Dr. Chris Davies, head of technical superiority for Belron, the parent company of Autoglass, has been awarded the title of honorary professor in practice from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD). The distinction is bestowed upon an individual to recognize academic and/or professional distinction in one of several disciplines aligned with the strategic intentions of the university.
Davies, who joined Belron in 2003, leads a dedicated research and development center, which invests more than £2 million a year to address current and future challenges for vehicle glass repair and replacement and meet the future requirements of customers. The team works with a wide range of industry and academic partners to investigate future trends in glass, new materials and processes.
Over recent years, Davies’s team has focused on advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), which are increasingly common in new vehicles, and support many potentially life-saving safety features such as autonomous emergency braking. Many systems require calibration to ensure they are working properly following a windscreen replacement.
Davies and his team wrote the body of work that ultimately became the Thatcham Code of Practice for ADAS and automotive glazing.
“It’s a privilege to be able to congratulate Chris on this well-deserved recognition – we are thrilled to have a professor leading our technical, innovation and research capability globally – it’s unique in our market and very special,” commented Taxiarchis Konstantopoulos, managing director of Autoglass. “He has made a significant contribution towards the development of many industry-leading solutions. As recently as 2015, just over 2 percent of windscreen replacements performed by Autoglass needed ADAS calibration, now … we are completing thousands every month. Chris has been pivotal in leading our technical expertise …”
Through his association with the university, Davies will be involved in a range of initiatives to support UWTSD’s multidisciplinary Faculty of Architecture, Computing and Engineering, specifically in automotive engineering.
“I’m extremely honored in being made a Professor of Practice and excited by the opportunity to serve the University and students by building even stronger links to a global company like Autoglass,” Davies said.
