FAQs

Where are you based, and where can you work?

We are based in Norfolk in the UK, but we can support your projects globally. We have clients across the country, and can travel anywhere as required. Equally, a significant amount of systems engineering work is now digital, and can be provided remotely without issue.

We understand that physical systems need physical presence for testing - and we have our own workshop facilities for equipment testing if required, along with access to proving grounds and larger workshops as needed.

Can you undertake high voltage system work?

Yes, we have previously developed high voltage systems including Power Distribution Units (PDU), industrial control panels up to 11kV, have worked on 800V automotive electrical architectures and vehicles, and have up to EV Senior Authorised Person qualifications (EV Safety Framework - SAP level 6).

Can you manage and source suppliers for components and systems?

We have a wide range of experience sourcing suppliers, writing specifications, and undertaking technical discussions and negotiations around supply of systems and components.

Can you undertake vehicle testing work?

Yes - we have extensive vehicle testing experience, in troubleshooting, diagnostics, data logging, DVP, calibration, product assessment, quality assessment, functional software testing, handling and dynamics on both road and proving ground.

How does Envision Engineering apply systems engineering principles to early-stage prototyping and rapid concept development?

We have experience of applying systems engineering principles to early-stage prototyping and rapid concept development in fast-paced projects in a lightweight way.

In early-stage product development and prototyping, all of the stakeholder requirements are often not understood or cannot be fully defined. It is often quicker and easier to create a prototype to be used as a starting point for iteration, while also using it as learning to inform stakeholder requirements and iterate quickly.

The approach that Envision Engineering looks to take with systems engineering in prototype projects is to use the principle of understanding requirements from stakeholders as best as possible, defining these and breaking them down into lower-level requirements, and then ensuring system interactions, both internal and external, are well understood. We then undertake implementation of mechanical, electrical, and software elements while considering how the initial requirements will be tested and verified, verifying at each level before combining all systems into a complete solution.

The main aim during rapid prototyping is to develop an initial prototype which can quickly and easily prove out the most challenging parts of a concept. We would usually plan to iterate this cycle as quickly as possible by feeding learning back into the original stakeholder requirements.

We have found this to be a successful approach which keeps documentation overhead to a minimum, while also providing an appropriate level of control and clarity to the prototyping process. It can easily be tailored and scaled according to project-specific needs and demands. For example, for safety-critical systems, there may need to be a greater focus on some parts of the analysis than for non-critical systems.

Which industries benefit most from control systems engineering?

Control systems engineering originally came from some of the more complex and large industries, such as aerospace, automotive, and energy, where the early development of electronics enabled more accurate control of complex systems than humans were able to achieve.

At Envision Engineering, we have significant experience in automotive and motorsport, where early control systems were developed and used for engine control—replacing, for example, carburettors for fuel injection with electronically controlled fuel injectors and ignition distributors with electronically controlled ignition systems. These evolved from standalone electronic control units into integrated electronic control units that we now know as ECUs found in every modern car. These ECUs make thousands of decisions a second in order to precisely control the timing of fuelling and spark to maintain optimal engine running conditions, heavily driven by performance and emissions requirements.

More recently, this has evolved into control systems distributed across the whole vehicle, for example for infotainment, advanced driver assistance systems, and electronic vehicle control systems such as torque control, charging, and battery management systems. The team at Envision Engineering has developed some of the world's highest-performing electric hypercar control systems.

Clearly, those established industries significantly benefit from control systems engineering, but the discipline is now becoming increasingly prevalent across a broad range of newer sectors. These include clean energy and home energy management—such as time-of-use optimisation and solar and battery storage—as well as robotics, precision agriculture, marine systems, logistics, and construction. Consumer electronics, too, has seen significant advances, from home automation platforms to sophisticated autonomous devices. The discipline of control systems engineering is consistent across all of these industries, and a robust systems engineering approach can deliver success in complex developments across them all.

What is Systems Engineering?

Systems engineering, in its simplest terms, is the discipline of eliciting, understanding, and documenting customer requirements for the system under design, and then ensuring that the design fulfills those requirements. We then perform verification (does it do what we said it would do) and validation (is what we said it would do, what we wanted it to do).

In practice, this means, first, understanding all stakeholders involved in your product development. This could include your customer or end users, your manufacturing partner, after-sales support, marketing, finance, and other key teams. After identifying these stakeholders, we discuss their requirements and document them. Once the high-level requirements are understood, we implement them with the engineering and manufacturing teams, and we test against each requirement to verify that the original intent was met (i.e., verification and validation).

In a traditional waterfall approach, this cycle is often constrained—iteration only happens in the next version, and if a feature fails, it may be dropped in the final product. In contrast with agile processes, this loop never really finalizes, which can be difficult to manage with complex physical systems, such as automotive. At Envision Engineering, we blend a hybrid approach, incorporating virtual validation, digital twins, and software-in-the-loop, to enable early validation of the design and verification loop, so we can iterate on requirements early enough that they can be integrated into the final product.

What is rapid prototyping?

Rapid prototyping is the process of developing a preliminary example solution for a product, feature, or function using tools that enable fast development, so you can get to a working prototype as quickly as possible. This is especially valuable when developing complex systems, as a great deal can be learned by using the prototype or putting it in front of customers to gather feedback and verify that the original design goals are on track.

Between a rapid prototype and the final product, we expect a significant amount of change, but these prototypes are often crucial in early-stage product development.

How do we apply systems engineering for rapid prototyping?

So, how is systems engineering used in rapid prototyping? In rapid prototyping, it’s less critical to fully understand the complete customer picture and all stakeholder requirements at the outset. Instead, the focus is on getting a working prototype out as quickly as possible, so it can demonstrate the intended functionality and help answer those unknowns from your product design or stakeholders. Therefore, a slightly less rigorous approach can be used. However, even with a rapid prototype, it’s still valuable to ensure the expected goals of the prototype are fully understood—what it will do versus what it will not do—and to define the expected level of fidelity, accuracy, or precision for the prototype. Regardless, going through the process—understanding the requirements, engineering the solution, and verifying we meet them—adds significant value in prototyping, just as it does in full product development. This process gives a strong foundation for further iterations of the prototype or for developing the MVP, demonstrator, or version one of your product.

What is embedded software development?

Embedded software development is simply the process of creating software that runs on a microcontroller within a piece of hardware. This hardware is typically, but not always, a dedicated system, rather than a general-purpose PC, and it is often designed to operate in real-time, meaning its outputs must respond to inputs quickly enough to control the system it’s connected to. For example, all of the software that runs in your car would typically be considered embedded software.

How long does rapid prototyping take?

This question can be difficult to answer because it depends on the complexity of the project. For very simple projects, a prototype can be developed in a matter of days. For more complex ones, this could take weeks or months. However, the aim of a rapid prototyping process is always to achieve the minimum needed to prove the function in the shortest time possible.

What is 3D printing?

3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is a technology that allows mechanical parts to be produced in very low volumes for prototyping, demonstration, or early-stage product use. There are multiple types of 3D printing, such as Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM), Stereolithography (SLA), and Selective Laser Sintering (SLS). FDM, for example, uses a moving nozzle to extrude plastic layer by layer to build up a part.

The significant benefits of 3D printing include much lower tooling costs compared to CNC machining, very fast production in early stages, low cost per part, and the ability to create complex geometries easily. At Envision Engineering, we use 3D printing as part of our rapid prototyping process to create both electronic systems and simple mechanical components. 3D printing can also be used for low-volume production products where applicable.

How do I turn an idea into a product?

A significant part of turning an idea into a product is building a business case—this means understanding the potential viability of your product. It involves assessing the market, your customers, how you will sell it, the price point, production costs, marketing strategy, and any legislative or legal requirements, as well as how you will fund development. We have experience supporting this process, though our primary focus is on the engineering side of product development.

We typically begin with customer requirements—what the product must do to satisfy your customers. We work with you to determine if early-stage prototyping is beneficial, and we refine a set of requirements for the prototype. Then, we develop the solution using a systems engineering approach (including mechanical, electrical, and software engineering) to create the prototype and test it against your requirements. This allows us to further refine the requirements for your MVP or version 1 of the product, which we then fully detail through systems engineering and working with our manufacturing partners and suppliers to identify a suitable supply chain before we begin production—typically from early samples (A-samples) to pre-production samples (D-samples) and finally into production. This process can be tailored depending on the required volumes and relative cost of development and manufacturing and your product’s needs.

Questions you might have about Systems and Controls Systems Engineering or our services