Lufe is literally the pits for Dynisma, a rapidly expanding UK company that has become a world leader in motorsport.
The business, founded in Bristol in 2017, is now the go-to virtual reality innovator in another example of Global Britain success.
Its multi-million pound space-age simulators are now helping Formula 1 teams shave milliseconds off lap times.
Dynisma has earned a reputation as the grid leader in technology, developing bespoke simulators used by speed kings Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz of Ferrari, PREMA Racing, and an increasing clutch of commercial car makers.
A typical simulator starts at £2.5m but can fetch £9m for some of the more complex motion generators and visualisation solutions.
Some of the world’s biggest car makers are now keen to use them to test drive concept vehicles before they enter mass production.
The rapid growth of the business has seen the company open Dynisma Technology Campus near Bristol Airport close to where the fabled Concorde was designed, developed and produced.
And it has kept alive the South West’s rich heritage in innovative technology. Concorde, the world’s most famous aircraft, first flew commercially on January 21, 1976 and its last was on November 26, 2003.
Dynisma’s new 15,000 sq ft hub hosts dedicated engineering and manufacturing centres and a world-class demonstration facility where motorsport teams can walk through projects.
Expansion has already created 40 new jobs, with a further increase in headcount expected next year.
Ash Warne, who has more than 10 years’ experience in leadership and operational roles at McLaren and Ferrari, said: “We are at a very exciting stage in our growth, and we need to scale up quickly.”
Central to success has been delivering simulators with 360-degree views of any race track in the world with deadly accurate vehicle motion and visual cues, allowing drivers to get as close as possible to the real experience of testing different circuits and conditions.
Its technology, harnessing the cloud-based design solutions of Reading-based PTC, allows responses in scarcely-believable 3 milliseconds.
Matt Bell, head of mechanical engineering at Dynisma, said: “Collaboration is vital in what we do. Our designers and engineers need to be able to run through different ideas and tweaks in real time, and PTC’s software allows us to configure the management of lots of different parts.
“Being in the cloud means we can access our product information anywhere in the world and there is an extremely efficient way of logging any changes, meaning everyone is working on the right design and at the right time. It has been a real game-changer adopting a solution that can be executed so efficiently in the cloud.”
Jon Hirschtick of PTC, one of the world’s leading specialists in digital transformation, said: “Dynisma is pushing the boundaries of simulation innovation and, to achieve the level of performance, it requires a design and development platform that is robust and can be tailored to suit specific requirements.
“We have met all of the challenges thrown at us so far and are delighted to be delivering the level of functionality and collaboration its engineers have demanded.
“It’s fantastic watching F1 races and knowing that, in some small part, PTC is helping some of the best drivers to stay safe and achieve breathtaking times.”
