Ian Walch

Olsen Actuators & Drives has appointed Ian Walch as its new managing director. Walch takes the role with a mission of increasing revenue, developing skilled U.K. engineering and manufacturing capability and enhancing the company’s reputation in the market by providing safety-critical actuation. Olsen Actuators & Drives announced the appointment on Oct. 28.

The company produces a range of space-rated motor drives/power electronics ready to suit specific projects. Whether COTS, customized, or bespoke, the company offers motion control solutions with radiation-hardened components and space-specific specifications to speed up design, testing and integration.

Earlier this year, the company, a provider of actuators and space-certified motor drives, won its first UK Space Agency (UKSA) funding to deliver a proof of concept demonstrator for a new lunar rover being designed by the University of Manchester, and funded by the Enabling Technologies Programme (ETP). The project will develop and fabricate a jumping robot system capable of thrusting upwards, descending, and self-righting that will be lowered into lava tubes under the surface of the Moon which have been earmarked for potential initial future human habitation.

“It is an exciting opportunity to be part of the Olsen business providing cutting edge electrical actuation solutions and products into blue chip clients across the world,” Ian Walch, managing director, Olsen Actuators & Drives, said in a statement.