NiTech Solutions

NiTech Solutions in East Kilbride has employed two overseas graduates through the Fresh Talent:Working in Scotland Scheme (FT:WISS) scheme to boost its chemical engineering capability.

Kelvin Khoo, 30, from Singapore, attended Singapore Polytechnic studying a diploma in chemical process technology before taking an honours degree in chemical engineering and then an MSc in sustainable process management at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.

He had already secured his FT:WISS visa when NiTech recruited him through the Graduates for Business Scheme, the graduate placement initiative backed by Scottish Enterprise.

"Kelvin’s chemical and process engineering skills matched our requirements as we started to build our team within the business," says NiTech director Neil Todd. "As a new start-up, we had limited funding, so the Graduates for Business scheme allowed us to source academically bright people who had little or no experience that we can then train within the business."

Vishal Raval, 26, had a BEng in chemical engineering from South Gujarat University in India before completing an MSc in engineering at Heriot-Watt.

"We find these graduates have an excellent quality of education, whether they're trained here or overseas or a bit of both," Todd says. "Their quality of English is usually very good too, so we've been very pleased overall."

NiTech has pioneered a mixing technology that allows chemical manufacturers to produce products in a continuous process rather than a traditional batch process. The benefits include lower cost, higher product quality and improved productivity and control. NiTech's current clients are involved in Biofuels, Bioscience and Pharma, fine chemicals and edible oils.

Todd believes the Fresh Talent recruits will also provide a useful insight into future overseas markets. China and India are significant potential markets for the future and the fact that the company's founder, Professor Ni and chief chemist, Dr Lihua Zhao, both speak Mandarin is a key advantage. "The Far East is definitely on the map for us because the chemical industry there is massive," Todd says. "Our plan was to get established in the UK market, where the chemical industry is heavily concentrated in the Midlands and North-East, and then fan out from there. We've now moved into Europe, and have recently taken on our first US client and exhibited in Boston. Our longer term objective is to seek clients in the Far East, in particular in China and India."

Kelvin Khoo has now transferred onto the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme, which allows highly skilled migrants to apply for leave to stay in the UK for up to 24 months with a potential three-year extension. Migrants who have lived in the UK continuously for five years with Home Office permission can make an application for indefinite leave to remain.

Case study:Nov 2007

Contact

Neil Todd
Director
NiTech Solutions Ltd
Prism House
Rankine Avenue
Scottish Enterprise Technology Park
East Kilbride G75 0QF

T: +44 (0)1355 245 993
F: +44 (0)1355 239 064
E: neil.todd@nitechsolutions.co.uk

Ni Tech : www.nitechsolutions.co.uk