Irish Innovator Leverages Wheeled Vehicle Development Heritage
At IDEX in Abu Dhabi on 17 February, Irish engineering firm Timoney will announce it is to place increased emphasis on its Engineering Consultancy business unit and that it expects revenues from this area of its business to more than double over the next three years.
Increased customer demand has driven the company to leverage its legacy of more than 50 years’ experience with wheeled vehicles and to offer stand-alone engineering services and consultancy to customers requiring the sometimes arcane skillsets involved in through-life support, fleet maintenance, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and vehicle upgrade programmes, as well as to its existing customers engaged in new vehicle development.
That legacy encompasses the provision of engineering and design services, predominantly for automotive systems, dynamic performance, mobility and drivetrain solutions. Timoney’s traditional business model, based around a hybrid mix of IP licensing, engineering services and long term supply of driveline and suspension systems, has been synonymous with its successes with vehicle programmes, supporting original equipment manufacturers in the USA, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.
“It has become increasingly apparent that our customers recognise that our automotive engineering skills are as relevant to programmes involving in-service vehicles and upgrades as they are during the new vehicle development cycle. Providing consultancy services in this way does represent a change in mind-set for us as a business, but it is clear that our involvement in so many pioneering programmes – and our 50 years’ experience developing new vehicles – puts us in a unique position to be able to address this market. We continue to participate in new vehicle development programmes, but we are even approaching these differently from a commercial perspective, based on the needs of our customers,” observed Timoney CEO, Shane O’Neill.
Timoney’s automotive engineering and design offering encompasses driveline, suspension, power-pack, chassis and structures, in addition to other automotive systems. As well as 3D solid modelling and CAD design, the company can provide dynamic analysis and finite element analysis (FEA) services, supported by first-principle system calculations and performance predictions. Timoney also has in-house facilities for bench-testing and proof of concept assembly.
“We are offering these services across several sectors and we are already seeing successes in the construction market as well as defence. We now have a greater emphasis on helping our customers grow their business through technical participation in the full vehicle lifecycle, from cradle to grave. Participation with vehicles where we had no role in the original design represents the most significant change, but we believe that this also represents one of our greatest growth opportunities. First-class engineering and being quicker to execute than competing alternatives continue to be important USPs for us and are embedded in our culture,” O’Neill added.
