Student Consultancy Project: Inside PBSC's experience
Jamie Davis
Managing Director of PBSC Ltd
Jamie participated in a Student Consultancy Project in 2026 and benefitted from the students' fresh insights into his organisation.
Based in Mirfield, PBSC designs and manufactures specialist containment, decontamination and cleanroom equipment for pharmaceutical, biomedical and high-containment facilities worldwide. Our products include airtight doors, decontamination chambers, fogging showers, dunk tanks and specialist transfer hatches.
Why We Took Part
The project provided an opportunity to support students at our local university while also gaining a fresh and independent perspective on a genuine commercial challenge. Businesses can sometimes become too close to their own markets and established ways of working, so external research and constructive challenge can be extremely valuable.
Time Commitments
The commitment was very manageable. It involved a small number of planned meetings, written responses to questions and time spent introducing the students to PBSC and our operations. The students completed the majority of the research independently and used our time effectively.
Working with the Students
The students asked thoughtful questions and were prepared to test some of our existing assumptions rather than simply repeating the information we provided.
One particularly useful insight they delivered was how our existing customer relationships and completed projects could provide a more effective route into these markets than starting with completely cold business development.
The students also identified product longevity and sustainability as potential procurement benefits. We have traditionally viewed these mainly as product-quality characteristics, but they could form a stronger part of our commercial message to European customers.
The students were professional, engaged and well prepared throughout the project. They took the time to understand PBSC’s specialist products and the highly regulated markets in which we operate. We genuinely valued the experience and the opportunity to support the project.
Jamie Davis
Support from the University
The University provided a clear structure for the project and ensured the students had appropriate academic guidance and supervision. Communication was well organised, and the expectations and timeframes were clearly explained from the outset.
Setting the Brief
We asked the students to investigate how PBSC could strengthen its presence and develop a viable market-entry strategy into Europe and this was narrowed down to Switzerland and Denmark. This included reviewing the market opportunities, identifying barriers to entry and recommending how PBSC should engage with customers, consultants, specifiers and potential distribution partners.
Key Takeaways
The central conclusion was that PBSC’s main challenge in these markets is visibility rather than technical capability. We have the products, experience and certification required, but we need to be more visible within the consultant and specifier networks that influence which suppliers are considered for projects.
The report also highlighted the value of making better use of our existing relationships and project references, particularly with organisations such as Lonza and Novo Nordisk.
Implementation of Recommendations
We are reviewing several of the recommendations, particularly strengthening our engagement with consultants and specifiers, making better use of our established Swiss project references and reconsidering our existing route to market in Denmark.
We may not implement every recommendation exactly as presented, but the report has given PBSC a useful independent perspective and a practical basis for further internal discussion.
Advice to Other Businesses
I would recommend getting involved, but businesses should provide the students with a genuine commercial challenge and be open with the information they need to understand it properly. The more context and access you can provide, the more relevant and practical the final recommendations are likely to be.
It is also important to approach the project with an open mind and be prepared for the students to challenge your current thinking.