Cutting edge firms in Llanelli were brought together by the local Member of the Welsh Parliament, Lee Waters, to showcase their strengths and encourage them to work together to grow last week.
Over an online meeting, businesses delivered pitches before discussing opportunities for collaborating. Mr Waters said “The tech sector thrives when its often small and medium sized enterprises are able to cluster together. There are some very impressive businesses in and around Llanelli but many aren’t aware of each other. I’m keen to create a network to connect them, and to encourage them to help each other in order to grow the local economy and create new high-value jobs” Llanelli’s Senedd member said.
The meeting heard presentations from a range of local tech firms, including systems engineering for the MOD (K Sharp), robotics in NHS Wales (Codebase 8), and a comprehensive network of air quality sensors in Swansea (Vindico). As a result of being introduced by Lee Waters, K Sharp and Vindico have since gone on to win contracts from joint bids.
A representative from Darkin Architects said that new virtual reality technology had revolutionised their planning and building process, and had made it more user-friendly for the visually impaired. The Chief Executive of Carmarthenshire County Council, Wendy Walters, also added that the council would brief local Tech companies on areas where innovation could solve their problems, particularly as COVID-19 demands more online services than ever before.
Llanelli’s Member of the Senedd is also the leader minister in the Welsh Government for the digital economy and artificial intelligence in his role as Deputy Minister for the Economy and Transport.
Determined to see Llanelli’s historic reputation as an innovation powerhouse continue, Mr Waters closed the meeting by saying that “Artificial Intelligence and other new technologies will have a highly disruptive impact on our way of life over the next decade. I am confident that if we knock heads together, and innovate around the challenges facing businesses and public services, these disruptions can be a real force for good.”
