In this spotlight, we meet Brenton Sequeria who is a Machine Learning and Image Integration Engineer Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Associate with B-Hive Innovations and UWE Bristol.
A KTP is a UK-wide, 3-way partnership between a business, a university and talented graduate called an Associate, and aims to help businesses improve competitiveness and productivity, whilst also boosting the career prospects of the Associate.
Based in Lincolnshire, B-hive is an agri-tech business working to solve the real challenges facing the fresh produce industry. The B-hive team is made up of experienced science, engineering, and project management professionals, supported by a commercialisation team, with in-depth knowledge and experience of solving real day to day fresh produce and agricultural industry issues.
The aim of this particular KTP between UWE Bristol and B-Hive Innovations is to develop a novel real-time, non-contact system to measure the dry matter (DM) content of potatoes using innovative technologies to increase crop utilisation and reduce waste. Supporting B-hive’s strategy for achieving growth through investment in technology and the development of new products to sell to clients. By being able to determine DM content this way will improve utilisation of the raw material through crop selection, enabling higher resale opportunities.
Brenton tells us that “B-Hive Innovations Ltd is an agri-tech company involved in R&D to help tackle problems in the fresh produce domain. The main objective of the project is to develop a low-cost solution to measure dry matter in potatoes to reduce food waste and increase crop utilisation”.
We asked Brenton what a typical day as a KTP Associate is like and he gave us the following insight:
“A typical day is a mix of imaging potatoes, analysing the data, talking to suppliers and designing experiments”.
Following on from this we asked what the most positive aspect of his role has been:
“Working on building a product which will make a net positive impact for the customers is a great. At the same time having to talk to people from various backgrounds makes for a great learning experience. Also having a considerable personal development budget which ensures I can build up skills which can not only help me be better at my job but also for my career is a big plus”.
Brenton also advised how he has benefited from the training and development opportunities which is a result of the KTP Associate role by attending the Innovation Strategy course and the residential training modules which are offered to all KTP Associates.
When we asked Brenton to describe his experience of working as a KTP Associate he told us “It has been everything I was expecting it to be and more. I have particularly enjoyed the process of taking research from the lab to the real world. Especially leading the project which gives you the independence of letting you decide the project direction, keep track of finances and communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders”.
Finally, we asked Brenton whether he would recommend the KTP Associate role and he advised “Absolutely, because you are single handedly able to drive change on a massive scale while having the ability to plug gaps in knowledge and skill by using the personal development budget”.
Andy Gill, the General Manager at B-hive Innovations, remarked:
“Collaborating with staff who have been part of the KTP scheme or are currently engaged in it has proven invaluable for B-hive. It has provided us with the opportunity to engage with brilliant minds brimming with innovative solutions to address challenges within the sector. Having Brenton on board at B-hive has had a positive impact on the entire team. Not only does he learn from his colleagues, but he also brings his unique skills and personality that seamlessly integrate within our team dynamics.”
Find out more about KTPs at UWE Bristol.