[May 04, 2012]

Wirral's 'best-kept secret' keeps pilots and sailors safe ; Alistair Houghton meets RFD Beaufort managing director NICK MULHALL [Daily Post (Liverpool, England)]

(Daily Post (Liverpool, England) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) MANY bosses use terms like "mission critical" when describing their work. But when Nick Mulhall uses it to talk about RFD Beaufort's lifesaving equipment, he means it.

Because when you make suits that stop pilots from blacking out at the controls of the world's fastest jets, or which help sailors escape from stricken submarines, there is no room for error.

Mr Mulhall, who joined RFD Beaufort in January, describes the Birkenhead company as one of Wirral's best-kept secrets.

RFD Beaufort, part of the global Survitec group, makes safety equipment for the defence and aerospace sectors. It has led the development of survival technology including submarine escape equipment and "anti-gravity trousers".

The name "Anti-gravity trousers" sounds almost Heath Robinson- esque. But for pilots of fast jets, anti-G trousers are the difference between life and death.

As a plane accelerates and faces G-forces, blood flows from the pilot's head to his lower body- potentially putting the pilot at serious risk.

"First they get tunnel vision," said Mr Mulhall, "then they black out. Pilots are lost through that.

"When you think of new generation aircraft, the limiting factor they face is the ability of the pilot to stay conscious.

"Anti-G trousers are basically inflatable trousers that squeeze the blood back up to keep the pilot conscious." The trousers are most vividly demonstrated in RFD Beaufort's testing lab.

A pair of disembodied legs, clad in anti-G trousers, is perched on a chair.

Every few seconds, they are inflated or deflated.

Deflated, they feel like thick canvas trousers. Inflated, they are almost rock solid.

That testing goes on for hundreds of hours per pair, as RFD Beaufort designers push them to their limit to work out ways they can refine the design.

It's easy to see why Mr Mulhall became intrigued by the company when working at its sister factory in Northern Ireland - and why he was so keen to join this year.

"When I came here," he said, "I was completely fascinated by what the business did and the products they did.

"We're probably one of the best-kept secrets in Wirral." RFD, named after founder Reginald Foster Dagnall, was founded in 1920. The Birkenhead site, meanwhile, was founded as Beaufort Air Sea Equipment.

The two companies merged in 2003, with their HQ in Wirral.

As well as anti-gravity trousers, the firm makes other integrated suits for pilots, including safety equipment they would need if they landed on water.

"We make anything the pilot wears from the neck down," said Mr Mulhall.

As its testing lab shows, research, development and innovation are at the heart of the RFD Beaufort business.

"There's a whole lot of technology in those anti-gravity suits," said Mr Mulhall. "A pilot can still have a conversation at 9G in one of them.

"The important thing about these products is that it goes right back to materials science.

"We go right back to the weaves. We have specific requirements that enable us to design and build the garments we need.

"We work with our suppliers to get the right material, if available. If it isn't available, then we'll work with them to develop it." Every product RFD Beaufort makes has its own challenges.

Suits have to be customised for different aircraft, for example.

And it is making more and more suits for women.

But those suits are generally smaller than those worn by men, meaning RFD has to redesign them to ensure all safety features are still available and accessible.

"We have up to 14 different sizes," said Mr Mulhall. "It's complex manufacturing." RFD Beaufort also specialises in submarine escape equipment - technology it first developed in 1952. Mr Mulhall said: "They enable a submariner to safely escape from a stricken sub 600ft below the surface, and when they get to the surface to have a liferaft." RFD Beaufort's customers include BAE and Lockheed Martin.

The company even sells to the US Department of Defense.

Under the "Berry Amendment", all fabrics and components used by the US military have to be made in the US. So RFD Beaufort's sister plant in North America makes its products, to the same exacting standards, for the US market.

But all the design and development work is done in Birkenhead.

Unsurprisingly, the equipment RFD Beaufort makes is subject to strict scrutiny from clients and strict regulatory oversight from governments.

The level of detail is intense - there are limits, for example, on how many holes can be sewn into some fabrics. That means quality control procedures are exceptionally tight.

"Quality assurance is part of our culture," said Mr Mulhall.

"Whenever you make safety products, quality is number one on your agenda." AND the company is helped in its work by its highly skilled and experienced staff.

"We have 200 people with an average service of 12 years each," said Mr Mulhall. Their skills range from materials technology, design and testing right through to manufacturing and customer service.

"It takes time to train people. We need to invest in people. The longer people stay, the better it is." RFD Beaufort has grown both organically and through acquisition, such as the 2008 takeover of The company has also been transformed by a number of big military development projects.

In 1993, for example, it became the sole pilot equipment manufacturer for the Eurofighter programme.

And in 2010 it began work on the Integrated Aircrew Ensemble project to develop new neck-down equipment for pilots that can be used across the US military.

Other RFD Beaufort products include inflatable hyperbaric chambers, which can be erected quickly to help divers suffering from decompression sickness.

It has also developed a parachutist oxygen system to allow people to descend from great heights.

Another market RFD Beaufort is hoping to tap into is the renewable energy sector.

"There are opportunities in offshore wind," said Mr Mulhall. "And wave energy technology is being pushed towards commercialisation.

Some technologies have inflatable fabric components.

"We're working with a number of organisations to see what's planned and to bring those products to fruition." After studying engineering at the University of Ulster, Mr Mulhall joined iconic Belfast shipbuilder Harland & Wolff.

After five years there he joined former telecoms group Nortel, where he spent nine years and became immersed in the world of "lean manufacturing" - a passion he still has today.

We to Lean manufacturing was pioneered by Toyota as it grew to become a car industry powerhouse in the years following World War today Two.

It focuses on eliminating waste in the manufacturing process, to make it as efficient as possible.

Mr Mulhall said: "At Nortel, I had the opportunity to work with a 'lean sensei' for a couple of years, who taught me some of the continuous improvement techniques that came from Toyota." In 2009, Mr Mulhall took his experience across to Survitec, as group director for quality and continuous improvement. He worked with six sites around the world, including RFD Beaufort's Belfast factory.

His work in Belfast was so successful, with exports rising 35%, that the site won the Institute of Mechanical Engineering's Mechanical Excellence Award for Most Improved Business 2011.

need start to "And," he added, "I worked closely with my predecessor in Birkenhead to drive a lot of improvements here." tomorrow."r Mulhall's passion for lean manufacturing continues outside the workplace.

He is a board member of the UK board of examiners for the Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence, which rewards companies for their efficiency in manufacturing.

Mr Mulhall also sits on the Board of The Manufacturing Institute, in Manchester, and is a keen supporter of its Make It campaign to encourage young people into the sector.

"That work has given me a real insight into what's happening in manufacturing in the North West," he said. Away from manufacturing, Mr Mulhall enjoys sea fishing, but most of his spare time is spent with his wife and 18-month-old daughter.

Has been spending Monday to Thursday in Birkenhead, returning to Northern Ireland for long weekends with his family. But he and his family will soon move to Merseyside.

Defence cutbacks may affect sales in traditional markets in Europe and the USA, but Mr Mulhall is confident RFD can win business in emerging markets in the Asia, particularly in India, and the Middle East.

But with an average lead time of two years between first contact and signed contract, RFD Beaufort has to put in a lot of time and money before those sales initiatives to bear fruit.

Mr Mulhall said: "If we want to grow into new markets, we need to start today to deliver tomorrow." q&a Age: 37 Highest educational qualification: Degree in engineering, University of Ulster Biggest achievement in business: It has to be being part of the team that won the Institute of Mechanical Engineering's Mechanical Excellence Award for Most Improved Business 2011 Biggest regret: I don't dwell on things. Every experience has value Best advice received: Always deliver, surround yourself with great people, and try to work with someone you can learn from Still to achieve: I want to go heli-skiing on my 40th birthday. I still have to talk my wife into letting me do it (c) 2012 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved.

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