Business Consultancy Services

S4RB helps retailers manage their 'private brands' - own label brands like ASDA's Smart Price - through cloud-based software, engagement expertise and professional services. The company worked with our Head of the Centre for Business Improvement, Dr Carley Foster, to take a deep dive into their company data. The project aimed to identify any trends that could potentially impact both sales and productivity levels - either positively or negatively.

As a data scientist, Carley has expertise in looking at data in different ways. She analyses aspects such as human factors, which can reveal different insights to quantitative data analysis. The research provided a more holistic view of customer feedback data, which could subsequently be used to shape operational and strategic decisions, such as dealing with any complaints data in a more effective manner.

Like millions of other businesses in the UK in 2020, the creative centre, Derby Quad, was affected by new social distancing rules, brought in to control the spread of Covid-19. The organisation worked with Leonardo Stella, Lecturer in Computer Games Programming, to apply government policy and guidance to their spaces.

The project identified the required spatial dynamics under the social distancing policy and within the given capacity. A seat allocation algorithm was produced to ensure customer safety, which took into account people from the same household, couples, single customers and the average customer profile. The final report presented to Derby Quad included a plan on how and when to open each part of the company under the government guidance, together with diagrams of potential layouts within the space available. 

Light Science Technologies deliver tailored solutions in lighting, science and technology products, for Controlled Environment Agriculture. The company worked with Yilling Lu, Lecturer in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, to identify the different properties and level of heat their three extrusion profiles would withstand. A thermal analysis of the different light assemblies was carried out and a final report included details of the CAD thermal analysis used.

Des Gosling Mobility provide a huge range of products designed to help disabled people to drive. After purchasing a new 3D Scanner, the company approached the University looking for advice on the best scanning processes and guidance on how to optimise the scan data. Adam Leighton, our Senior Technical Advisor, worked with the organisation to address both these areas.

Freeland Horticulture Ltd is the largest soil supplier in England and Wales. The company approached our University looking for support to understand developments in some emerging areas of interest to them. Firstly, Freeland were keen to implement sustainable and circular economy approaches within a wide range of production processes. They had already taken part in research on biochars and compostable plastics, which would allow more consistent production of materials for urban greening and horticulture.

Secondly, they were interested in how food production was being revolutionised by new enclosed and controlled horticultural practices, and the increased demand for plant-based foods. 

Freeland are now working with the University to investigate the potential for plant residues from urban greening to be used within large-scale carbon capture solutions. Mass production systems are required to enable the economies of scale needed to ensure these products can compete with existing techniques and materials.

SCITEK is engaged in several R&D projects with a customer that requires the use of image analysis. The analysis is used to develop a mathematical technique that automates colour segmentation from images of components. Each component represents the temperature map that it was exposed to. 

The analysis of images was carried out manually by skilled operators, but this was a slow process and susceptible to interpretation, which produced variability in the temperature maps produced. Automation by image analysis helps remove ambiguity, reducing errors and is significantly faster. Automation also enables the temperature map to be transferred to a 3D CAD model of the component. The ultimate aim of the project will be to allow our customer to improve their products.

SCITEK approached the Productivity Through Innovation (PtI) team to help recruit an employee to work on the project. They required a candidate with a very strong mathematical background and knowledge of image analysis. The skills developed by the employee would be transferable to other projects undertaken by SCITEK, adding to the portfolio of services offered by our company.

The PtI programme helped Scitek find the ideal candidate, allowing the team the time they needed to focus on the project. 

Devtank approached the Productivity Through Innovation (PtI) team to help find a graduate hardware engineer to support their thriving business. 

Since joining the team, Adil has excelled in supporting the company strive towards continuous improvement and he has played a vital role in new product introduction. Aldi has worked on no less than seven new products since joining Devtank and the team have found him a credit to the organisation.

"He has helped us develop new hardware to enable automation and control of our core HILTOP product into diverse applications, from industrial autoclave control systems to smart factory monitoring solutions. Internally he has really grasped our design for test and design for manufacture design ethos and we are currently working on a new range of PCB test jigs to mate with our proven HILTOP test and measurement product."

Devtank belive the project has provided the much needed internal test capability to validate their own products. It has also offered a product they can sell to customers, which will open doors to new opportunities and increase their offering in the market place.

"The PtI project team has been incredibly supportive and willing to help and all the processes involved have run smoothly. We have developed a good relationship with the team and are looking to build on this in terms of future collaboration."