Mollart Engineering's Mitchell Howard picks up AMTRI Scholarship

The Scholarship was presented in front of 550 industry executives and their guests at the Annual Dinner of the Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) in Birmingham, held last month (see also link below). The Scholarship is supported by a trust fund created by AMTRI, which was a leading research institution to promote excellence in machinery development and engineering-based manufacturing. It is administered by the MTA and provides the winner with the funding to drive his or her continuous professional development programme, pursue post-graduate study or to enhance an education-led project. Mr Howard, who was recruited by Mollart Engineering based in Chessington, Surrey in March 2011 to head up new research and development projects, is currently enrolled and sponsored by Mollart Engineering on the Engineering Doctorate (EngD) programme, administered by Brunel University and the University of Surrey. Once completed, he will have direct application into the CEng process with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). He is a graduate of Brunel University's Msc Advanced Manufacturing Systems (IMechE and IET accredited) programme. Tasked by the directors of Mollart Engineering to win two industry grants from the Technology Strategy Board's Smart scheme for developing deep hole machining technology and abrasive flow machining, Mr Howard successfully delivered. Both grants were valued at £350,000, and the two projects involved an investment by the company of £720,000, which are being coordinated, managed and controlled by Mr Howard. Each project involves him working with different universities, according to the research requirements, and interfacing with other equipment suppliers. Commenting on Mr Howard's achievement, Graham Dewhurst, MTA director general, said: "This year's Award winner has demonstrated his capabilities and potential to lead in the manufacturing technologies sector. His achievements show him to be a highly capable engineer who has succeeded in delivering excellent results. This scholarship will help him open new horizons in his professional development." Mollart Engineering is a world leader in deep hole drilling technology, with worldwide machine tool sales worth £16 million. It also has a specialist subcontract machining division, in Chessington and Resolven, South Wales, plus a tooling operation based in Chessington. Image: Mitchell Howard (centre) receives the AMTRI Scholarship award from Richard Holding, head of manufacturing at Lloyds TSB Commercial (left), with host Sky News' Charlotte Hawkins (right)