Business Within A Business

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The other day I wrote about the Formula One Teams helping the British Government out by doing Project Pitlane. They are the reason why the country is receiving 10 000 new ventilators for the health industry next week. Mercedes got most of the thanks for this ,but all the other teams were involved and why I decided to show what Williams do beyond Formula One.


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Tasked with reverse engineering a ventilator that can be mass produced the teams managed the task within 1000 hours. People from the industry were amazed as a normal company would take about 2 years for a project of this size. These racing teams are not a one trick pony and have many divisions that are working outside of the normal racing projects.

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When you have a group that is at the forefront of research and development and are leaders in their fields it doesn't matter if it is motor racing or something obscure like a health related product. The same thought process that they have always worked for still applies. Mercedes sends out a team of specialists to solve problems in other companies and they do this on a regular basis.

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Each team has a large team of specialists comprising of some of the smartest technical brains in their field and they don't come cheap. The investment in their staff and the whole operation including all the wonderful machinery they use to make each part is very expensive. To think every part on the Formula One car is crafted by these people using these machines is quite staggering.

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A car comprises of around 80 000 parts so that means the teams have to make 160 000 parts before they even consider spare parts. Each part is tested for reliability and strength using the latest and best technology available. Reverse engineering a ventilator is childs play for these teams as they are used to creating and building new parts daily.

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When I say each team is a business within a business it is the fact that they all do so much other work away from the Formula One cars. Bills have to be paid so developing and patenting new products is where they find extra funds. Williams racing has had a sister company called Williams Advanced Engineering for years and their sole purpose is to develop and create new things.

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Porsche air cooled engine developed along side Williams.

The battery used in the E Formula One cars is developed and supplied by Williams. The technology Williams has with the batteries is priceless as the automotive industry is heading in that direction. The company may be languishing at the bottom of the grid right now, but fortunes can change just as quickly by developing something innovative and new.


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Most of the teams apply their business skills to commercial interests in other companies outside of the automotive field. Williams was involved recently with the US Health Service looking at ways of revamping the system. The team has the expertise and knowledge from years of target achieving against a budgetary restraint that is smaller than other teams. Mercedes did something similar with Ineos a chemical giant who have now become a sponsor in the team.

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Williams Advanced Engineering has such diverse clients such as Tesco,Unilever,Unipart, British Deference Systems and a hole host of car manufacturers including Aston Martin,Porsche and Nissan. Last year the Advanced engineering company generated more than $60 Million in revenue. Other teams are involved in Satellites,Solar energy,communications and business assessments. Restructuring of the way a businesses is run is becoming a bigger earner for these teams now.

If we look at the list that Willaims offer their services to you would be amazed at the diversity. Aerodynamics,thermodynamics,electrification and battery technology,production and manufacturing,aerospace and defence plus business performance and sports science.

After the publicity the teams have received from this joint venture for the British Government with the ventilators I can only see the demand going up in the future. The commercial side of the teams businesses has been made aware to the general public and this should now grow. The teams have a much bigger role to play than just keeping a car on the track and look forward to reading about new projects they are involved in.



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