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Latest news from dcpr and its clients
September 15th 2010
Latest News from the Lord Stafford Awards
Lord Stafford Awards recognise the East Midlands most innovative companies
(l-r) Andy Corley (Quadralene), Trevor Fletcher (Hardstaff Group), Trevor Wills (ALBERT UK) and Luke Thomas (LBT Design)
A groundbreaking dental process, a multi-purpose recyclable container and an environmentally friendly dual fuel injection system for diesel HGVs have been announced as the main winners at this year’s Lord Stafford Awards.
Over 200 people packed into Athena in Leicester to see the best in innovation in the East Midlands, with Derby-based Quadralene securing the ‘Innovation Achieved’ title for the way it has transformed its operations from a traditional manufacturer into a producer of cutting-edge medical products.
Its latest offer is destined for the dental sector and comes in the form of Bioclear®, a new solution that removes biofilm from equipment whilst maintaining drinking water quality performance.
The organisation was joined on stage by LBT who claimed the ‘Innovation in Development’ title for its work in developing the Chameleon line of packaging and ‘Innovation for Sustainability’ winners the Hardstaff Group.
The latter, which employs 230 people at its state-of-the-art Kingston-on-Soar headquarters, has collaborated with Loughborough University to bring the ‘Oil-Ignition-Gas-Injection (OIGI®)’ system into the HGV marketplace.
Based on significant dual fuel research, it substitutes 70% of the diesel fuel used by a conventional engine with natural gas and this has been proven to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 20%.
Lord Stafford, who first launched the initiative in Staffordshire in 1997, was delighted with the quality of this year’s competition.
“The Awards are the only ones in the UK dedicated to celebrating innovative collaborations between businesses and Universities.
“All of our three winners have shown what can be achieved when two parties combine their own skills and expertise to form a winning partnership that brings commercial gains to both the company and the educational establishment.”
He continued: “This year we have seen the most diverse collection of companies with innovative products and services that could go on to have a positive impact on greening engines, saving lives and developing the next generation of housing.
“The winners clearly demonstrated the commercial and academic benefits of working together and will receive a £5000 cheque to help them market their products and services going forward.”
There was also a surprise in store for ALBERT UK Director Trevor Wills, who received a Special Commendation Award from the Judges for his work in developing a new urinary drain that uses a miniature electronic pump and level detector to inform the patient when it needs emptying.
This revolutionary take on existing technology means that the user does not need help operating it, can avoid potentially embarrassing situations and, importantly, reduces the risk of infection.
Lord Stafford picked up the story: “The judges were unanimous in their praise of Trevor and the entrepreneurial spirit he has shown in getting the product to this stage.
“He has invented the product based on a problem close to his heart and has invested money and time in making it happen and in identifying new funding opportunities...a great role model for other like-minded innovators to follow.”
The Lord Stafford Awards, which is backed by the East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the East Midlands Universities Association, featured a keynote address from Dr Mark Lewney, the nationally renowned Guitar Physicist.
Other sponsors included CFE, Connect Midlands, epm: technology ltd, Swindell and Pearson, Leicester and Leicestershire Leadership Group and the Enterprise Europe Network.
Brian Conway, Chair of the Lord Stafford Awards East Midlands, concluded: “We recognise that East Midlands’ universities have a key role to play in driving forward innovation and this is why the Lord Stafford Awards is so important in bringing entrepreneurs and academics together.
“Our winners and nominees have demonstrated that this collaboration can be creative, innovative and profitable – helping companies across the East Midlands to grow and thrive in what are difficult times.”
More on the winners...
Innovation Achieved
The Lord Stafford Award caps a remarkable three year period for Derby-based Quadralene, who has seen a strong diversification plan and a move into developing new products reap dividends with increased sales.
It has enjoyed particular success in the medical field, culminating in the launch of Bioclear®, a product capable of fully removing biofilm from dental equipment whilst maintaining water quality at drinking water level.
As part of the development process, the firm worked with the University of Nottingham’s School of Biosciences to create an innovative visual system capable of showing the removal of biofilm in real-time.
Results of the project enabled one student to publish a paper on the technique, whilst the product could have potential applications in endoscope reprocessing, haemodialysis and oral healthcare.
Judges were particularly impressed at Quadralene’s industry driven approach and the solid business model that has supported the launch of Bioclear®.
Andrew Corley, Managing Director, was delighted: “Everyone of our 30-strong workforce has played an important role in re-positioning the business and we now enter the next decade with a growing reputation for delivering innovative solutions.
“The Lord Stafford Award adds impartial credibility to our efforts and I’m sure will be crucial in winning new orders across our customer base.”
Innovation in Development
Traditionally, once packaging is removed from an item it is disposed of and a separate container is required to store the item meaning that the raw materials used to create the initial packaging are basically wasted.
Thanks to a link-up between LBT Design, Nottingham Trent University and De Montfort University that issue has been overcome thanks to the introduction of a multi-purpose recyclable packaging product called Chameleon.
In addition to its core packaging feature, it also has a secondary feature as a receptacle that removes the need for any extra containers.
Originally designed for the confectionary market, the potential applications have now been expanded to include the medical field, with Chameleon set to be adapted for use in sharps disposals in hospital.
Luke Thomas, Managing Director of LBT, commented: “The award is a big fillip for all concerned. It is further acknowledgement of the potential of Chameleon and will help to heighten the profile of LBT Design along with NTU and DMU. This will create a wider knowledge of the expertise both Universities can provide.”
Innovation for Sustainability
A patented ‘dual fuel’ injection system for diesel Heavy Goods Vehicles is set to take the industry by storm after it demonstrated a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions.
The Hardstaff Group’s Oil-Ignition-Gas-Injection (OIGI®) system, developed in collaboration with Loughborough University, works by substituting around 70% of the diesel fuel used by a HGV with natural gas which burns more cleanly within the engine.
Issues surrounding power output, fuel economy and overall durability were all solved during development as OIGI® does not require access to the manufacturer’s Engine Control Unit (ECU), thereby ensuring the integrity of built in onboard systems.
In addition to retrofitting the system, the company has already been appointed as a specialist dealer by Mercedes Benz, who is supplying new vehicles to be fitted with the OIGI.
Trevor Fletcher, Managing Director of Hardstaff, expressed his delight at the success:
“Winning the accolade represents an acknowledgement of the time and money invested on the project over the last five years, which has seen the whole company go beyond the call of duty.”
Loughborough University’s role in the development was crucial with a dedicated team building a bespoke gas flow test rig based on a HGV cylinder head .This allowed theories to be tested in-house with developments later trialled on a vehicle at Hardstaff’s rolling road facility.
The link-up has also been of great benefit to the university, helping it build a reputation for excellence in dual fuel research that has led to it being commissioned by the Technology Strategy Board to work on a two-litre engine design.
Full Results
Innovation Achieved
Winner
Quadralene (University of Nottingham)
Finalist
Royal Derby Hospital (Loughborough)
Innovation for Sustainability
Winner
Hardstaff Group (Loughborough University)
Finalists
Roger Bullivant Ltd (University of Nottingham)
East Midlands Renewable Energy (Loughborough University)
Innovation in Development
Winner
LBT Design (De Montfort University and Nottingham Trent University)
Finalists
ALBERT UK (De Montfort University)
Laser Optical (Loughborough University)
Rolls-Royce (University of Nottingham)
