Knowledge Transfer Partnership saves business £1.4m

A TWO-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), between a luxury bed company and University of Huddersfield has exceeded expectations by bringing in savings of over £1.4m.

Dr Sammar Javed, from University of Huddersfield’s Business School, has been conducting the project, supervised by senior lecturer Jim Bamford, with Huddersfield-based Deluxe Beds since January 2018.

The partnership is in the latter stages of completion but has exceeded its defined financial targets, with the company also achieving a 100% increase in productivity.

Deluxe Beds is a family-run bed manufacturer and Dr Javed was appointed as its business development manager after the company was awarded £132,000 by Innovate UK to appoint a Knowledge Transfer Associate.

The KTP programme aims to help businesses improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills.

This successful KTP project in Huddersfield, funded by UK Research and Innovation through Innovate UK, is part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy.

During her time with the company, Dr Javed oversaw multiple projects and successful funding applications.

These led to an increase in sales due to improved marketing, company outreach and networking.

The business has also noticed improvements in its supply chain and has seen an increase in production through more efficient operations.

One of the projects, which was awarded over £56,000, will fund research to explore the potential for taking a highly-innovative approach to mattress manufacturing using “modular” construction.

Designs for the pioneering new mattress attracted the attention of the nation’s bedding industry, after Deluxe Beds was named one of three finalists of the category ‘Innovation of the Year’ in the 2019 National Bed Federation Annual Awards.

The luxury bed manufacturer also received an upgrade to its digital infrastructure after Dr Javed secured funding from the Leeds City Regional Enterprise Partnership (LEP) via a business support programme known as Digital Enterprise.

The digital transformation led to the company being named in the Digital Enterprise Top 100, a campaign to showcase the most digitally innovative businesses from across West and North Yorkshire. And in light of Dr Javed’s achievements, the firm recently nominated her for a Manufacturer Top 100 award, which recognises excellence across UK manufacturing.

Managing director of Deluxe Beds, Khatizi Bibi, said without the partnership, the growth the company has witnessed would have been near impossible.

She added: “We are a small business with a relatively small management team and it is not often you find someone like Sammar who has expertise in so many areas.

“We’ve made a lot of progress and there have been multiple improvements made to the company, all thanks to Sammar’s efforts.

“The KTP programme bridges a gap between industry and academia.  The valuable insight received from this project allowed the company to access new research ideas as well as discover alternative funding options.”

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