CPT Addresses SMMT Summit On Challenge Of Recruiting Engineers

Pascoe has been invited to join a discussion panel chaired by Richard Parry Jones from the Automotive Council alongside speakers from Bentley and Unipart, thereby representing a vehicle manufacturer, tier 1 parts supplier and independent original equipment technology developer. Pascoe will outline the work undertaken by CPT to recruit engineers following the spin out of part of their engineering team to form Valeo Air Management UK Ltd; both entities need to grow rapidly to establish UK-based world-class centres of excellence in hybrid vehicle technology.

“Our challenge for the UK is not just in finding talent, but in finding engineers with the right skills right now or face the consequence of supplier R&D activity potentially being lost to non-UK based businesses,” says Pascoe. “In its latest report the Institution of Mechanical Engineers polled 1,000 manufacturers and three-quarters (76 per cent) of the companies said they were recruiting and almost two-thirds (63 per cent) said they were struggling to recruit suitable chartered or incorporated engineers. As a smaller company CPT has the additional challenge of competing with much larger companies. That said we do have the advantage of being nimble, offering exciting work at the cutting edge of automotive powertrain development and the attraction of virtually every employee becoming a shareholder. Our engineers and the work they do are recognised as a significant part of the value of our company. ”

Included among the engineers joining the company is the senior management appointment of Peter Scanes as hybrid product group manager. Scanes will have responsibility for commercialising the CPT’s next generation stop-start technology, which incorporates engine torque assist and energy recuperation required for radical engine downsizing and more efficient energy management.

Commenting on the appointment Pascoe said: “We are delighted that Peter Scanes has agreed to join us as he brings with him relevant experience gained both inside and outside the automotive sector. His unique set of skills will help us bring more OEM products to market as we further develop the micro-mild hybrid technologies being requested by vehicle manufacturers. We are continuing to recruit more professional engineers and technicians, and we are also seeking to recruit our first technical apprentice.”

Scanes was previously engineering programme manager for Europe at Azure Dynamics, where he was responsible for the Transit Connect battery electric vehicle and instrumental in achieving grant funding of £8,000 per vehicle in line with the UK government’s Plug-In Van scheme introduced earlier this year. He began his career with the Ford Motor Company where he became responsible for bespoke powertrain solutions for key customer applications in the power products division. Projects included niche diesel vehicle applications and alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles in Europe and the US. Scanes also represented Ford in the off-highway engine and equipment group at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Controlled Power Technologies is an independent, award winning, clean-tech company specialising in the development of evolutionary, cost-effective CO2 reduction measures for the global automotive industry based upon conventional powertrain and vehicle electrical system. The technology is developed as original equipment for all manner of transport ranging from cars, vans, trucks and buses to heavy goods and off-highway vehicles. Its work includes mechanical and thermal energy recuperation, the latter being considered by many commentators to be the next and perhaps final energy recovery challenge for the internal combustion engine. Its core competencies include low voltage power electronics, advanced control software and the application of low voltage electrical machines to vehicle powertrains.

The company is a spin-off from the advanced powertrain development team established in the UK more than 10 years ago by Visteon, a spin out from Ford, when electric supercharging, stop-start, energy recuperation and switched reluctance motor technology was first mooted, and its technology development partner Emerson Corporation, whose motor business has since been acquired by Nidec. CPT was established in 2007 as a management buy-in funded by venture capital to acquire this advanced powertrain business. The company comes with a highly experienced team of automotive engineers and is backed by a number of prominent investors specialising in the energy and environmental sectors. Further information on CPT is available at www.cpowert.com.