What changed?
The Impacts and Benefits
Impacts for the Company
The project is set to significantly impact Inspectahire, increasing revenue from existing clients and attracting new ones. Expected profits of £100,000 in the first year, rising to £1,000,000 by the fifth year, demonstrate strong economic potential. The project will also create jobs, including a Marketing and Business Development Lead and upskilling three technicians in ultrasonic testing.
Inspectahire will use the new portable device to survey whisky casks in-situ, expanding their services and boosting revenue. Positive feedback from the Scotch Whisky Research Institute, which will help introduce the device to distilleries, further supports growth prospects.
To support expansion, Inspectahire plans to hire a Marketing and Business Development Lead to drive sales and technician upskilling. As the client base grows, additional technicians will be recruited to meet demand.
Collaborations with the University of Strathclyde will leverage academic outcomes, such as optimised ultrasound frequency and post-processing methodologies, for further research and application. These findings will benefit both the company and the university. The project’s results will also serve as case studies and teaching materials, enhancing the practical skills and industry readiness of university students.
Impacts for the Academic Team
The KTP academic outcomes, including optimised ultrasound excitation frequency and post-processing methodologies to reduce signal loss, significantly benefit further research on wood structures using ultrasound transducers. The Associate’s work transcends practical applications, producing academic contributions that advance understanding of ultrasound properties in wood. The research findings, documented in a paper submitted to a high-quality journal, have far-reaching implications, potentially impacting not only the whisky industry but also research on other wooden products, such as bridges and heritage buildings. These outcomes underscore the broader significance and diverse applications of the project's impacts, demonstrating its value to both academia and industry.
Impacts for the KTP Associate
I expanded my professional network by attending courses and three KTP conferences, which featured participants from diverse fields such as business and design. This exposure helped me explore innovations beyond my research field. CPD courses like Innovation Strategy provided insights into the challenges of translating research into successful products. Using the innovation canvas tool, I revised the project strategy and gained insights into experience, finance, and operations. The Oxford Leading Strategic Projects Programme equipped me with skills to implement and lead strategic projects amidst uncertainties and complexities, addressing issues of scale, pace, people, power, and politics. By applying the KTP project to my coursework, I deepened my understanding of complexities and risks, re-evaluated success and performance, enhanced the KTP project, and developed principles for future projects.
Unlike typical research projects focused on early-stage innovations, this project involved creating a device requiring qualifications and certifications, such as CE mark tests and safety in hazardous environments. I learned about these regulations through training and interactions with external partners. Additionally, I developed engineering skills, including understanding ultrasound propagation in various wood types and whisky casks, signal processing on low-power microcontrollers, and system engineering, which will benefit my future career.