KTP case studies

The initial designs were complex and time-consuming to manufacture. The company approached Oxford Brookes for help, and a KTP project was born, with the support of funding from the Technology Strategy Board. The partners recruited Brookes graduate Jonny Biddulph to work in the company, under supervision from James Broughton of the University's Joining Technology Research Centre. James is an expert in materials such as carbon fibre, and joining technology such as sophisticated resins.

By the end of the two-year project, motor production was reduced from seven days to two, material use was reduced, and defect rates were down ten-fold. The cost of a key component was reduced from £95 to under £10, thanks to the introduction of polymers. Lead times that used to stand at eight weeks were heading down to two.

Commercially, the company won a large contract with a major vehicle manufacturer, and made significant inroads into industrial markets. The motors were also adopted for 'the most technologically advanced roadcar ever conceived', the Jaguar C-X75, in which two YASA motors paired with a modest conventional engine to create a car with the performance of a Bugatti Veyron and yet emissions of a Toyota Prius.

Not surprisingly, as Jonny's project came to an end, a job offer was on the table to work directly for YASA as Materials Engineer.

In the case of Brethertons LLP, a large regional law firm that provides advice to businesses and individuals, a contact suggested a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with Oxford Brookes University. A quick call for information led to a series of meetings at which a radical plan was mapped out – literally, on a very large whiteboard – that would take the firm forward in a coordinated two-year programme.

Academics Paul Jackson and Diana Limburg of Oxford Brookes’ Business School came up with the novel idea of a Value Integration Office, which would form the heart of the change project in this organisation of almost 300 people working across four sites. Together with the senior Partners at Brethertons, they applied for KTP funding and were awarded a government contribution of over £90k.

The partnership then recruited a Business Change Analyst to manage the project in-house at Brethertons. Yu-Chun Pan, who had recently completed his PhD in Business Informatics at Henley Business School, is working with Brethertons under Paul and Diana’s supervision, pulling together data from across the organisation, engaging staff and creating the foundations for systematic change.

Partner and Chief Executive, Michael Dibben, is confident that Brethertons has taken the right course. Michael says: “As legal professionals we needed someone who could take an independent view of our organisation, and bring experience from other sectors in developing customer relationships, improving our processes, and promoting internal collaboration. But at the same time we don’t want an off-the-shelf solution; it has to develop around our special culture and support the huge growth we are experiencing. It’s an exciting time.”

There are more than 5.2m properties at flood risk in England alone, and as rainfall records seem to be repeatedly broken, the social and economic costs are increasingly in the news. There is agreement among those in government, insurance and construction that applying flood resilience to properties will reduce the damage and disruption associated with flood events; but there is little evidence to date of how far the current methods provide these benefits.

The response from insurance companies and government has been to develop a 'flood re-insurance' scheme to help support households at highest risk. Flood Re, a national scheme offering better access to affordable flood insurance cover, went live on 4th April 2016, and will be in place for 25 years.

Pumping the Somerset Levels (photo by Noel Jenkins) 

Now the new KTP project will work with insurers and others to develop a comprehensive, fully researched approach that runs from flood reports and assessments through to design, installation, testing and maintenance. The company’s unique experience in flood risk management, protection and insurance will be complemented by Oxford Brookes’ Architectural Engineering research group. This interdisciplinary group, working across the fields of architecture and engineering, combines expertise in construction technology, structures, building physics and sustainability, and leads the way in a wide range of challenges in built environment flood research. Part of the project will use the group’s own laboratory for physical testing of designs and materials.

A rapidly expanding company, Aquobex is uniquely positioned within the industry to take advantage of what is now a substantial and expanding market, which it believes is worth in excess of £25bn. The two-year KTP will bring £95k of funding from Innovate UK, and the partners are now seeking an enterprising graduate in architecture or another construction associated subject to fill the role of KTP Associate. The Associate will be based with the company but will be managed and supervised by the researchers at Oxford Brookes.

The company is the world's best known brand in its sector, but it wanted to improve its environmental performance and demonstrate its credentials as its markets become increasingly sensitive to sustainability issues. Oxford Brookes University was therefore delighted to be able to work with Stannah on a Knowledge Transfer Partnership to improve its care for the environment, with a project that also made sound commercial sense.

Stannah's engineering director Steve Leathley initially sought out Oxford Brookes for its expertise in sustainable vehicles, figuring that the same techniques could be applied in Stannah’s own design and manufacture. Two years on, with a successful KTP behind him, Steve's reasoning is fully vindicated, and the company has reduced costs while developing a demonstrably more eco-friendly product.

Dr Pat Winfield of the university’s Department of Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mathematical Sciences led the academic input. She said later ‘I found the experience of the KTP very rewarding … The partnership was about a three-way increase in knowledge and team work’.

Key to the project was a Life Cycle Analysis of a typical Stannah product, in which the materials and processes involved in making a stairlift, from major components down to fittings and fastenings, were rigorously scrutinised. The lifetime running costs were then factored in, as were the opportunities for dismantling and recycling at the end of its useful life.

The results showed where significant energy savings could be made and where waste could be reduced, and led to new eco-design guidelines for the company's engineers. New products will be environmentally aware and can be benchmarked against old ones. Marketing literature will benefit from 'carbon labelling', and the work also highlighted the possibility of new business models based on remanufacture and recycling of components. Overall, the project enabled Stannah to set the industry standard in sustainability.

Charlie Symonds was a young engineering graduate with a passion for sustainability who was recruited to lead the project as KTP Associate. Through a combination of patient analysis and skilful communication, he was able not only to reduce the company’s carbon footprint, but also to change mindsets within the company and along their supply chain.

Employed and supervised by Oxford Brookes, Charlie was permanently taken on by Stannah when the KTP completed, with the role of Business Sustainability Manager. He began a PhD based on the project work, which the company is now continuing to fund.

During the project he was announced as runner-up for Graduate of the Year by the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment, for ‘single-handedly providing his company with a framework for its sustainability strategy for the next five years’.

It began with CMS founder Steve Liquorish's passion for racing, first in a BMW Mini, and now in a Porsche 911 420bhp GT3, where he's a serious contender for the marque's 2013 Cup Challenge GB. Steve observed that lightweight materials and sophisticated joining methods were everywhere in motorsport - so why not in the components he supplies to the contract furniture companies of Europe?

Steve was introduced to James Broughton and Shpend Gerguri, engineers at Oxford Brookes who specialise in novel materials and joining technology, and soon a Knowledge Transfer Partnership was born, with the aim of applying their expertise to the challenges of saving assembly costs for CMS customers. Primarily these are chair manufacturers based in Europe who need to compete against cheap labour in the Far East; so anything that could reduce the cost of components, shorten assembly times and lower the transport costs would be highly valuable.

The project would also bring a design capability to the company, and by looking at disassembly at the end of product life, it could bring environmental benefits too.

Supported by nearly £100k of funding from the Technology Strategy Board, the KTP partners recruited Glenn Le Faou, a Master of Design from Coventry University who gained his degree in Automotive and Transport Design with First class honours. Glenn's role is Product Design Engineer (KTP Associate) and he is leading the project at CMS, supervised by Shpend and James from Oxford Brookes. Among his first pieces of work was to design and prototype a new iPad holder, which was exhibited at a national design festival.

The project continues until the end of 2014 and further innovations are eagerly awaited.