October was a busy month for the team at DefProc. We’ve been working hard on several new and innovative client projects, as well as attending events across the city. From awards to community fairs, we have lots to share with you!

Visiting Low Thornley

Patrick and our mechanical engineer Bridget visited the Hydrogen Homes at Northern Gas Networks’ Low Thornley site. Our work with Northern Gas Networks has involved us creating the first low-cost domestic hydrogen sensor, H2Go, and a Smart Gas Pressure Sensor that will feature in future hydrogen homes. The homes are fitted with appliances such as cookers and boilers that can use hydrogen rather than gas. The appliances are almost identical to what you’d currently have in your home and operate the same way. The most notable difference is that the hob flame burns orange rather than blue. However, this doesn’t affect the temperature or time it takes to cook your food! The innovation site is open to the public to showcase how hydrogen can power a zero-emission gas-fuelled home. 

The homes were built as a partnership between Northern Gas Networks, Cadent and the UK Government’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Northern Gas Networks’ hydrogen village trial in Redcar is set to be confirmed by the end of 2023.

Brilliant Launch Event

Jen had the opportunity to attend the launch event of BRILLIANT at the Royal Liver Building. The conference saw leaders in education, industry and STEAM gather to discuss a future BRILLIANT festival, a series of educational events, in October 2024. 

The BRILLIANT conference centred around bringing industry and educators together to address skills gaps, build careers for young people and broaden their understanding of technology such as AI and the careers available. The belief that the future of education is collaborating with industries resonates strongly with DefProc, and we’re excited for the future of BRILLIANT.

Find out how to get involved and more information here.

 

Halloween Fair

Made Invaders made its third outing of the year at the Homebaked Community Land Trust (CLT) Halloween Fair in Anfield. Homebaked CLT is an incredible organisation taking a sustainable and creative approach to making Anfield and Everton vibrant places to live, work and play, as well as creating and protecting local value in the area. We were delighted to be included and to be given the opportunity to showcase Made Invaders! The Halloween Fair was free to attend and offered many activities for the community to get involved with.

The day before the event, Jen and Enola headed up to the venue to get the room Halloween-ready. After tackling a few packets of artificial cobwebs, scattering numerous spiders, bats and skeletons across the room, and arranging several spooky displays, the room was sufficiently scary! Then, they got to work setting up the Made Invaders boxes, ready to play the next day.

Before

After

After

The team arrived the next day bright and early for last-minute preparations. At 11 o’clock, the doors opened, sending in a steady stream of people for a fun-filled day. Activities included face painting, pizza and stalls selling an assortment of handmade goods. In our room, we had a line of children (and adults!) gearing up to play Made Invaders. There was a strong buzz of community spirit throughout the day, and it was brilliant to receive questions from some of the children about how we designed Made Invaders and the technology used for the game. 

Thanks again to Homebaked CLT for organising the event! We had a fantastic day.

Gather’s Next Chapter

Gather is a community for digital, creative and tech leaders in the Liverpool City Region to connect and grow. They have a range of programmes, delivered by the brilliant team at Form, designed to encourage business growth. We have been a part of the Gather community for over a year, so we were thrilled to be invited down to One Fine Day to find out more about their new programmes.

After networking, drinks and nibbles, we heard from Katie Bolas about the latest support services Gather is offering. Regardless of the size of your business, there is something for everybody, whether that is one-to-one advice or a six-month bespoke support package. We also heard from Kylie Reid (Hi-Impact), Paul Davies (Yozu) and Mike Heverin (SupplyWell), who discussed how the Beyond programme has helped them grow their business. As a company that has received support from Gather, we highly recommend getting involved!

Merseyside Independent Business Awards 2023

After the Gather event, we raced over to the Titanic Hotel for the Merseyside Independent Business Awards! DefProc was a finalist for the Trades of Manufacturing Business of the Year this year. Although we didn’t win, we’re extremely proud to have been nominated alongside other brilliant manufacturing companies in Merseyside. After the delicious three-course meal, it was great to catch up with people and see the best of what Merseyside has to offer.

Congratulations to all the winners! 

Liverpool Chamber Awards

At the end of the month, Jen and Patrick also attended the Liverpool Chamber Innovation in Business Awards, where DefProc was a finalist in the Innovative Product or Service Award category. The awards celebrated businesses and organisations who have driven their organisation forward throughout the year.

The atmosphere at St George’s Hall was electric, with a vast range of Liverpool businesses nominated for the awards. Patrick and Jen thoroughly enjoyed the evening, catching up with old friends and making new connections. A big congratulations to Green Bell Packaging, who won from our category, and the other winners and finalists! Thank you to the sponsors of the evening and the Liverpool Chamber for organising a fantastic evening. 

What’s next?

November will see DefProc celebrating its 10th anniversary as a limited company! We also have the Make UK Manufacturing Awards and the Downtown in Business Livercool Awards to attend.

We’re also delighted to announce that DefProc is a finalist for The Engineer’s Collaborate to Innovate Healthcare & Medical Award for our project, SmUPS, in collaboration with Liverpool 5G Create, Docobo and Telet Research. As well as this, Jen is a nominee for the Downtown in Business Liverpool Women in Business “Newcomer of the Year 2024” Awards. If you’d like to place your vote for Jen, you can do so here.