Design & Innovation
Whilst the companies within Harris Watson are small by global standards, they have all succeeded in becoming key players in their own niche markets. This is due to several factors:
- We focus on producing life critical products to operate in technically demanding environments. Horstman Defence, the industry leader, has been designing suspension systems for over 80 years. These have been used in many British and US main battle tanks as well as being the only foreign supplier selected for a German tank programme.
- We apply lateral thinking to solve problems. Who would have thought that water could be used to cut through 5 cm thick steel? AGI's pressurised water system can cut through steel walls and is used in bomb disarmament to leave all components intact for later analysis.
- We respond to customer requirements to develop technical solutions, for example , Froud Hoffman's robot driver.
- Each year our companies invest £1.25m in design and development of technologies and products to cement their market position.
- Where appropriate we work with our lawyers to register and protect our developments with patents and design registrations.
- We support our employees in gaining further training and qualifications in relevant technical fields.
