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Email: Chris Valdés Tel: +44 (0)20 8773 5517 |
BARA Council
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Mike Wilson
BARA Chairman
Mike is the Chief Automation Officer at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) in Coventry. He has over 35 years’ experience in robotics and automation gained across a broad range of manufacturing sectors throughout Europe, North America and Asia, and is widely recognised as one of the leading authorities on the application of industrial robot systems in the UK. During this time, he has been Chairman of the International Federation of Robotics and his book, the “Implementation of Robot Systems”, was published in 2014. Mike is also on the Board of Directors for the PPMA.
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Chris Valdés
BARA Secretariat PPMA Group
Since joining the PPMA in 2013, Chris is now the staff lead for BARA and UKIVA (UK Industrial Vision Association). As part of her dual role with BARA, Chris is the main interface between the BARA Council and the PPMA, helping to drive new initiatives and promote the Association through key events and industry stakeholders.
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Bob Hinchcliffe
BARA Council Member James Mae Group
Bob has over 50 years of practical experience in engineering and is currently the Managing Director of James Mae Industries – a specialist automation company. A large proportion of Bob’s work has been in the field of bespoke automation systems; particularly in the field of Food Manufacturing. He has also been a longstanding member of the BARA Council and has been heavily involved with the introduction of the RIA/BARA Certified Robot Integrators' Scheme in the UK. Bob is a chartered engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers
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Prof. Phil Webb
Aerospace interests Cranfield University
Phil was elected to the BARA Council in 2003. He is currently RAEng Professor of Aero-Structure Design and Assembly at Cranfield University; Head of the Centre for Structures, Assembly and Intelligent Automation and leads the Aero-structure Assembly and Systems Installation Group. Collectively, these support innovative research work on the interaction of humans, robots and automation in an industrial environment. Prior to this, Phil founded and subsequently led the Robotics Research Group (RRG) at the University of Nottingham in 1997. He developed RRG into an internationally renowned group with a reputation for aerospace work, collaborating with, among others, Airbus UK, Bombardier Aerospace and Rolls-Royce.
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Mark Stepney
General Representative Schubert UK
Mark was elected to the BARA Council in 2020 and has been the Managing Director of Schubert UK since 2009. The company produces digital, robot-based packaging machines, with a focus on the interplay between simple mechanics, intelligent control technology and scalable modularity. They supply their packaging machines into the food, beverage, healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors.
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Andrew Mason
Component suppliers representative RAR UK
Andrew was elected to the BARA Council in 2013. With a background in Mechanical and Production Engineering, Andrew currently holds the position of Sales Manager at RARUK Automation – a specialist supplier of innovative automation products, from industrial robots, linear axis systems and feeding solutions. He is also a member of The Institute of Engineering Technology (IET).
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Jeremy Hadall
Research & Technology Organisations MTC
Jeremy Hadall leads the Automation & Robotics group at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC). He has been developing automation systems across a range of industries since leaving university working with manufacturing and automation companies such as Ford, General Motors, Nissan, Rolls-Royce, Airbus, Kuka, ABB and Siemens. In more recent years, Jeremy's focus has been around applying concepts used in these companies to small and medium enterprises to boost their productivity. He chairs the Institution of Engineering & Technology’s Design & Production Committee, represents the High Value Manufacturing Catapult on both the BARA Council and KTN Robotics & Autonomous Systems Special Interest Group.
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George Thompson
George was elected to the BARA Council in 2020. He is an experienced account manager with a background in mechanical and industrial engineering, specialising in robotics and automation. George is also skilled in electrical wiring, troubleshooting and repair of electronic circuits, continuous improvement programmes and manufacturing engineering.
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Tara Baker
Robot Suppliers representative Kuka Robotics
Tara was elected to the BARA Council in 2018. She has been working within the manufacturing and automation sector for several years and has a strong passion for promoting and enabling collaboration between businesses, sectors and people. Tara currently works as Sales Channel Manager for KUKA Robotics UK – a leading global supplier of intelligent automation solutions.