Innotrad Innovating Tradition

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• Innotrad Innovating Tradition
• Julie Lappin
• University of Wolverhampton

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Innotrad

• Project aims
• to support traditional manufacturing industries
  in each region through the transition towards
  being knowledge driven this will be achieved by
  strengthening relationships both between
  individual SMEs, and the institutions promoting
  knowledge and services related to technological
  innovation
• Target sectors leather and fashion/textiles
  sectors

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Background to Innotrad

• Net ?
• Project brief
• Cluster agenda supported by RDAs in UK
• Equitech
• Innovation
• ICT support

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The partnership

• University of Wolverhampton, project lead
  partner.
• University of Central England now Birmingham
  City University
• PIN
• University of Florence
• Coventry Clothing Centre, run by Coventry City
  Council

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Rationale why leather and textiles ?

• Traditional reliance upon craft based
  manufacturing
• Increasingly competitive global markets
• Breaking down barriers to innovation and
  technical expertise
• Existing infrastructure could offer immediate
  benefits to other sectors
• Partners have specific interest and
  relationships with the sectors

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Proposals

• Develop small clusters around technology
• Examination of knowledge transfer mechanisms in
  WM and Tuscany
• Develop knowledge networks in both countries,
  mapping links to HE/FE, business support.
• Explore RDAs strategies in relation to these
  clusters

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Planned outcomes

• 2 pilot projects, one in textiles, one in leather
  in the West Midlands, involving technology to
  support the implementation of innovation
  strategies in SMEs.
• Each will build upon existing relationships
  developed through previous public/private sector
  support projects. The knowledge providers to
  host seminars for each sector to support and
  disseminate the development of each pilot
  network.

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Plans to include

• 2 planning meetings between SMEs and the project
  partners to review the regional and local
  strategies, with one in Italy, one in the UK,
  involving transnational attendees from the
  knowledge sectors.
• Recommendations for support infrastructure to
  increase process changes in the sector businesses
  utilising innovation and the knowledge providers
  based upon good/best practice case studies.

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And.

• A report on the way the project has the potential
  to impact on the wider business community in both
  partner regions
• Web pages to promote the links between the
  leather sector and the Centre of Engineering
  Excellence in Wolverhampton, and inclusion on the
  Net Infinity website.

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Early plans

• Steering group meetings in UK
• Full partners meeting in Prato in November 2006
  to agree transnational collaboration

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Pilot project 1 the Walsall leather sector

• Brief
• Group of companies working with university to
  explore the potential of using pressure mapping
  technology to add value to product
• Invitations sent to companies to attend first
  event aim to encourage 5-6 to work together on
  project

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Visit to Santa Croce Tannery District

• Study tour for leather sector representatives
  from the UK to Tuscany.
• Picture shows the reps from the West Midlands and
  staff from PIN at Santa Croce sur LArno, the
  Consortium of vegetable tanners.

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Visit to I-Place in ScandicciFlorence

• Retail outlet for cluster
• of leather product
• designers

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Knowledge Transfer project

• Pressure mapping of saddles when
• placed on horses both with and
• without rider
• Results could be used in saddle design
• to further customise the product

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Leather museum and exhibition

• Semi-permanent exhibition is now at the Walsall
  Leather Museum featuring knowledge transfer work
  carried out between the leather sector and the
  Centre of Engineering Excellence at the
  University of Wolverhampton.

Two demonstration days have led to addition
queries in related sectors for the use of the
technology developed for Innotrad.
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Pilot project 2 fashion/textiles

• Less defined within the West Midlands
• Led by UCE, conference on Innovation and
  Technology in Textiles in February 2007.

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Follow up

• Textiles workshops in September in UK run by UCE
  aiming to establish technology centred cluster(s)
  
• Eleven companies attended workshops aimed at
  introducing technologies to this sector
• Coventry added small cluster using the latest CAD
  software for textiles

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Textiles study tour - Tuscany

• Two days in the Textiles centre of Prato
• Tour included meeting at Polimoda
• Patrizia Pepe to see a real commercial success
  story in this challenging global market
• Specialist fabric printers contracted to major
  fashion houses

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PIN visit to UK

• Agenda included meeting with AWM cluster manager,
  visit to Selfridges
• Visit to general technology show including
  knowledge transfer seminar
• Meeting with member of leather cluster and tour
  of production facilities

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Beyond Innotrad

• Evaluation of market impact on clusters has
  access to knowledge base expertise improved
  turnover has it added value to the product
  Innotrad too short to assess this
• Links between PIN and UoW continue around use of
  technology in different sectors eg furniture

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The proposals revisited any results ?

• Develop small clusters around technology
• Examination of knowledge transfer mechanisms in
  WM and Tuscany
• Develop knowledge networks in both countries,
  mapping links to HE/FE, business support.
• Explore RDAs strategies in relation to these
  clusters