November brought big and positive news in all four strategic goal areas of Cardiff Capital Region, with Creo Medical securing top spot in the Welsh Fast Growth 50 for its electrosurgical medical device success, QLM Technology forging a strategic collaboration with Schlumberger to advance the detection and measurement of greenhouse gas emissions, Transport for Wales launching a Women in Transport hub to address a significant gender employment gap – and Voltric moving to Newport to accelerate EV Mobility-as-a-Service …
INNOVATION
One of our Region’s most innovative enterprises – Chepstow-based Creo Medical – celebrated achieving the coveted No. 1 spot in the Welsh Fast Growth 50: a rightful recognition of this extraordinary company’s phenomenal 9,260% growth between 2019 and 2021.
The company’s success and global expansion has been built on a suite of electrosurgical medical devices – MicroBlate Flex, MicroBlate Fine, SpydrBlade, Speedboat Inject and Slypseal Flex – that are easy to use, cost-effective and minimise the invasive nature of surgery.
Each of those devices dramatically reduce complications and times spent in surgery – and most important of all, deliver exceptional patient outcomes – putting Creo Medical’s therapeutic endoscopy devices at the leading-edge of a new era in healthcare
The past decade has seen a further paradigm shift towards robotic surgery, heralding a new era of healthcare that’s given birth to the emerging field of – with Creo Medical at the heart of this revolution. It means the company now has over 4,800 customers being served by a 316-strong team in 14 offices worldwide.
That bold global ambition and spirit of innovation has seen Creo Medical open up a US headquarters and establish an AsiaPac hub in Singapore in the past two years – and ship over 5 million devices worldwide – from a Chepstow base that continues to grow alongside the remarkable success of this pioneering MedTech.
SUSTAINABILITY
Cardiff-based QLM champions unique technology to detect and measure greenhouse gases
QLM Technology Ltd, the market-leading enterprise headquartered in Cardiff, has forged a strategic collaboration with Schlumberger to advance the detection and measurement of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) – developing a new type of laser imaging camera that can ‘see’ and accurately quantify emissions sources, for rapid repair.
The technology is unique in the emissions monitoring marketplace – offering the opportunity to achieve the greatest amount of greenhouse gas abatement, at the lowest cost possible – with the Schlumberger partnerships enabling QLM to scale manufacturing and launch their novel solution into a variety of GHG-intensive industries and markets.
This unique technology will enable operators to continuously monitor their facilities for any size of GHG emission – providing actionable and precise information for facilities of all sizes, in industries that include oil, gas, mining and manufacturing – offering a major step forward in heavy industry’s contribution to race to zero.
INCLUSIVITY
Transport for Wales launches Women in Transport hub to address significant gender employment gap
November saw gender inclusion hit the headlines in our Region, through a pioneering partnership between Transport for Wales (TfW) and Women in Transport, who joined forces to launch a Welsh hub with the aim of empowering women to maximise their potential in one of CCR’s most important employment sectors.
This new initiative is more than timely, with recent figures revealing that women make up only 20% of the workforce in Wales’ Transport and Communications Industry – a significant gender gap in a sector that serves every community and individual in Wales.
The new Welsh hub will look at how TfW can further support the current female workforce – and how they can remove social barriers to encourage more women into an industry that offers a wide variety of rewarding and fulfilling roles. The need to do so is very real, with over 4.500 job vacancies posted online in the Welsh transport and logistics sector, every month.
As part of the launch, Chwarae Teg has mapped where women are working in the Welsh transport sector – and researched their experiences to understand why women are so under-represented in the industry.
The research shows that females are particularly underrepresented in the occupational groups ‘traditionally’ associated with males – such as engineering, vehicle maintenance and drivers – with the new partnership now using this data to inform positive change in the transport industry across Wales.
CONNECTIVITY
Voltric moves to Newport to accelerate EV Mobility-as-a-Service
Electric vehicle subscription business Voltric has opened offices in Newport, to help connect customers in the CCR and UK to the benefits of EV transport, through a MaaS (mobility-as-a-service) platform that will give users access to a host of solutions for their transport needs.
Voltric has been working with manufacturers that include MG UK, Kia UK, Fiat, Tesla, and Mercedes – and there are more manufacturer and dealer partnerships expected shortly as the company scales up its mobility offering; providing a subscription service for electric vehicles (from one month to 12 months) through one monthly fee that covers an electric car hire, insurance, road tax, breakdown cover, maintenance and repair.
The move into Newport’s Tramshed Tech follows funding from Development Bank of Wales and the Wales Angel Co-Investment Fund, as well as other private investors.
To find out more about the latest developments in innovation, sustainability, inclusivity and connectivity across the CCR, go to: www.cardiffcapitalregion.wales
