KTP case studies

Bryken Limited

Transforming manufacturing operations through digital innovation.

The partner organisation

Bryken Limited is a Knowsley-based SME specialising in the high-precision machining of components. It supplies sectors including defence, energy, automotive, and industrial engineering. With more than 40 years of experience, Bryken Limited has built a reputation for quality, reliability and technical excellence. It employs 85 people and has an annual turnover of £13.6 million.

The challenge

With significant growth expected in the UK market for precision components, Bryken wanted to increase productivity and efficiency to support a five-year plan to grow sales, diversify into other sectors, reduce the cost of sales and lower energy consumption to enhance environmental sustainability.

Despite significant investment in production capability, key operational data relating to production performance, machine utilisation, quality, tooling, supplier performance, and customer delivery was fragmented across multiple systems, spreadsheets, and manual reporting processes. This resulted in delayed decision-making, limited real-time visibility, and reduced ability to identify performance improvements.

Bryken recognised that future competitiveness would depend not only on manufacturing excellence but also on its ability to effectively collect, interpret and exploit operational data.

KTP project aim

To create a scalable digital infrastructure that would provide a single source of truth for operational information, delivering insights to improve decision-making in key areas of process, costing and planning, while supporting future innovation and growth.

Objectives

Develop an integrated digital reporting platform capable of consolidating manufacturing data from multiple sources into a unified environment.
Provide near real time visibility of manufacturing performance through intuitive dashboards and visual management tools that could be used by both shopfloor teams and management.
Automate reporting activities, reducing reliance on manual processes and improving data accuracy, accessibility and consistency.
Build internal expertise in data analytics so that staff can confidently use data to support continuous improvement activities.
Provide Bryken with access to specialist knowledge and expertise in electrical and mechanical engineering, data science, and manufacturing management from LJMU’s School of Engineering and Built Environment. Knowledge base lead, Dr Andrew Naylor is a Chartered Engineer with a PhD in manufacturing and has extensive experience of working in precision manufacturing environments. Lead supervisor Dr Mohamed Kara-Mohamed is a senior lecturer in robotics and holds a PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. KTP Associate Shivam Sharma has a Master’s degree in Big Data and High Performance Computing.

The solution

Bryken and Liverpool John Moores University developed the Bryken Digital Reporting Platform, which was built using Microsoft SQL Server, Power BI, SharePoint, Azure technologies, and Microsoft Power Platform tools.
The platform integrated and standardised operational data from multiple sources into a single reporting environment. This created a trusted source of information for management and operational teams, improving communication, increasing confidence in decision-making and ensuring that performance discussions were based on consistent and accurate data.
Automation of reporting processes that had previously required significant manual effort, freeing staff to focus on higher value activities.
Systems were fully embedded into daily operations and through training, documentation and capability building, Bryken has developed the internal expertise required to maintain and extend the platform independently.

The outcome

Bryken has achieved measurable reductions in scrap (15%), enhanced production efficiency (machine utilisation improved from approximately 70% to 80%, representing an increase of around 14 to 16%), reduced tooling expenditure (approximately 13%) through improved tracking, traceability, and purchasing control, and has lowered its cost of sales.
The digital infrastructure now supports scalable growth, providing the foundation for further development of Industry 4.0 capabilities and continuous improvement, positioning the company for future innovation.
The project exceeded its original objectives through continuous expansion of reporting capability with additional functionality developed to provide deeper insights into machine utilisation, production efficiency, tooling performance and operational trends.
Culturally, the organisation experienced a significant shift towards data-driven decision-making. Employees across operational and management functions now routinely engage with digital information to monitor performance, identify inefficiencies and support continuous improvement initiatives.
In parallel with his role as the KTP Associate, Shivam Sharma also developed a system to enhance cyber security at Bryken and has been retained by the company as a data analyst.
The work has been disseminated internationally, with Shivam presenting a peer-reviewed publication paper entitled Driving Digital Transformation in Precision Engineering: A Tooling Management Case Study at the 2026 International Academy, Research and Industry Association (IARIA) Annual Congress in Nice, France. It received a Best Paper award.
The KTP was a finalist in the 2026 Liverpool Innovation and Impact Awards.
The project has strengthened teaching and curriculum development at LJMU. Industrial learning has been embedded into LJMU’s Robotics and Artificial Intelligence curriculum. The Bryken case study now provides students with authentic insight into the application of Industry 4.0 technologies within a real manufacturing environment.
The KTP has generated an intellectual property outcome in the form of a patent application (GB2605976.6), titled “Manufacturing Downtime Monitoring System.” The patent directly arose from the KTP’s development and implementation within the company’s manufacturing operations and captures an innovative solution developed to address a real industrial challenge. This demonstrates the project’s tangible impact beyond the research environment, translating academic expertise and innovation into a practical, commercially relevant technology with the potential to enhance manufacturing efficiency and reduce costly downtime.

The company perspective

“The KTP has transformed the way we use operational data across the business. By bringing information together in one trusted platform, we now have clearer visibility of performance, can make decisions more quickly and have reduced the time spent producing manual reports. The project has delivered measurable improvements in efficiency, scrap reduction and tooling control, while also building the skills and confidence of our people to use data in their day-to-day work. We have also applied for a patent for the software developed through the project, reflecting its innovative nature and potential commercial value. Just as importantly, the KTP has given Bryken a scalable digital foundation to support our growth plans, strengthen our competitiveness and continue developing our Industry 4.0 capabilities.”

The academic perspective

“From my perspective as the academic supervisor, this KTP provides an excellent showcase of how a KTP project can truly bridge academic expertise and industrial need. The project has effectively illustrated that academic knowledge can be translated into practical, commercially relevant solutions when supported by close collaboration between the university, the KTP Associate and the industrial partner. The project has not only addressed a genuine manufacturing challenge and delivered tangible benefits to the company but has also generated research outcome and intellectual property. This demonstrates the real potential of KTP projects in creating sustainable value for industry while simultaneously providing opportunities for academic knowledge exchange, innovation and impact.”

- Dr Mohamed Kara-Mohamed

The associate perspective

“The KTP gave me the opportunity to work on real-world digital transformation projects within a manufacturing environment, allowing me to apply my academic knowledge to practical challenges while developing my technical, analytical, project management and problem-solving skills. Working closely with both the Bryken team and the academic team gave me a valuable opportunity to understand both the industry and academic perspectives and to work collaboratively towards delivering meaningful outcomes. I was given the support and freedom to develop ideas, take ownership of my work and contribute to projects that have had a real impact on the business."

- Shivam Sharma

Past case studies

Delta Fluid Products

Client: Delta Fluid Products
Issue: Technical development
Session: Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP)

Our Knowledge Transfer Partnership helped develop a product that could increase Delta Fluid Products' sales by £3.75 million per year.

The partner organisation

Delta Fluid Products, which became part of Crane Services following this Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), is one of the country’s leading specialists in the field of controls, valves and gases. Based in St Helens, Merseyside, the company employs some 220 people with a turnover of around £14 million.

Project aims

The purpose of the Delta Fluid Products KTP was to introduce advanced design tools to the design of a two-stage gas regulator. This work would expand the company’s product range and embed better product development techniques, helping to strengthen the Delta Fluid Product's market position and secure its future.

Project outcomes

Excellent results were achieved. The design and manufacture of gas pressure regulator products were revolutionised. For example, functional simulation was integrated into the design process, resulting in reduced costs in design and development. The new medium-pressure regulator developed as part of the KTP was predicted to increase sales by £3.75 million per year within three years.

Fast facts

The KTP exceeded expectations and was designated “Outstanding” by external assessors from AEA (now Innovate UK).
Delta Fluid Products are now able to design better products to much shorter timescales and deliver them to market without costly design and development iterations.
The Delta Fluids Product KTP was a double-award-winning project, winning a National KTP Award – Best EPSRC-Funded Partnership.
The Associate, Gareth Black, was awarded the Business Leader of Tomorrow by AEA (now Innovate UK).
Gareth Black, the Associate, accepted a full-time role within the company as Technical Manager for Gas Products.
Liverpool John Moores University and Delta Fluid Products have continued their relationship and a new KTP proposal was approved, with Gareth Black moving up to a company supervisor position.

Prozone Sports

Client: Prozone Sports
Issue: Technical development
Session: Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Project

Extending the boundaries of performance analysis in football.

Company overview

Prozone Sports Limited has been pioneering performance analysis for 19 years and have worked with many of the leading clubs and organisations in sport to deliver the world’s leading performance analysis services.

Challenge

Prozone are the market leader in the provision of performance analysis services in football and strive to innovate to differentiate from competitors. They embarked on a 2 year KTP with the Football Exchange and the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) to improve performance analysis within the areas of match analysis, player recruitment and asset management.

Solution

This KTP will result in the adoption and integration of more powerful statistical methods in the company’s consultancy and training offerings, through the use of multivariate statistics analysis to generate enhanced and more complex performance insights from the huge amounts of data already available from matches worldwide.

The key deliverables of this KTP will be:

Evolution of match analysis insights
Enhance player performance profiling
Deliver asset management solutions
Enhance educational offerings to academic and sports sectors

Benefits

The KTPs will:

improve the analytical capability within the business leading to the development of new innovative market leading products and services
enhance the company’s analytical capabilities will have a major effect on their marketing strategy which will also correlate with commercial success within key markets
enable LJMU staff to collaborate in a cutting-edge project on sports analytics, which has further developed the relationship between Prozone and LJMU, providing opportunities for work-related learning and undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations in the future
allow research generated to inform the long-term goal of LJMU to make sports performance analysis a fully digitally enabled science and delivery package, providing case studies, website updates, and develop reports for industry, academic publications and conferences. This will contribute to the Research Excellence Framework, funding and employment opportunities

Hector Ruiz, Liverpool John Moores Doctoral Student in Mathematics and KTP Associate says:

“I am very excited to be involved in this KTP between LJMU and Prozone, as it combines two passions of mine: science and sports. My role in this project will be that of a data analyst, exploring and implementing new ways of evaluating and profiling performance through the extraction and interpretation of insights present in the available data.”

Risktec

Meeting the skills challenge of high-hazard industries

A two-year Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) between Risktec Solutions Limited and Liverpool John Moores University has resulted in Risktec offering postgraduate qualifications, up to Masters level, in Risk and Safety Management, validated by LJMU.

The company perspective

Risktec is an international safety and risk management consultancy with its headquarters in Warrington. Risktec was receiving an increasing number of requests from clients to provide training in safety and risk management. The company felt there was a growing skills and knowledge gap in industry and decided to embark upon a KTP with LJMU to develop a professional training business to run alongside its consulting business.

Initially the concept was to develop a menu of training modules that clients could select from but, as the project progressed, Risktec realised that the market would be better served by offering structured programmes leading to accredited, postgraduate qualifications.

This led to the development of the Risk and Safety Management programme which offers qualifications to MSc level. The programme is delivered by Risktec’s consultants, who are all practising risk professionals and is accredited by LJMU.

Since completing the KTP project, Risktec has secured business and interest from major customers in the nuclear, oil, gas and rail sectors.

Steve Lewis, Director at Risktec and Industrial Supervisor on the project said: "The main benefit of the KTP project was in developing the training business in a more planned and deliberately paced way than we would otherwise have done. "The flexible programme and qualifications via LJMU allow us to offer something truly unique in the market."

As a result of the KTP, Risktec has a new revenue stream which has not only attracted new clients but has allowed Risktec to access the training budgets as well as consulting budgets of existing clients.

The associate perspective

Roisin Smyth, Associate on the project said: "Without question, the KTP has been hugely beneficial to my career development. The opportunity to get involved in developing a new business from its inception is unique and not readily available in the job market. I have been working with people at all levels of the company and the University. The training business has already started to blossom, which is a rewarding experience. The KTP has undoubtedly fast-tracked my professional development."

The academic perspective

Alan Wall, LJMU Lead Academic Supervisor on the project said: "It has been a unique opportunity to work with a forward thinking company and assist in the setting up of structured academic programmes. Obtaining University accreditation was very challenging, but well worth the effort. The new programme will be of great benefit to safety and risk practitioners as well as a great business. I have been particularly impressed with the Risktec consultants in adapting to their new roles as part-time academics. I am also delighted that my association with Risktec is set to continue as manager of the MSc projects as well as the link tutor."

The future

Risktec’s new training business has attracted customers worldwide and opened up a whole new market which wouldn’t otherwise have been accessible. This has enabled Risktec to establish an even stronger market position and foster outright growth.

Steve Lewis said: "We are very excited about the opportunities our new training business has opened up for us and we look forward to continuing our excellent working relationship with LJMU."

KTP case studies

Bryken Limited

The partner organisation

The challenge

KTP project aim

Objectives

The solution

The outcome

The company perspective

The academic perspective

The associate perspective

Faq Items

Past case studies

Delta Fluid Products

The partner organisation

Project aims

Project outcomes

Fast facts

Prozone Sports

Company overview

Challenge

Solution

Benefits

Risktec

Meeting the skills challenge of high-hazard industries

The company perspective

The associate perspective

The academic perspective

The future

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