TWI’s Director of Membership, Innovation and Global Operations, Tat-Hean Gan, has won the British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing (BINDT)’s annual CM Innovation Award for his long-term role in advancing the development and application of condition monitoring (CM) technologies for lifecycle asset management in critical infrastructure and industries.
The CM Innovation Award is given, each year, to an individual or group who has made a significant contribution to the field of condition monitoring through technology transfer from research and development (R&D) into industry, and/or strategies that have led to technology development and exploitation. With a history going back to 1954, BINDT aims to promote the advancement of the science and practice of non-destructive testing (NDT), condition monitoring (CM), diagnostic engineering and all other materials and quality testing disciplines.
Tat-Hean has an extensive association with the field of condition monitoring (CM), reflected in his studies, work and publication accomplishments. He holds a First Class Honours Degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, University of Nottingham, an MSc in Advanced Mechanical Engineering with distinction and a PhD in Engineering specialising in advanced ultrasonic imaging, both University of Warwick, and an Executive MBA, University of Birmingham. Tat-Hean has also published more than 100 papers and contributed to several books on non-destructive testing (NDT).
Throughout his career to date, Tat-Hean has pioneered collaborative R&D as a means of initiating and deepening technology acceleration for real-world industrial adoption. His approach to enabling innovation in disruptive technologies led to TWI and Brunel University London creating, in 2009, the first of what would go on to be more than ten Innovation Centres, the Brunel Innovation Centre (BIC). Respectively, each Innovation Centre serves to advance primary research for technology transfer in areas such as advanced NDT and CM techniques, additive manufacturing, advanced materials and composites, artificial intelligence and robotics, and joining methods for Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0.
In 2012, Tat-Hean spear-headed and brought to fruition, with co-founding partners Lloyd’s Register Foundation and BP, and lead academic partner Brunel University London, the UK’s first, industry-led postgraduate education and research centre in structural integrity, the TWI-based National Structural Integrity Research Centre (NSIRC). Since then, more than 190 new PhD, and 170 new MSc, students have generated a wealth of opportunities for technology transfer via their research studies. Building on the success of NSIRC, the unique TWI-university model was extended overseas in 2022 and there are now NSRIC International sites in countries including Thailand, Greece, Malaysia, Indonesia and India.
More recently, Tat-Hean was instrumental in leading the creation of the £1.2 billion TWI Innovation Network, a thriving, international, innovation ecosystem comprising research and technology organisations (RTOs), SMEs and large enterprises, and TWI Innovation Centres. In his current role as Director of Membership, Innovation and Global Operations, Tat-Hean continues to focus on technology innovation for the benefit of TWI Industrial Member companies and the international engineering community, including the up-skilling of individuals worldwide to enable careers in engineering through the TWI Global Academy.
Tat-Hean was presented with the CM Innovation Award 2023 at a ceremony which took place during the dinner, held as part of BINDT’s CM2024: The Twentieth International Conference on Condition Monitoring and Asset Management, 19 – 12 June 2024.
Speaking of his achievement, Tat-Hean, Director of Membership, Innovation and Global Operations, TWI said
“I am deeply honoured to receive the CM Innovation Award from the British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing. This recognition is a testament to the collective efforts of my colleagues and the collaborative spirit that drives our work in advancing condition monitoring technologies. Our mission has always been to bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and practical industrial application, ensuring that our innovations bring tangible benefits to critical infrastructure and industries worldwide. I am immensely proud of the strides we have made, and am excited to continue pushing the boundaries of technology to create safer and more efficient systems.”
Photo shows Tat-Hean Gan, Director of Membership, Innovation and Global Operations at TWI, receiving the CM Innovation Award 2023 from Professor Len Gelman, the General Chair of the International Annual Condition Monitoring Conference, hosted by BINDT, and Chair in Signal Processing and Condition Monitoring at the University of Huddersfield.
