Company Masonry Support Systems Ltd (IGMSS)

University Partner Queen’s University Belfast

KTP Associate Emanuele Scarabino 

Funding from Innovate UK/Invest NI

Project summary:

Ground-breaking design of a calculation suite for designing masonry support systems.

The challenge:

Looking to increase both market share and profitability through improved design of its core masonry support façade system, IGMSS wanted to focus on product quality and company productivity.

The solution:

After completing over 250 physical structural tests and merging these results with theoretical analysis, the KTP Associate, Emanuele Scarabino, created a bespoke mathematical model capable of designing masonry support façade systems delivering predicted deflections within 0.1mm with 98% confidence. The Partnership believes this is the most sophisticated model of this nature in existence for the design of masonry support systems. 

The ability to predict physical behaviour with such accuracy has transformed product design with material savings of over 25% and remarkable improvements in efficiency. 

  • In just over 60 seconds this model delivers the output of 9000 man hours and eliminates human error. This has resulted in significant increases in efficiency, quality, and confidence in the delivered products and improved customer satisfaction. 
  • The Associate further simplified the model, reducing the number of variables from 14 to just 4 by introducing “temporarily constant parameters”. This model can analyse a total of 1.4 million permutations with just 4 variables delivering the optimum solution with high accuracy. 
  • Associate created a bespoke automatic solver (written in C++) that would act as a user-interface and provide digital security to this valuable IP. 

This KTP has kick-started a culture of innovation within the company, with IGMSS currently undergoing large investments to enhance and improve the flow of information and the quoting process. IGMSS plans to replicate these changes throughout the whole Keystone Group.

This project won the ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE AWARD at the KTP Awards 2020.

Keep up with KTP and KTP Awards news by following us on twitter @ktnuk_ktp

#ktpawards

more Insights

News

Embedding advanced artificial intelligence (AI) capability to develop digital coaching with a KTP Project

05 April, 2023

With KTP project funding KultraLab® will take on an experienced PhD level Associate from the Univer...

Read More
News

Business advancement with AI made possible through KTP

24 March, 2023

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies are transforming the way we live and work and driving real...

Read More
Women in KTP

Stories from Women in KTP: the Power of Collaboration

07 March, 2023

From footwear to cell culture, kit homes to biotech, we hear from women leading innovation-focussed ...

Read More
Women in KTP

Stories from Women in KTP: celebrating International Women's Day

28 February, 2023

The power of collaboration: in the first of our mini series, we hear from leading business women abo...

Read More
Event

Collaboration drives innovation - discover more about Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

27 February, 2023

Innovation is the beating heart of progressive, successful companies; so making it happen is key. &...

Read More
KTP Awards 2022

And the Winners are…

14 October, 2022

Thank you to all who joined us both online and in Liverpool for a dazzling ceremony at St. George’...

Read More