Outstanding engineering skills lead to significant performance enhancements and cost savings on advanced intruder detection products

KTP Associate: George Harris

Company: GJD

University: Manchester Metropolitan University

The Project: GJD is an award winning SME that designs, manufactures and sells a range of outdoor intruder surveillance detectors, illuminators and enunciators that detect and deter intruders. 

The aim of the KTP is to significantly increase sales and drive business growth through the development and launch of a suite of innovative, intelligent, IP connected and highly sensitive laser scanner products with corresponding mobile phone application for set up and diagnostics (to identify the size, profile, speed and position of objects with up to 100m detection and better than 10cm accuracy). 

The KTP Associate: George Harris. 

• An outstanding engineer, with exceptional project management skills, George considers design complexities and the most appropriate technical  solutions, with a thorough grasp of commercial impact 
• Recommended a different, novel solution which would ensure the laser achieved the detection range specified in the brief, whilst keeping within the target Build Of Materials costs. The change to a Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) meant a substantial saving in build cost, contributing to additional margin.
• The project converted analogue, through-hole schematic designs to Surface Mount Technology versions: delivering cost savings, a more efficient design and ease of assembly of IR Beams. 
• Developed teaching material in Electro-Magnetic Compatibility, Printed Circuit Board Production, and case studies for postgraduate taught elements in Project Management and Systems Engineering. 
• His work is forming the basis of an academic conference paper in avalanche photodiode applications in communication platforms. 
• Supported successful funding proposals to Innovate UK and other research councils, and is playing a pivotal role in accessing new industrial sectors through calls such as the SBRI innovation in railway platform end-edge technology.
• George’s input has saved at least six person weeks in the NPD cycle and meant GJD can get products to market much sooner.
• George has also designed in-house production test rigs equating to at least one half person per annum or savings of around £15k.

Winners of this category will be announced in advance of the KTP Virtual Awards Ceremony which is at 4-5pm on Wednesday 9 September. Join us in our virtual world to celebrate all the winners – register here.

See below for a profile of each of the 18 finalists in the Future Innovator category of this year’s KTP Best of the Best Awards:

Muddasar Anwar  Delivering innovation for Sustainable Drainage System to prevent flooding.

Blessing Mbipom Creating online learning for GPs.

Laurence Foster: Innovations to “print” structures, transforming house building.

Declan Bryans: Creating greener energy with innovations in flow batteries.

Elle Perschke: Applying B2C methodologies to launch a new product within a B2B company.

Mark Gilmore: Development of new class of greener ionic liquid, with multiple potential applications.

Khai Nguyen: Inventing a new silicone composite for consumer fixing brand, Sugru.

Swapnil Khadke: Creating new liposome formulations for application in drug delivery

Leona McGirr: Creating an Antibody Library for fully human antibodies.

Dan Hicks: Developing a new design and testing process for electric trails bikes.

Dmitry Bogachov: Advancing Materials Science for Anilox technology.

Andrew Grounds: Transforming business models for Social Enterprise.

Lyndsey McKirdy: Enhancing data science capability at Aggreko.

Jack Tallant: Transforming reporting and delivery of Charity’s activities.

Xi Liu: Using AI to develop fraud detection and prevention services for law firm.

Alex Komninos: Transforming spreadsheets in to cognitive models at IBM

Harvey Kangley: Delivering exceptional NPD for rail electrification

George Harris: Developing advanced engineering for intruder detection systems.

The Future Innovator category of the KTP Awards is supported by Ashorne Hill – a specialist training company which runs training programmes for all KTP Associates.

Want to find out more about working as a KTP Associate? More information here, and see the latest vacancies here.