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Below
are a selection of companies and individuals that the BIC have been
able to help. The variety of products illustrates the diversity
of the BICs expertise and contacts. To read a particular case study
click on either the product or company name drop down boxes and
select a case study.
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Problem:
Unable to practice golf at home without the balls going everywhere
or having a large constructed cage in the back garden!
Solution: The Rotanet,
space saving, golf practice net. Richard Mason and Bob Boulton of
Rotanet Ltd came up with the idea 16 years ago as an alternative to
expensive and time consuming trips to the driving range. However it
was only 2 1/2 years ago that they began to
develop the net. The Rotanet is a revolutionary idea, taking only
2 minutes to set up it is the only fully-retractable golf practice
net. Weighing only 12kg it is extremely portable and easy to store.
It provides golfers with a convenient means of practising whenever
they choose.
In trying to sell their idea Rotanet found that sports manufacturers
always started enthusiastically but negotiations ended with lack of
commitment. They therefore decided to go it alone and recently established
a manufacturing facility in Leek. The product was officially launched
in February this year and the latest news from Rotanet is that following
sales in the UK they have just received their first web site orders
from the USA and Norway. They are also featured in top golf magazine
Today's Golfer.
Rotanet came to the BIC for general guidance on how best to set about
finding likely companies to take on the development and marketing
of the net. The BIC were able to offer them contacts for help with
product design and provided marketing advice, and ongoing support
to deal with issues that cropped up during the product's development.
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Above
information from BIC Banter Issue 10 - Summer 2001
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Problem:
Unable to drill holes into tiles without the drill skidding and scratching
or breaking the tile
Solution: The anti-slip, Drill Guide.
Ernie Merritt came up with the idea of the Drill Guide to combat the
problems associated with drilling into slippery surfaces such as tiles,
glass, car body-work and mirrors. The key benefits of using the Drill
Guide are:
Prevents slide
Eliminates broken / scratched tiles
Guarantees accuracy
Can be used on tiles and glass
The drill guide also allows nervous DIYers to have the confidence
to drill into surfaces they may previously not have dared to. As
a totally new concept to both professional and DIY markets Ernie
decided to find a manufacturer who would make his product under
licence. So he retained the patent whilst a company called Vitrex
manufactures and markets the idea. Vitrex launched the product into
the market place in Spring 2001 and it is beginning to get a lot
of positive feedback from trade groups and major retailers. Already
Toolbank, the largest tool distributor in the UK, lists and actively
sells it to their customers and 'positive news' is imminent from
the two largest DIY groups. The Drill Guide is also to be featured
in the latest edition of DIY and Home Decorating which will
be available in shops by the end of May 2001.
The BIC were able to help Ernie to get his prototype made and gave
him ongoing guidance and support throughout the whole process. Latest
news on the Drill-Guide is that it is to be stocked in 500 Jewson
stores nationally. Any enquiries should be directed to Vitrex on
01253 789180
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Above
information from BIC Banter Issue 10 - Summer 2001
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During
a direct marketing campaign in the Stoke Approach area in January
2000, the Staffordshire & Black Country Business Innovation
Centre made contact with Tai Instrument (UK) Ltd, a small company
in Shelton specialising in the exportation of analytical
instruments to the Far East.
One of the company's directors, Dr Zhang was well aware that sulphur
dioxide pollution had become a serious problem in China with all
30 major cities in China now registering serious levels of pollution.
This is a direct result of the high sulphur content from the coal
being burnt in the local power stations and for industrial use.
Hence there is now a growing demand for gas analysers that incorporate
sulphur dioxide measurement. A review of the leading gas analysers
has shown that current instruments imported into China are too expensive
and the low cost models do not provide for sulphur dioxide measurement.
Spotting a clear need in the market, but already heavily committed
with other projects, Tai Instruments were particularly interested
in the BIC's PRISTINE New Product Development Grant scheme as it
would help them to bring an additional person into the company to
design and build a prototype of a state of the art gas analyser
with extremely high measurement precision and reliability. The BIC
would normally subsidise the employment of a specialist resource
to the tune of 40% up to a maximum grant of £6,000 but as
the company is located in the Stoke Approach SRB area, they were
entitled to a 50% grant awarded by the BIC's Assessment Panel in
February 2000.
A local suitable University graduate was identified and within 9
months, Emission 21 Series Flue Gas Analyser was designed and developed
with distribution arrangements established with a number of trading
companies in the Far East. The company already has promises of sales
of 200 units.
Tai Instruments are now looking for manufacturing premises in the
Stoke on Trent area and have already approached the BIC with plans
for the development of an additional innovative product.
Tai Instruments are working closely with the Business Innovation
Centre and have been introduced to a number of their partners including
Business Link Staffordshire. They also recognise the need to build
up their business developments skills and networking opportunities
and are taking advantage of various seminars and workshops available
to local businesses. Further information is available from the BIC
on 01782 597025
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Above
information from BIC Banter Issue 10 - Summer 2001
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We've
all heard about the 'black box' being the safest place to hide during
a plane crash and now one Cannock firm has developed the software
and systems so that a black box equivalent can be placed on motor
vehicles.
Graham Vinson of RSG Engineering came up with the idea of transferring
the black box to motor vehicles to solve a number of problems their
customers were experiencing. RSG's main business area is the provision
of flashing lights for emergency vehicles. But increasingly a need
was identified to have an accurate electronic means of recording key
data after accidents and about how the vehicles were being used by
drivers in general. Hence the concept of the Data Logger was born.
Graham was referred to the BIC by Business Link to help with the development
of the data
logger. The BIC were able to identify a triumvirate of grants to aid
the company in its new product development.
In its most basic form the data logger is able to record data such
as speed, distance, fuel consumption and whether an emergency vehicle
had the flashing lights on etc. Initially, RSG were involved with
the Montage project as they needed to develop the software to display
information received from the Data Logger. To do this they needed
additional expertise to deal with the mathematics involved in developing
the system and the Montage scheme provides companies with financial
resources to employ expertise from universities and research organisations.
An experienced source of expertise was located in Dr William Fincham
at Queen Mary and Westfield College in London. RSG were awarded £4,800
under the Montage scheme to develop the data logger.
The next stage of the project involved developing a means of communicating
the range of benefits to prospective customers. As it is quite a technical
product, detailed instructions in an understandable form are an essential
part of the product offering. RSG took on Gerard Dunn to undertake
the task of producing a user manual and customer presentation pack.
To fund this development of the project RSG successfully applied for
Pristine funding. The Pristine project is specifically for companies
to employ additional expert resources to help with an innovative project.
RSG were awarded £6,000 towards the employment costs of Gerard.
Following the development of the data logging system a need arose
first with the police service and then with the fire and ambulance
services to identify who was actually driving the vehicle. Therefore
further development of the system was needed and this included additional
financial resources to fund the development. The EITI project is administered
by the Centre for Engineering Excellence in Wolverhampton and is for
companies to invest in new product or process development. The BIC
assisted RSG in successfully applying for the funding and they now
have two variations on the driver identification system.
RSG Director Graham Vinson says of the help received ' ..small businesses
can only move as quickly as their cash flow allows, the grants have
all helped us to get moving quicker and take risks with new product
development.'
To date RSG has sold 250-300 of the data loggers all over the country
to customers including, police, fire and ambulance services. Each
customer is getting different benefits from the equipment and a number
of police forces have had their data logger modified so that the engine
will not start until the driver has been identified.
He says of BIC advisor Max King '..he has been keen to help us in
any way possible and has contributed in a big way providing financial
reports for us. He has also shown us how to maximise opportunities
and because of the regular contact between Max and ourselves a kind
of synergy has developed.'
For more details on RSG and their products visit their website at
www.rsg-ontop.com
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Above
information from BIC Banter Issue 10 - Summer 2001
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Fire,
flood & information systems
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Disaster
Restoration Ltd (DRL) have been steadily growing into a leading
figure in the fire and flood restoration market. Their clients include
many of the major insurance companies in the country including, Prudential,
Zurich and Norwich Union. This is a growing market and DRL are stretched
to capacity following the recent floods throughout the country.
DRL's growth is attributed to their 'complete' service, from first
response through to
complete restoration, including minimising damage by fast response
to claimants through to carpet cleaning, drying, decoration and painting.
Bill Lakin, Technical Director of DRL is based in BIC's managed workspace
at Staffordshire Technology Park. As well as offering the usual tenant
management services, such as training facilities, meeting rooms and
administration services, the BIC also offers support to tenant companies
as and when they need it. After consulting with the BIC's Innovation
Executive, Ian Kiley it was agreed that the company needed to focus
on two key areas to develop its operating systems. The first was to
develop a strategy that would enable the company to manage growth
and the second was to look towards ways of using new technology to
make the company's information and communication systems more efficient.
As a company offering national coverage, DRL needed to implement highly
efficient methods and systems of working to improve customer communication
both in house and between insurance companies and policyholders, such
as victims of domestic fires and floods.
Floods
at Milton, Yorkshire
Ian Kiley suggested that the BIC's RECHAR scheme could provide up
to £6,000 towards the cost of employing an IT student to assess
the systems currently used by DRL, look to future IT needs and determine
which systems would be appropriate. DRL proceeded to employ Claire
Bailes an MSc graduate from Staffordshire University to investigate
the feasibility of a new estimating and management reporting system.
In addition Ian Kiley devised a two-day bespoke 'Strategy Workshop'
for the company to help plan the way forward and to develop an 'innovative'
culture within the business.
The RECHAR project enabled DRL to bring knowledge and skills into
the company to assess the technologies involved in developing an on-line
system that connects technicians on-site, through DRL, to the insurance
companies to get speedy approval for repairs to damaged properties.
It was also discovered that 'off the shelf' software packages would
not be suitable for their needs and that a bespoke system would be
needed to meet their specific requirements.
Due to the magnitude of the task, further development was needed once
the RECHAR project had finished and so it was suggested that the Teaching
Company Scheme might be appropriate. TCS gives funding to projects
that are integral to a company's development and involves post-graduate
students doing the project work. DRL were able to use the TCS to further
fund their development project which could become the industry standard
for the future.
Bill Lakin of DRL (Second left on photo) says of the help received
from the BIC, 'The assistance from the BIC helped the management
focus our attention on the important issues facing the business and
industry, and to put in place a strategy that will enable us to achieve
our vision of becoming the number one fire and flood restoration company
in the UK within three years'.
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Above
information from BIC Banter Issue 9 - Winter 2000/01
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Lexico
founder Gareth Taylor had a vision to create 'a unique information
and resources one-stop shop for UK exporters' and believed that Internet
technology provided an ideal platform from which to offer his unique
range of services.
Formerly Tax and Accountancy Publishing Director of Butterworths Tolley,
a highly respected legal publisher in the UK, Gareth used his background
to start his new company Lexico, based at Keele University. When Gareth
first came to the Business Innovation Centre for advice he had already
carried out much research into the area and had devised a business
plan explaining how the site would make money. However he faced two
main problems; the first like most business start-ups was finance,
he only had personal funds sufficient to launch and trial the idea;
the second problem was expertise, Gareth felt he did not have sufficient
expertise to develop the actual site. The two problems were interlinked,
the expertise he needed he was unable to afford so he needed some
help. His advisor suggested that the RECHAR Project would be best
suited to Gareth's needs. On 16 September 1999 Gareth came along to
the innovation workshop, the first step in the application process.
The workshop is designed to make delegates think about innovation
and the results of their self-analysis points to areas of strength
and weakness.
Lexico applied for and were successfully awarded £6,000 towards
employing an expert to develop their website and provide solutions
to the e-commerce issues the company faced. Having had problems finding
a suitable student for the project, it was suggested that a consultant
might prove more appropriate in Lexico's case. The BIC then put Gareth
in touch with a former client, LIVE INFO based at the Hothouse in
Longton and the company were then employed by Lexico to develop the
site for them.
The finished product
-Lexico Exporter -
now contains:
- A website
for UK exporters providing a one-stop shop of information and
resources
- A library
of technical and regulatory information
- Daily news
and updates
- Country guidance
- An on-line
problem page
- A forum for
exporters to share 'how to' information
The site, which
is free to use, was launched on June 14 2000 at the Business Innovation
Centre's AGM, which was held at the Moat House, Acton Trussell and
was of great interest to many of the delegates. Since then the majority
of Business Links and Chambers of Commerce nationwide have signed
up to the site and in a matter of weeks Lexico has more than 100 members.
Lexico currently has only 5 employees but, as the number of members
increase, it is only a matter of time before they expand. They will
soon be selling advertising space on the site and are currently in
negotiations with a major bank for a sponsorship deal. Gareth believes,
however, that 'without the BIC's support of something new the project
probably wouldn't have gone ahead, or least as quickly as it did.'
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Above
information from BIC Banter Issue 8 - Winter 2000/01
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AVS
takes a BIC step forward
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AVS
supply hundreds of special passenger steps to minibus and ambulance
manufacturers in the UK. Their progress to date has been based on
two models, an electric step and a manual step. However there was
a gap in the range and as the market leader in the UK AVS wished to
secure their position and keep ahead of the competition.
Karen Clarke of AVS explains 'during the course of 1999 we found that
our customers were buying our S600C, sprung loaded steps for very
heavy-duty operations. We didn't feel
it was sturdy enough for daily use on things such as ambulances. We
needed a tough step, one that drivers could kick-in and kick- out.
They were going to anyway and therefore we had to provide a step that
could take the knocks'.
After some months and little progress it was decided that the development
programme would have to be delayed. Karen adds 'everyone who looked
at the project thought it was easy' - in reality the opposite was
the case.
A budget was set to develop a new step using a professional engineer.
Unfortunately it was too much for AVS to afford in 1999. They were
then put in touch with BIC Consultant Gordon Rowlands, who explained
that they were not in the usual assisted areas for grant support but
that the BIC had their own RECHAR grant for traditional coal mining
areas of North Staffordshire. AVS were just inside the RECHAR eligible
area.
Keith Clarke takes up the story from there, 'we were stuck. Then the
BIC offered us the RECHAR grant. After just two interviews Gordon
Rowlands presented our case to an assessment panel and later the same
day we got the call to say we had been successful. That day! I did
not expect it to proceed so quickly'.
AVS
then engaged Design Engineer, Stuart Taylor and after agreeing the
time scale and project plan they moved quickly from idea to plan to
prototype.
The new step, K600C, went on trial in Leeds City Council. Karen comments
'we needed to test the step in a real life situation. Road dirt, salt,
different drivers, day in day out use. The step was operated in the
region of 500 times. There were initial glitches, which Stuart and
Keith sorted out. After that it was plain sailing. We had our new
step.'
Production began on 17 April 2000 with a test run of 10 followed by
a full batch of 50. At the time of writing one ambulance service alone
has expressed interest in ordering 33 units. Karen sums up AVS's reaction
to the help received from the BIC, 'all we needed was a little
help, a bit of a kick start and that's what the BIC gave us with their
RECHAR grant.'
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Above
information from BIC Banter Issue 8 - Summer 2000
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Typemaker
Ltd has strong links with Stoke-on-Trent that date back to 1987
when the company first developed Platescribe software for the ceramic
industry. Platescribe along with Typemaker's other CAD systems for
artwork distortion and visualisation for the ceramic industry have
since become the leading edge world standard for decal design and
production.
In 1999 Typemaker established a complete suite of Colour Management
software and hard-ware in Studio 17 of Stoke- on- Trent's Centre for
Design - The Hothouse.
Through the BIC's RECHAR project the company employed Kosar Kalim
a colour management graduate to set up the suite.
Reproducing exact colour has always been a major problem, but even
more so for ceramic print and graphic
companies, who have traditionally gone to great lengths and expense
to get the colour right. Much of the time spent by companies was spent
on proofing, rescanning and reproofing. It was here that companies
could benefit from the introduction of Colour Management Technologies.
Devices such as scanners, monitors and printers each have their own
colour spaces - their own range of colours. So when an image is scanned,
laid out, readied for proof and finally printed the image has undergone
small changes in colour with each device used. Without a proper colour
management system there is no control over the way colours will look
in the final output and with the wide choices in output devices colour
is becoming an increasingly complex issue. Colour consistency from
start to finish is crucial and colour management has become a necessary
component of digital workflow.
Colour Management systems help reduce or eliminate colour matching
problems and makes colour reliable and predictable. Studio 17 is fully
equipped with a number of different input and output devices all profiled
and calibrated to a process of defining their individual abilities
to reproduce colour. The studio provides software demonstrations and
training services as well as peripheral services such as scanning
and printing.
Since completing the RECHAR funded project Kosar has been taken on
full-time to manage the centre. This project is a good example of
how a little financial support from the BIC was the catalyst for a
successful operation.
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Above
information from BIC Banter Issue 8 - Summer 2000
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Ceramics
firm develops a smart new process with the BIC's help
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The
Business Innovation Centre is helping a Staffordshire ceramics company
to pioneer a world-beating new process.
Grosvenor Ceramic Hardware
Ltd, which is based at Stone Business Park, has won a first stage
DTI SMART Award with the BIC's assistance. The £45,000 grant
will help to meet the cost of a feasibility study into the development
of a high-speed, automated production line for manufacturing ceramic
door handles and other products.
The company was helped to complete the DTI's SMART application process
by the BIC's Innovation Executive, Ian Kiley. "The BIC was
a highly effective source of help when it came to applying for and
securing the DTI SMART Award," Grosvenor Managing Director
Mr McCluskey added."
John
McCluskey explained that ceramic door handles are still painstakingly
made in the traditional way throughout the world. The multi-stage
process, which involves eight operators in the repeated assembling
and disassembling of multi- part steel dies, is slow and inefficient
and generates losses as high as 30 per cent during manufacturing.
"The entire process with all the drying and firing takes approximately
one working week to complete," said John McCluskey. "It
is a highly labour-intensive process which has resulted in the UK
and international markets being dominated by products from Far Eastern
countries which have much lower labour costs."
Our proposed project would be a world first and would allow us to
create a completely automated production line that would process raw
materials into finished products in less than 24 hours. "Automation
would cut losses to 0.5 per cent and the lower production costs would
allow us to compete effectively in the world market," he added.
John McClusky founded Grosvenor Ceramic Hardware 15 years ago. The
company now employs 40 people and has a turnover of more than £1
million a year.
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Above
information from BIC Banter Issue 7- Autumn / Winter 1999
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The
sound of silence signals success for 'Safe in Sound'
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The
singing of lullabies to soothe children has surely existed as long
as parents have. The dictionary definition of a lullaby is "a
type of song to soothe and send an infant to sleep".
'Safe in sound' based in Newcastle under Lyme is a company dedicated
to foetal and neonatal research and have spent many years researching
whether the human foetus had the capacity not only to hear but also
remember sounds that emanated from
outside the body of the mother. The results demonstrated that the
baby could hear and recall events from as far back as the twentieth
week of gestation and that certain types of music heard prior to birth
could have a remarkable calming effect on the young infant after birth.
Pursuing this concept further, Stephen Evans, company Managing Director
said that after extensive research he was "able to identify a
number of common musical features found in lullabies from around the
world. The highly distinctive structures found in lullabies seem to
be related to the soothing sounds offered by mothers to a crying baby".
Baby Calm
was subsequently developed to play 12 of the most popular and suitable
lullabies, and in addition the device is able to record both of the
parent's voices in conjunction with any desired lullaby.
Realising that they were on to an innovative product with good market
potential Stephen Evans approached the BIC for advice on Intellectual
Property on different ways of protecting the innovation. He also received
good advice on forming a new business and help to draw up a business
plan.
A number of technical difficulties have been overcome, primarily relating
to the cost of storing over twenty five minutes of music digitally.
The design of the casing itself is revolutionary in terms of music
devices there are no external features such as buttons etc. The material
used in the final external finish gives the impression of warmth and
is soft to the touch.
Baby Calm is a highly innovative device which ensures that
soothing music is delivered at the correct volume and within the desired
frequency range to soothe fretting babies as they remember the soothing
sounds from the womb.
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Above
information from BIC Banter Issue 7- Autumn / Winter 1999
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Puppies
add up to a good deal
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Finding
it difficult to help her nursery school children grasp the fundamentals
of mathematics, Kathleen Walker decided in January 1998 to develop
her own maths learning scheme. Traditionally children learn about
numbers, shapes and colour in isolation and some have difficulty in
bringing the whole concept together.
The "Number
Puppies" scheme is an innovative integrated approach to teaching
children the fundamentals of maths learning through shapes, colour
and number. It also ties in with the government's desirable outcomes
for maths for children in the Early Years to Key Stage I.
As
the name implies the Number Puppies are a series of puppies which
have their own number; size, colour and shape. Through stories, games,
jigsaws, role play etc. the children learn to associate the whole
concept and enjoy learning with these cute, instantly recognisable
puppies.
Once the idea was developed Kathleen approached the Business Innovation
Centre for guidance and was given practical advice on protecting her
idea and insisting on confidentiality in all her future dealings.
Kathleen introduced the Number Puppies to Hope Education, an Education
distributor with a view to including them as part of their range and
in September 1998 she granted them a five year licensing agreement
to develop and promote the Number Puppies through published books,
lesson plans, injection moulded puppies, jigsaws, stamps etc under
the Gait name.
Kathleen commented 'I'm still finding it hard to believe that all
this is happening. Since I first approached the BIC last February
so much has happened and I am keen that as much of the production
as possible is generated within Stoke on Trent. There is a great deal
of talent in the area and I want the puppies to be a Stoke on Trent
product.'
Kathleen has since approached a local freelance designer Nick Baddeley
to create professional illustrations of the puppies and given a Stoke
on Trent recording studio the opportunity to record a song for the
Number Puppies.
The Number Puppies should be available for purchase by the end of
the year.
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Above
information from BIC Banter Issue 6 - May 1999
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Engineering
firm set to clean up with BIC's help
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A
revolutionary device that could save the ceramics industry a fortune
has been developed in Staffordshire with the help of the BIC.
Cheadle based Barrington Engineering Services has developed an efficient,
cost-effective hydro precipitator that removes fluoride and other
pollutants from the exhaust gases of kilns.
BIC Innovation Executive Ian Kiley helped Barrington to secure a
£25,000 Regional Innovation Grant and a £10,000 loan
from Barclays Bank
to help meet development costs.
The ceramics industry faces the threat of having expensive statutory
controls imposed by the EU unless it cleans up its waste products.
Existing fluoride scrubbers cost companies anywhere between £150,000
and £250,000, depending on the nature and scale of their operations.
Barrington teamed up with Staffordshire inventor Sidney Wedgwood
to develop the device which incorporates a series of blades which
rotate at high speed. As the pollutant gases pass through the unit,
they are compressed and sprayed with water, which depresses the
pollutants out of the air stream thus giving clearer emissions.
Pollutants such as fluorides, chloride, magnesium and zinc are typically
removed.
The hydro precipitator is expected to reduce the cost of cleaning
up exhaust emissions to about £20,000 for table- ware manufacturers
and about £130,000 for companies in the heavy clay sector.
"Like most small companies, Barrington wanted to develop a
product of its own and has hit upon something that will be a boon
to the whole ceramics industry," said Ian Kiley. We are delighted
to have been able to help such an innovative company to develop
a new product and bring it to the market. "
Neil Beckett, a Barrington partner, said: "The help and support
we received from the BIC was invaluable. Ian Kiley relieved us of
a lot of the work that can be a problem for a small company like
ours when it comes to negotiating grants and loans."
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Above
information from BIC Banter Issue 6 - May 1999
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Sweet
smell of success for plastic firm
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David
Warrender and Mike Bettaney would probably still be struggling to
raise finance to bring to market their bright idea for a toilet roll
holder combined with an air freshener and fragrance pad without the
help of the BIC.
Thanks to Innovation Executive Ian Kiley's assistance in drawing up
a professional business plan, David and Mike, directors of Stoke-based
Ryan Plastics, were able to secure loans from Stoke City Council and
the Royal Bank of Scotland Bank to get their new 'Rollaroma' product
into production.
Within the next 12 months they expect to have created four new jobs
and to have achieved annual sales of about £1 million.
"David and Mike had spent a lot of money on developing the 'Rollaroma'
but they didn't have a formal business plan that they could use to
present their case to potential financiers," said Ian. "Their
market research showed that the product had potential - indeed, some
companies wanted to place orders -and that persuaded us that the idea
was a good one.
We worked closely together over two or three months on developing
a business plan and cash flow projection, and I advised them on how
to present their case to potential financiers.
"Experience shows that many businesses fail to get backing because
their business plans lack the detail that proves that the idea has
been properly developed and thought through," Ian added.
David Warrender said: "I rate the help and support we received
from the BIC very highly.
Ian not only explained what we needed to do to raise finance and how
to do it, he helped us to take a step back and to take stock of the
business and look at where we wanted to take it."
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Above
information from BIC Banter Issue 5 - November 1998
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Rob
secures doors deal with BIC's help
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BIC
opened the door to success for Rob Longman, a housing site manager
with a good idea for improving the security of partly-built homes.
Innovation Executive Ian Kiley put Rob in touch with a London company
that is set to manufacture and market his product under licence.
External doors are usually among the last things to be fitted to new
homes and until now partly built structures have been secured by boarding
up the doorways with timber whenever sites are unattended.
Rob's
solution is a reusable, springloaded, metal door that can be quickly
and easily pushed into a frame without causing damage.
"Rob had patented his site security door when he first came to
the BIC, but he wasn't looking to manufacture it himself," said
Ian.
"My job was to put him in touch with a company that would produce
it under licence and pay him royalties, which I was able to do.
"It is a case in which a small amount of input from the BIC is
likely to yield significant results for his company, Longman Doors.
Rob estimates that with 150,000 new houses being built in the UK every
year each with at least two doors the potential market for his product
is huge. "I had seen a lot of people before I contacted the BIC,
and while they all said they were interested in the door no one wanted
to spend anything on developing it as a product.
"Through the BIC and one of its Innovation Evenings I met other
people in the same situation as myself, which was very encouraging.
And I can categorically say that had it not been for Ian Kiley I would
never have come across the company that looks like bringing the product
to the market.
I am currently getting a licensing agreement drawn up and the company
concerned is fine-tuning the door and carrying out production development
work with a view to putting it on sale in early 1999," Rob added.
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Above
information from BIC Banter Issue 5 - November 1998
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