management system and a good design process. Without supporting the endeavours of a fictional tyrannical and oppressive organisation, we believe that if a few simple development rules were applied the Death Star explosion was easily avoidable.
Protect your IP, to the death
If you’re developing the jewel in your crown – in this case, a gargantuan spherical space station, planned to be over 100km in diameter - perhaps don’t leave your schematics lying around. File them in a manilla folder or take it to the cloud. Or go even further. Get a patent or sign an NDA. If Lord Vader was using a robust document management system, maybe this instrumental error could have been avoided.
We go to great lengths to ensure our customers are safe in the knowledge their most treasured ideas are protected. On first contact, we issue mutual NDA’s, our team are bound by staff NDAs and for military grade projects we have senior, security cleared engineers. When your prototype is ready for our potential investors to see, we can advise you on patenting and further IP protection.
Specification creep is a minefield
Super laser capable of obliterating an entire planet in a single shot, powered by around 10,000 turbo laser batteries, 2,600 ion cannons and roughly 768 tractor beam projectors – CHECK.
Hangars for assault shuttles, support ships and 10,000 TIE fighters - CHECK.
Recreational areas for 300,000 Stormtroopers and pilots - because let’s face it, morale must be rock bottom – CHECK.
Tough defence system? – Erm, goodbye prototype Deathstar.
In the real world the key functionalities and features must be always on your radar and not compromised as development begins. As part of our five-phase process, we pin down the specification in the first instance, ensuring all parties are completely satisfied with the plan moving forwards. In the event the objectives go off course, time is taken to ensure innovation is controlled and correctly implemented.
Reviewing is essential
The Empire proved so pertinent in their colossal failings that a good design review might have just been just the ticket. The endless mill of Deathstar scrap and rework, the subplot lifeblood of the original trilogy could have been dodged if the development wasn’t handled so carelessly. We can only imagine the sign-off process, but we guess it wasn’t lined with red tape. The result is a product marketed as impenetrable but seemingly penetrable by one man in an X-wing the following day in a real-life test environment.
Design reviews are essential to our workflow and our ISO:9001 quality system. Review everything; review it until the whole team is confident in all aspects of the design, no footprints left unchecked, no cathodes left undesignated.
Despite the idiocy of the Empire and their refusal to foster an environment where quality and review is paramount, their Deathstar story does teach us one thing. If you’ve got an idea you want to develop, a prototype is a good place to start spinning out your innovation.
With a few cycles of the iteration wheel, your product could be bigger and better than your first imagining. Controlling this development with a good process is the answer.
You may want rapid results, but unless the situation sees you fighting an out-of-hand, Jedi powered, rebellion force, embarking on the road to product development is not a journey to be taken lightly or hastily.
If you’d like to chat to Cubik about an idea or concept and want to find out more about our bespoke inventor’s development programme, get in touch to set up a consultation. We do draw the line with any space-based, ‘take over the world’, type agencies.
Happy Star Wars viewing to all and have a Merry Christmas – we’re off to the cinema!
Growing as a Start-Up is all about connections, making connections with funding bodies, project partners, academia, and neighbouring companies. From our conception, we have always been devoted to building this vital network. Perhaps the most valuable of these relationships is with Microelectronics iNet.
Microelectronics iNet is an ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) project, conceived in 2010, planned to run into 2015, with a finish scheduled next month. They provide advice and resources to Microelectronics SMEs across the South West helping to take design concepts and ideas all the way to tangible products and services, a mission shared by Cubik.
Through research and understanding Microelectronics iNet have been able to create programmes of practical and targeted support working to boost SMEs to progress innovation. The body are supported and lead by The University of the West of England (UWE), contributing a wealth of knowledge and expertise to an already strong team of experts. The project in its entirety operates to provide support to existing SMEs and inventors but is part of wider picture, the iNet programme, a large funding resource forming a network of iNet each geared towards servicing a specialist industry field in the South West whether it be aerospace or green technology.
Forging a relationship with this invaluable resource has paid all parties involved an array of worth while dividends, for Microelectronics iNet they have successfully cultured an environment for SMEs to build supply chain clusters, where companies can sustain each other as well as themselves. In our case, we have had the opportunity to connect with a bank of customers and companies from across the industry sector and background, extending our reach to unchartered heights. For our customers, they have seen grassroots ideas transform into targeted well thought out concepts and often prototypes and technology demonstration devices developed.
In a recent report of the programme’s successes, Belen Prieto, Cubik’s key contact commented:
“There has been a successful history of collaboration between Cubik Innovation and the Microelectronics iNet since 2012. It’s a deep and close partnership which has delivered real outcomes for both Cubik and the Microelectronics iNet. This strategic partnership has also provided SMEs with access to high quality prototypes in a shorter period of time, facilitating them to keep on innovating and bringing new products to market, which is helping to feed the virtuous circle for growth in the South West of England”.
For Cubik our successes have been achieved most pertinently through the Microelectronics iNet business assist service, a small but important fund of £1,000 awarded to SMEs looking to gain information and guidance on product and business development.
In this capacity Cubik were commissioned to facilitate product and concept investigation for customers with electronic products, usually consisting of several days of focused research into prototyping and design. During our three years in business, we have completed approximately 25 business assists for many innovative small companies with 60% of these investigations forming the vital bedrock for future development. Our customers choose Cubik as their product development partner or as a vehicle for isolated programmes of work such as design reviews, prototype productions, software iterations, and batch manufactures.
Most recently Cubik engaged with Start-Up Meta Films Ltd headed up by experienced cameraman and adventurer Nick Guy. Nick was granted funding through the programme for Cubik to carry out a full design review of a camera trap system which houses a DSLR specifically to film wildlife in remote locations and was pleased with the results:
“The investigation carried out by Cubik was to pin down a problem with an existing design. This was achieved and has allowed remedial work to be undertaken to correct the fault on several units already in service. Prior to the investigation the units could not be safely deployed. The work carried out by Cubik also highlighted several other points as well as touching on possible improvements that could be implemented in a future development of the design. It is likely that Cubik will be asked to conduct a further full design review and hopefully carry out full re-design of the product at some stage soon”.
Alongside Meta films, we have also recently worked with Wildwood Ecology delivering smart and innovative ecological solutions to companies across the South-West on a very interesting project surrounding the conservation of Bats. Richard Crompton, Wildwood’s director had this to say about his experience with Cubik Innovation and Microelectronics iNet.
“We found our dealings with Cubik to be enjoyable, from a first friendly meeting with MD Paul, to being introduced to the team and seeing the facilities. A very positive experience that made us feel Cubik was a company we wanted to do business with. After some fact finding Cubik put us in touch with the Microelectronics iNet scheme which funded the initial feasibility stage. We have costed proposals for a range of options and must now do some work to identify the funds to make the project a reality”.
The programme has also offered a more extensive layer of support, making larger sums of funding available to give projects a real boost.
In 2013, Cubik won the highest level of this support to fund a brand new automated optical inspection unit (AOI machine) which has and continues to maintain an excellent quality standard to the prototypes shipped from our labs. The majority of our PCBAs are manufactured using surface mount technology, decreasing component size whilst increasing density, making the need for accurate and efficient inspection avital measure. Adding this machine to our growing production line in the earliest days of our business means we can take on an increased number of production and prototyping jobs. It also helped us win a contract with a large, local utilities firm for a programme of work that could change the landscape of our growth.
With the programme ending in one month, funding rounds are now closed. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank the team at iNets for the support and continued interest in our endeavours and remind any fledgling SMEs and inventors to pay attention to these valuable activities happening across the South West. By working together, building connections, and maintaining a growing network we can build on our already thriving industry and respective businesses. In the wake of our successes with the Microelectronics iNets programme we are now investigating more ways we can connect our customers with important funding and look forward to building those important future relationships and continue our work helping South West inventors lift their ideas to innovation.
For more information, case studies and news on the Microelectronics iNets programme please visit www.microelectronics-inet.co.uk
Summer usually signals the slow down of the engineering sector, but not at Cubik. Last week Paul Mullen (Managing Director) and Sophie Adams-Foster (Project Manager) attended the Institute of Directors South West, Director of the Year Awards.
Held at the wonderful Bordeaux Quay in Bristol City Centre, with guest speaker James Sproule (IoD, Chief Economist), it was a fantastic opportunity to meet other local business owners.
Simon Face (IoD, Regional Director), and his team at Bristol and Bath Science Park organised the event and Paul was stunned to have been Highly Commended in the Small Company Director Category.
Collecting his award from host Laura Rawlings and Richard Ayre (IoD, Regional Chairman), Paul commented:
“I am shocked, but pleasantly surprised! I love what I do and have a fantastic team of people working alongside me at Cubik Innovation. The South West region is alive with vibrant businesses, it’s a great city to work in and these awards are a demonstration of the diversity of the local economy.”
Other winners included Julie Moore (Green Gourmet) who won Director of the Year, Neil Way (Managing Director, Jeff Way Electrical Services) voted Family Business Director and Vashti Seth (Director, Deki) who won Third Sector Director.
It was an excellent evening, and we look forward to meeting more local business owners at the next event.
Next up, we will be attending the Bristol Post Business Awards at The Engine Shed where we have been nominated for the Start Up Business of the Year Award. Boys, it’s time to break out your dinner jackets.
Cubik Innovation are proud to support local schools and colleges and strengthen the link between education and industry. Our aim is to ensure young people experience ‘real life’ engineering whilst gaining support navigating future career plans. This year we have accepted five work experience placement enquiries from students aged 14 to 17. This week, we were joined by 15-year-old,Grace Parraman from The Bristol Steiner School for a 4-day placement. Grace split her time between our administration, design and production departments which enabled her to gain an overview of the whole business.
Here’s Grace’s work experience diary:
My four days at Cubik have flown by! Despite it being a short week, it was surprisingly tiring with a lot of stuff packed in.
I was very warmly welcomed by the lovely Lianne, the Office Coordinator at Cubik, who took me through l my induction papers, now sitting in my Cubik green folder, which I am fiercely proud of! The majority of my first morning was also spent, explaining to the team I didn’t like to drink tea or coffee which they found quite hard to believe.
On my second day I was in the production department or as I warmly think of it the ‘techy room’, doing some wire crimping and soldering. I think I have a lot to learn in both aspects but all in all a good experience. The team are an amazing group of people – you must be amazing to buy your work experience person a doughnut! I came home tired that day, a great snapshot of what to expect from a full working day.
On my third day I was back in the office working with Russell and Paul who showed me the world of electronic design and PCB layout. Russell and I had some interesting chats about wallabies, and he showed me what he was working on, which was very interesting.
I am writing this on my final day, and I have had an amazing experience! I would suggest to anyone who looking to do electronic design or any other technical engineering to talk to Cubik about possible work experience opportunities. I am undecided as whether I will enter the engineering industry one day, not because of my experience at Cubik, but because I really haven’t made up my mind where my heart lies.
I would like to say thank you to the whole team! Especially Sophie for finding me the opportunity, Lianne for being so lovely, Paul for granting me the opportunity and Bob the security man at the Bristol and Bath Science Park for generally being very nice, so thank you.
Unfortunately, this years’ work experience calendar is full, but we are always keen to hear of young engineers looking to gain some experience in electronic design and production. Please contact us directly or via our enquiries mailbox to discuss placements for 2016.
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