Celebrating the engineering ingenuity achieved through KTP collaboration, the Engineering Excellence Award of the KTP Best of the Best Awards is always hotly contested. Here we outline the three finalists in this category for 2020.

Winners of this, and the other five categories of the KTP Best of the Best Awards, will be announced on Wednesday 9 September in our special online Awards Ceremony. Attendance is free, and open to all. You can register here.

ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE WINNER:

New mathematical model delivers 9000 man hours in sixty seconds 

Company Masonry Support Systems Ltd (IGMSS)

University Partner Queen’s University Belfast

KTP Associate Emanuele Scarabino 

Funding from Innovate UK/Invest NI

KTP Associate, Emanuele Scarabino working in a KTP with Masonry Support Systems and Queen’s University Belfast, has helped create a bespoke mathematical model capable of designing masonry support façade systems delivering predicted deflections within 0.1mm with 98% confidence. 

This incredible accuracy pushed the project beyond any expectations set out in the original plan; the ability to predict physical behaviour with such accuracy has transformed product design with material savings and remarkable improvements in efficiency. The mathematical model created via this KTP delivers the output of 9000 man hours in sixty seconds and eliminates human error. More here. 

ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE FINALISTS

Cracker Maker gets a Manufacturing makeover

Company Rakusen’s Ltd 

University: University of Bradford

KTP Associate Yang Lan 

Funding from Innovate UK

The KTP between iconic cracker manufacturer, Rakusen’s, and University of Bradford has delivered a state of the art, data-driven, intelligent process control system by using Industry 4.0 technologies including Big Data Science, Machine Learning, Cloud Computing, Cyber Physical Systems and Internet of Things. This new, smart manufacturing approach has transformed production processes to produce good quality products based on real-time, data-driven decision-making models. 

Commenting on being a finalist, Savas Konur from Rakensen’s said “The KTP provided an effective mechanism to develop, deliver and embed innovation leading to enhanced processes, efficient use of resources, change in behaviour, operational environment and new growth opportunities. We are proud to be amongst the best KTP teams contributing to the transformation of UK businesses and industry through innovative research and technologies”. 

More on the project here.

The humble standpipe turns state of the art

Company Aquacheck Engineering 

University Manchester Metropolitan University

KTP Associate Dario Chiantello

Funding from Innovate UK

Standard standpipe design has remained largely unchanged for decades, offering limited functionality. Via its KTP with Manchester Metropolitan University, Aquacheck Engineering has created a new Internet of Things (IoT) device – a Smart Standpipe – able to provide real time access to parameters such as water usage, location, flow, pressure and much more. 

As a result of the KTP, Aquacheck has developed not only a state of the art device (which has resulted in full order books and expansion of the business to markets beyond the UK), but also new capabilities – including Artificial Intelligence and Rapid Prototyping using 3D printing. 

This project is also a finalist in the Best KTP category. More on the project here. 

Winners of the Engineering Excellence  category, along with all of the finalists across all six categories the KTP Best of the Best Awards 2020 will be announced at our Virtual Awards Ceremony from 4-5pm on Wednesday 9 September.  

Find out more about all the finalists here and by following us on twitter @KTN_KTP

Do you have an idea for an innovation or management project that could benefit from a collaborative partnership with a specialist academic team in a University of Business school? If so, a KTP or Management KTP might be right for you.

Get in touch with one of our specialist Knowledge Transfer Advisers – based throughout the UK – who, in the first instance can help advise on your project’s suitability for funding. Funding competitions are open all year.