Laurence Marks has been involved in the world of simulation for over 20 years. In that 20 years finite element analysis has moved from being an “out there” advanced technology that was frankly beyond the reach of most projects and organisations, to an integral engineering design process. He has been involved in training, support, consultancy and sales and used a wide range of different analysis codes. He is currently a director of SSA, the leading Simulia VAR.