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NETWORK / 16 / SEPTEMBER 2016 INTERVIEW "The 'edge of grid' is where most of the action is going to take place in terms of innovation in the coming years." What has changed most about the way EA Technology works today compared with when it was established? Our roots as a state-owned research centre meant that the early years of the business were shaped by a culture of intellectual enquiry and the needs of the market were often the last thing on employees' minds when developing new solutions. Today, things could not be more different. We operate in a highly competitive market and although we still push technological boundaries, we are intent on responding directly to customer challenges. Since 2008 that has increasingly meant responding to global challenges. Today 40% of our business is international and that is growing. What does that increased customer and market focus mean for operations? It has transformed the way we work – and where. As opposed to primarily developing products in laboratories, a third of our the coming years." call for evidence, published by Ofgem and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in early September, as well as a continuation of internal investigations into "the likely envelope for the distribution system operator". It will also mean continued enthusiasm for innovation projects – especially at the interface with industrial and commercial customers who are pushing for the introduction of new contracts for demand- side activity. Returning, then, to those criticisms of DNOs as slow innovators and blockers of change, Emery is philosophical. "Are we innovating fast enough? Probably not – you will always want to go faster. But consider, too, that innovation is not linear – it's doesn't always progress at the same pace. You get periods when a lot of things are just getting into place. And then you get times when a lot of innovation and change happens very quickly, all at once." Such a phase, Emery implies, may be just around the corner. N "This country tends to like to put things to competition because markets are effective and tend to deliver lowest cost." A G O L D E N A G E From state-owned research body to market-led solutions provider, 50 years have seen EA Technology change beyond all recognition, says chief executive Robert Davies as the fi rm celebrates its golden anniversary.