Meet William Dauncey, Product Designer and KTP Associate
Meet William Dauncey, who joins PDR as a Product Designer and KTP Associate! He works with PDR to research the latest technologies, design methods and manufacturing processes, which he then develops in conjunction with V-Trak, a wheelchair seating company that wants to learn about and apply these procedures in its own operations.
The Knowledge Transfer Partnership scheme brings together a UK company, an academic institution, and a qualified graduate in a three-way collaboration. The scheme's goal is to help businesses acquire new capabilities, evolve, and ultimately increase revenue. To better understand his role at PDR and V-Trak, and to get to know William, we sat down with him and asked a couple of questions.
This setup is ideal for me because it provides the perfect place to learn and research but also keeps me grounded and allows me to apply the learnings in the real world. I also get to see a product's journey from beginning to end. Part of that process means I get to see what a difference the products make in the end user’s life during visits to clinics, which is very rewarding and reinforces the sense of purpose of the role
William Dauncey | Product Designer KTP Associate | PDR & V-Trak
Before acquiring his role as a Product Designer and KTP Associate, William was no stranger to PDR. “I studied to be a Product Designer at Cardiff Metropolitan University and graduated in 2021. I then stayed on to complete my Masters in 2022. I’ve always known about PDR for their highly regarded reputation for bringing new innovations to market. It has been an ambition of mine to work for them for a long time so when I saw this job advertised it was perfect for me!”
Asking about his daily role split between two companies, he mentions, “The week is very flexible - wherever I need to be, I can be there. I typically work Monday to Thursday at V-Trak, and then on Fridays, I work at PDR. This setup is ideal for me because it provides the perfect place to learn and research but also keeps me grounded and allows me to apply the learnings in the real world. I also get to see a product's journey from beginning to end. Part of that process means I get to see what a difference the products make in the end user’s life during visits to clinics, which is very rewarding and reinforces the sense of purpose of the role.”
William says more about the team and his work at PDR, “I really enjoy the atmosphere, it’s quite calm and flexible, everyone knows what they are doing, and you are trusted to get on with your work. Everyone is extremely friendly and approachable and with a wide variety of different backgrounds, the cross-pollination of ideas can produce really inventive and well-rounded solutions. At the moment I’m working with PDR’s Professor Dominic Eggbeer on a case study that will put V-Trak’s current backrests through medical testing. I'm currently designing a test rig on which you can run all of their products to see if they meet the set ISO standards (16840-3).”
“Once the rig is up and running, the main phase of the project will be to redesign one of V-Trak’s lateral supports using additive manufacturing through parametric & generative design methods, and then compare its performance against V-Trak’s current lateral support using the test rig.”
Outside of work, William’s life is just as varied and busy - “I enjoy swimming and try to keep it up by going to my local pool. I also enjoy renovating 80’s road bikes as well as longboarding, and I recently purchased an electric longboard, which has been a game-changer! I also love designing and bringing my ideas to life with my 3D printers. As for my ideal weekend, it would probably include a visit home to the coast of West Wales where I enjoy all things sand & sea!"
The warmest of welcomes goes to William from the PDR team. We are thrilled to have him on board!
Next Steps
Learn more about what it’s like working at PDR, or to discuss an idea, contact us.