Serving the Teesside Business Community | 21
Garry Lofthouse says exciting times are
ahead for his two businesses, with Applied
Scientific Technologies pioneering in
robotics (below left) and Applied Integration
supplying the defence sector (below right).
months against an industry standard of up to
two years. Unsurprisingly, they are looking
for new premises within the Tees region
to allow such rapid growth, along with the
recruitment of the very best engineers.
Meanwhile, Garry and his fellow directors
will continue to drive forward Applied
Integration. They’ve bounced back from
the “reality check” downturn of a perfect
storm that combined the closure of Teesside
steelworks with the referendum and general
elections delaying anticipated orders from
the commercial and defence sectors.
Among their major successes the firm
installed the safety-critical control systems
for Europe’s largest biomedical research hub,
London’s £700m Francis Crick Centre.
In another innovative project, they
designed and built an automation and control
system designed to ‘disfigure’ – or inactivate
– decommissioned British Army tank shells.
They’ve also joined forces with Teesside
University on two Knowledge Transfer
Partnership (KTP) projects – one of them to
develop a unique software tool they predict
will revolutionise the construction industry.
But it is the Stokesley firm’s work around
the next generation of nuclear submarines
that understandably gives Garry great pride.
He reveals: “HMS Audacious, our first
submarine contract, is in the water now –
they’ve done test dives with her and it will
soon be ready to be handed over to the Royal
Navy.
“It’s going to be an amazing feeling
watching her leave for the sea at her official
launch, knowing our software is on board. It’s
what we’ve strived for over the last 10 years.”
The roadmap for Applied Integration
over the next 18 months features more
automation and a further KTP with the
university, whilst combining with Applied
Scientific Technologies to clinch more major
deals for their pioneering robotic technology.
“If we’re successful in our plans then the
two companies combined could be three
or four times what they are now,” he says.
“We’re looking at a turnover of between
£10m and £15m within the next five years.”
With a wife and three children at home,
Garry admits that achieving a successful
work-life balance is an ongoing challenge.
“There are so many exciting things
happening so the battle is to cram it all into
each day,” he reflects. “I worked a lot of
nights and weekends for nine years after
we launched Applied Integration. I’d only
just started to be able to spend more time
with the family when we set up the new
company, so I do take work home with me,
but I don’t expect it to be so long-term this
time around.
“Like the majority of business owners,
I’m enthusiastic about what we do and I’m
determined to make us the best we can
possibly be – a business right at the top of
its game.”
A game, it seems, in which robots will play
an increasingly crucial role.