Dave Shipley is a Manufacturing Engineer and Manager by training, and the founder and owner of Plus44 Ltd. His early career began working for a global defence company (BAe Defence Systems) where he became Senior Manufacturing Engineer managing several of the computer-aided engineering computer systems, and developed a system to manage the manpower planning for the site as part of the Sales and Operations Planning process.
Dave then left to work for one of the company’s software suppliers for four years, before making the transition to Higher Education in a business development role, and subsequently becoming the Operations Manager in a not for profit company working to bridge the gap between academia and business.
Following this, Dave was the Knowledge Transfer Manager in the Innovation Team at East Midlands Development Agency until its closure, where he then assumed the role of Centre Manager at an EPSRC funded Manufacturing Technologies Engineering Doctoral Training Centre at the University of Nottingham.
For the last four years (2016-2020), Dave was Operations Manager within the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham with responsibility for two large active divisions, Cancer & Stem Cells and Child Health, Obstetrics & Gynaecology.
Dave is currently the founder and owner of this business support and consultancy company with a current focus on supporting businesses through this difficult period (a global pandemic) at minimal risk.

Contact us (see below) if you wish to see a copy of Dave's CV.
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Lorelei is a mechanical engineer specialising in advanced manufacturing technologies, having worked in research for the past 11 years. During her first four years as a researcher, she worked in lab-based and statistical research, looking at the fundamentals of electrical discharge machining, laser and abrasive jet machining (AJM). In EDM, she worked both with spark erosion and a Sodick machine. With AJM, she tested different nozzles and abrasive particles, always investigating the surface part quality and looking at ways to improve the experimental set-up. Lorelei is comfortable using energy-based (non-conventional) manufacturing technologies.

In 2013, Lorelei started her PhD in micro-manufacturing at the University of Nottingham. She conducted both analytical investigations and a large set of experimental investigations. In models, she looked at calculating shear and cutting forces, employing crystal plasticity models and chatter-predicting stability lobes. In experimental work, she designed an experimental set-up which would allow the measurement of cutting forces on different crystallographic orientations for a single crystal material. In effect, this would allow the user to be able to determine the cutting forces based on the material microstructure. This experience enhanced Lorelei’s passion for material investigations, such as looking at material characterisation, slip formation, determining crystal orientation, analysing ploughing, shearing and chip formation. All with the scope to determine the best quality for parts machined at micro level.

In 2015, she worked on an EU Leonardo da Vinci project, MiMan-T, where she produced specialist training material for a micro-cutting chapter, as an online e-learning platform and a Springer book chapter. This experience helped her develop case studies and also highlight complementary machining techniques to achieve specialised parts. She was then excited to represent the project at various industrial fairs in Europe, where she engaged with SMEs and tailored how they could employ micro-machining technologies themselves.

In 2017, Lorelei became a research fellow in the Bioengineering Research Group at the University of Nottingham. As a key member of the team she designed and manufactured equipment for a new neonatal transport system in order to satisfy a wide range of design specifications and engineering standards. She employed Matlab to develop analytical models to analyse experimental data such as acceleration.

In addition to her research work, Lorelei has an interest in science communication evidenced by her participation in research outreach events in Bournemouth (Soapbox Science), Nottingham (Festival of Curiosity), as well as at the Halls of Parliament in London (STEM for Britain).

From 2020 onwards, Lorelei has been working as a Business Engagement Officer offering support to SMEs.

Amy is a scientist with experience as a sample collection coordinator, laboratory manager and postdoctoral researcher. She is empathetic, people orientated and thrives supporting colleagues to either develop, or overcome difficult situations and environments.

Amy obtained her undergraduate and postgraduate (PhD) at The University of Nottingham, has worked as a postdoc in the School of Medicine, but also has significant operational experience from her time working as Laboratory Manager within the Divisions of Cancer and Stem Cells, and Respiratory Medicine, at the University of Nottingham.

Amy has undertaken the University of Nottingham’s Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) programme, is highly committed, and motivated.

Amy is a certified Radiation Protection Supervisor (RPS), and has experience designing, implementing and enforcing health and safety policies and their legal frameworks. She also has several years of experience supporting (in the laboratory and research environments) the Persons Designate for Human Tissue Act (HTA) as well as managing high risk laboratories.

Amy also has project management experience as lead scientist on an industrially funded research project, where all KPIs were met.

Amy says,

“Michael Armstrong states the key purpose of management and leadership is to ‘provide direction, facilitate change and achieve results through the efficient, creative and responsible use of resources’.

I endeavour to manage democratically, as far as possible, listen at every opportunity and seek the opinions and the input of team members wherever possible. This helps secure the buy-in and cooperation of the team to adapt and evolve to a changing environment.”