December 2010 sees the end of an era for TWI and its Industrial Membership. Its Chief Executive since 2004, Dr Bob John, formally retires.
It's now with great affection that he views his time at TWI. 'Over a career of 40 years I've spent half of that time on the staff of the pre-eminent institution in its field. It's been a brilliant experience' he reflects.
But will there still be room for Membership-based enterprises in the distant future? In the case of TWI unquestionably yes, says Bob. 'The raison d'être for the business is that products and structures frequently fail at their joints. That fundamental truth has never gone away. I see TWI like a technological golf club. You don't play golf there but as Members you do technology instead, and the Industrial Members get the benefit of all that collective know-how.'
TWI has been a cornerstone and network focal point for Professional and Industrial Members since 1923 and 1946 respectively he explains. And because the organisation has focused specifically on the needs of engineers and the survivability of joints, there is no chance of that industrial demand in the global market place waning.
'We're not unique' he says. 'But we are configured uniquely. It's our width, breadth and depth that make us special. I can't think of a professional engineering institution with a research arm the size of TWI's. There's a huge legacy and reputation sitting within this business. It's not just the present incumbents that are responsible for that'.
As for his memorable achievements Bob points to the early 1990s. It marked the start of the withdrawal of UK public funding for industrial research. Support for large Eureka programmes also disappeared. A third of TWI's income evaporated within two years.
'Key income streams had disappeared, and that was life threatening' he remembers ruefully. 'The challenge there was to give an institution like TWI a set of business principles to ensure its long term future, without wrecking the essence that made it what it was.'
Every member of staff had to treat the market place in a business context. 'I had to train 250 plus people.' he says. 'I had an executive team around me, from the chief executive Bevan Braithwaite down, who were all prepared to participate in the process. We had a good look at everything we did and tried to give a business face to everything we did alongside the vital technology and innovation elements. The nineties were tough but after that we got very considerable growth year on year.'
He now muses that persuading a strong contingent of leading scientists and engineers to accept the need for a strategic business plan was not the easiest job in the world.
'That required a culture change and you had to bring everybody with you' he says. 'More pressingly we didn't have enough income to generate the kind of facilities that we needed to stay world class.'
It was at this time, the start of the 21st century, that there was a strong UK government will to develop technology in the regions. 'We were actively committed to it, so we went looking. We already had some experience in the North East at Middlesbrough. We hit South Yorkshire and South Wales head on. And now those three regions have added massively to our asset base'
He believes that was certainly an accelerator for TWI. 'The business also re-engaged with the European Community for research, and that wasn't everyone's cup of tea. But if you want to stay world class you have to have a core research capability to leverage membership revenues so that our work was beyond simply being a consultant. The principal reason for doing these things was always to provide increased value for our Industrial Members.'
Has the chief executive's job been a lonely role? Unhesitatingly he says 'no', adding the caveat that he adopted a very open style of management.
'The black and white decisions are easy and they're taken by others a long time before they reach you. The really difficult decisions are always dirty muddy grey decisions which involve an element of pain whatever choice is made. Only then can you feel a bit isolated. However if you're open in your style there's lots of places you can go looking for help and I've always seen the value of networking....there's a lot of like-minded souls out there and our governance committees are populated by great people from across the spectrum of technologies and business.'
Most surprisingly Bob found early on that how he said things and how he looked could unwittingly be very influential. 'If you're having a bad day, whatever you do, don't show it. People get concerned if you've a frown on your face...it might be simply because Wales just lost at rugby...people do watch you intensely in the chief executive's role...it's one of those things that you don't realise until you get there.'
And coming in 1991 from ESAB, largely a consumables and welding equipment manufacturer, was it radically different at TWI? 'I had some familiarity...through the Finance and General Purposes Committee, through being a Professional Member, through Council, through Research Board, and as a company official representative.'
But a big surprise lay in store for him.
'You don't appreciate the width and depth of the organisation from outside. That was a big shock...the things that TWI did that I had no idea about. The thing that scared me most, was Engineering Critical Assessment. The notion that you could have a defect in a structure that was well outside the design codes, but still be perfectly acceptable to keep in service was unreal to me. In the world I came from, if there was a defect it was generally my fault as the consumable supplier. The defect had to come out. There wasn't a level of acceptability that was tolerable. It was a bit scary at first.'
Asked to consult his crystal ball for the industry's future he believes TWI's dominant interests for at least the next ten years will remain in the energy sector; renewables, nuclear, oil and gas. Following the publicity given these days to high profile failures he also believes that structural integrity standards will be tightened up, yet again. There is always a danger that commercial pressures will cause unsafe short cuts. There will always be materials performance research challenges he says, and corresponding training and certification issues. Bob is also very optimistic about the future of the healthcare sector with Advanced Manufacturing being the order of the day for most industrial economies.
'I don't get very exercised about which industry sectors are doing well and which are not' he says. 'We do what our Industrial Members call upon us to do so traditional approaches to market sector planning can be misleading in the TWI context.'
Pressed for memories he won't be sorry to forget he recalls a couple of occasions when TWI's income did not fall in line with its costs. 'Belt squeezing is painful and is worse if you have to lose people' he says. 'Whatever business you're in, that happens. It's very unpleasant. But the issues get even worse if you don't address them.'
Did the 2004 plans Bob held to embrace Brazil, Russia, India and China come to fruition as he'd hoped. 'No, not at all' he responds thoughtfully. 'These were the growing economies of the world. We had a real good go at Brazil, with some notable Industrial Members there and we set up in Rio de Janeiro with an office. It never really worked...possibly for cultural reasons. But if you don't try things you never learn. China has been successful from a Membership point of view but when you consider the size and growth rate of that economy we are still at the beginning. India has been a long time coming...but it is coming. In recent years it's become a booming economic powerhouse and we're well placed to serve a strong Member network there as well as a very healthy training and certification business.'
Bob's enduring passion for Welsh rugby pre-dates his days as a player, a period about which he proudly but self-effacingly describes with great fondness. 'I played in every position but not out of choice...the team always comes first. But I could never have made a career out of it...never good enough...I was too light, too skinny, I could pass, tackle and kick but I was never strong enough or fast enough.' It was a period curtailed by an injury causing irreparable damage to a cruciate ligament. 'I tried refereeing, but I was hopeless at it' he smiles.
Born and bred in South Wales Bob's father was a miner early on and retired as a bus inspector. 'Dad instilled into us youngsters that the way out of the poverty trap was education' he says. 'We weren't bullied into it, but there was strong encouragement to go and get yourself a decent education. That was available. I went to Neath grammar school for boys. Dad was absolutely right.'
The third of three siblings, and the second to go to university, he followed in the footsteps of an elder sister, a historian, and a brother who became a bank manager.
His career focus was decided for him when confronted by the University Central Council on Admissions form. 'I thought engineering required too much maths. Materials science and metallurgy sounded quite interesting so that's the path I followed, but there was just as much theoretical maths needed to get a degree I later discovered.
The late 1980s saw a brief encounter with academia when he became a visiting professor at Cranfield University. 'When I was at BOC we had sponsored some research there.' But had he ever been attracted to the gown and mortar board life? 'Never' he replies emphatically, 'I was always more interested in making it happen in industry.
To the future and 2010 brings the dawning of a new era for Bob. Soon to be a grandfather for the second time he has lived in Swansea and Mumbles, Sweden, the USA, Hertfordshire, Hampshire and Essex. So where is home?
'We've now retired to Porthleven in Cornwall to a house, overlooking the harbour, that we've been renovating for the past year. I've had a love affair with Cornwall since I was ten. We started going on holidays there. My wife Ann and I became very attached to the south west of the county. By the early eighties I'd acquired a cottage down there which I shared with my sister. It's a magical place...part of England but with a wild Atlantic coast and granite cliffs. We were determined not just to slide into old age, but do the next stage of our life in a different fashion. We're great walkers and I like surfing'.
Bulletin caught up with Bob hours before he attended his last Council meeting and TWI's Annual Dinner at which he was awarded honorary fellowship of the Welding Institute. The award is exclusively reserved for individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to welding and joining. The first recipient was Prince Philip because he was responsible for giving the royal blessing to the newly formed Welding Institute.
'Everyone else on the roll of honour has done something pretty substantial towards the welding business' he says. 'I'm very grateful that somebody somewhere has decided that I come into that category. The citation mentioned a lasting legacy to The Welding Institute through the 'endowment' secured through acquisition of sole rights to a significant portion of Granta Park. It was my last act as Chief Executive and I will always be proud that we got it free of debt. Government grants can come and go but this will always be ours.'
Asked for long-range advice for the Industrial Membership Bob declares 'Our job is to make Members' work easier and better. Having been an Industrial Member myself I know that the amount of benefit any one Industrial Member can obtain is potentially huge but is also directly proportional to the effort put into it by both parties. My message to the Membership is that we're going to be around for a long time. TWI is a classy organisation, and we can add tremendous value to your output.'
As for advice for his successor, Dr Christoph Wiesner, Bob says 'I'm absolutely delighted that he got the job. I'm a great believer in the leaders of an institution like TWI growing up in the business.
Christoph has many talents...and he's a great communicator. In my experience that is very important. He has been a vital part of my tenure as Chief Executive and he will do a terrific job. He's already drawn up his ten year mission and vision plan...I endorse it wholeheartedly. I think he's got it spot on.'
