KTP case studies

Delta Fluid Products

Delta Fluid

Client: Delta Fluid Products
Issue: Technical development
Session: Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)

Our Knowledge Transfer Partnership helped develop a product that could increase Delta Fluid Products' sales by £3.75 million per year.

The partner organisation

Delta Fluid Products, which became part of Crane Services following this Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), is one of the country’s leading specialists in the field of controls, valves and gases. Based in St Helens, Merseyside, the company employs some 220 people with a turnover of around £14 million.

Project aims

The purpose of the Delta Fluid Products KTP was to introduce advanced design tools to the design of a two-stage gas regulator. This work would expand the company’s product range and embed better product development techniques, helping to strengthen the Delta Fluid Product's market position and secure its future.

Project outcomes

Excellent results were achieved. The design and manufacture of gas pressure regulator products were revolutionised. For example, functional simulation was integrated into the design process, resulting in reduced costs in design and development. The new medium-pressure regulator developed as part of the KTP was predicted to increase sales by £3.75 million per year within three years.

Fast facts

  • The KTP exceeded expectations and was designated “Outstanding” by external assessors from AEA (now Innovate UK).
  • Delta Fluid Products are now able to design better products to much shorter timescales and deliver them to market without costly design and development iterations.
  • The Delta Fluids Product KTP was a double-award-winning project, winning a National KTP Award – Best EPSRC-Funded Partnership.
  • The Associate, Gareth Black, was awarded the Business Leader of Tomorrow by AEA (now Innovate UK).
  • Gareth Black, the Associate, accepted a full-time role within the company as Technical Manager for Gas Products.
  • Liverpool John Moores University and Delta Fluid Products have continued their relationship and a new KTP proposal was approved, with Gareth Black moving up to a company supervisor position.

Prozone Sports

prozone

Client: Prozone Sports
Issue: Technical development
Session: Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Project

Extending the boundaries of performance analysis in football.

Company overview

Prozone Sports Limited has been pioneering performance analysis for 19 years and have worked with many of the leading clubs and organisations in sport to deliver the world’s leading performance analysis services.

Challenge

Prozone are the market leader in the provision of performance analysis services in football and strive to innovate to differentiate from competitors. They embarked on a 2 year KTP with the Football Exchange and the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) to improve performance analysis within the areas of match analysis, player recruitment and asset management.

Solution

This KTP will result in the adoption and integration of more powerful statistical methods in the company’s consultancy and training offerings, through the use of multivariate statistics analysis to generate enhanced and more complex performance insights from the huge amounts of data already available from matches worldwide. 

The key deliverables of this KTP will be: 

  • Evolution of match analysis insights
  • Enhance player performance profiling
  • Deliver asset management solutions
  • Enhance educational offerings to academic and sports sectors

Benefits

The KTPs will:

  • improve the analytical capability within the business leading to the development of new innovative market leading products and services
  • enhance the company’s analytical capabilities will have a major effect on their marketing strategy which will also correlate with commercial success within key markets
  • enable LJMU staff to collaborate in a cutting-edge project on sports analytics, which has further developed the relationship between Prozone and LJMU, providing opportunities for work-related learning and undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations in the future
  • allow research generated to inform the long-term goal of LJMU to make sports performance analysis a fully digitally enabled science and delivery package, providing case studies, website updates, and develop reports for industry, academic publications and conferences. This will contribute to the Research Excellence Framework, funding and employment opportunities

Hector Ruiz, Liverpool John Moores Doctoral Student in Mathematics and KTP Associate says:

“I am very excited to be involved in this KTP between LJMU and Prozone, as it combines two passions of mine: science and sports. My role in this project will be that of a data analyst, exploring and implementing new ways of evaluating and profiling performance through the extraction and interpretation of insights present in the available data.”

Risktec

Meeting the skills challenge of high-hazard industries

Risktec

A two-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) between Risktec Solutions Limited and Liverpool John Moores University has resulted in Risktec offering postgraduate qualifications, up to Masters level, in Risk and Safety Management, validated by LJMU. 

The company perspective

Risktec is an international safety and risk management consultancy with its headquarters in Warrington. Risktec was receiving an increasing number of requests from clients to provide training in safety and risk management. The company felt there was a growing skills and knowledge gap in industry and decided to embark upon a KTP with LJMU to develop a professional training business to run alongside its consulting business.

Initially the concept was to develop a menu of training modules that clients could select from but, as the project progressed, Risktec realised that the market would be better served by offering structured programmes leading to accredited, postgraduate qualifications.

This led to the development of the Risk and Safety Management programme which offers qualifications to MSc level. The programme is delivered by Risktec’s consultants, who are all practising risk professionals and is accredited by LJMU.

Since completing the KTP project, Risktec has secured business and interest from major customers in the nuclear, oil, gas and rail sectors.

Steve Lewis, Director at Risktec and Industrial Supervisor on the project said: "The main benefit of the KTP project was in developing the training business in a more planned and deliberately paced way than we would otherwise have done. "The flexible programme and qualifications via LJMU allow us to offer something truly unique in the market."

As a result of the KTP, Risktec has a new revenue stream which has not only attracted new clients but has allowed Risktec to access the training budgets as well as consulting budgets of existing clients.

The associate perspective

Roisin Smyth, Associate on the project said: "Without question, the KTP has been hugely beneficial to my career development. The opportunity to get involved in developing a new business from its inception is unique and not readily available in the job market. I have been working with people at all levels of the company and the University. The training business has already started to blossom, which is a rewarding experience. The KTP has undoubtedly fast-tracked my professional development."

The academic perspective

Alan Wall, LJMU Lead Academic Supervisor on the project said: "It has been a unique opportunity to work with a forward thinking company and assist in the setting up of structured academic programmes. Obtaining University accreditation was very challenging, but well worth the effort. The new programme will be of great benefit to safety and risk practitioners as well as a great business. I have been particularly impressed with the Risktec consultants in adapting to their new roles as part time academics. I am also delighted that my association with Risktec is set to continue as manager of the MSc projects as well as the link tutor."

The future

Risktec’s new training business has attracted customers worldwide and opened up a whole new market which wouldn’t otherwise have been accessible. This has enabled Risktec to establish an even stronger market position and foster outright growth.

Steve Lewis said: "We are very excited about the opportunities our new training business has opened up for us and we look forward to continuing our excellent working relationship with LJMU."