17th December 2002

Email this Page |

A Dunmurry company which designs and manufactures support furniture for children with disabilities has been transformed into a “world player” in its sector through an innovative partnership with the University of Ulster.

Two University postgraduate students worked with the company, James Leckey Design Ltd, as part of a TCS Partnership programme, helping the firm to develop new products and become more export orientated.

And now the collaboration has been recognised nationally. It won one of seven national TCS Awards – the third year in a row that a UU partnership has won such an accolade – and also an additional special award for “Best Application of Technology and Knowledge” by Lord Sainsbury of Turville at a prestigious event in London.

The TCS Programme involving postgraduate students, Steven Simpson and Colin Cochrane, helped James Leckey Design set up an in-house design capability and establish a team of skilled engineering and industrial designers taking new products from concept stage through to production using sophisticated 3-D computer modelling tools.

A number of new and innovative products were developed and launched during the programme and one of these quickly became a market leader, exceeding sales projections by a factor of three.

New processes and materials were also developed and now the company is exporting to the US, Europe and Japan. Sales have almost doubled in these new markets. Eventually export sales are predicted to amount to twice the volume of sales in the UK.

The two postgraduate students are now working full-time with the company.

Dr Robin Clarke and Robert McKeown of the UU’s School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering provided expertise and academic support to the programme.

Dr Clarke said: “This was the only Northern Ireland collaboration to receive a TCS Award this year and it is the third consecutive year that the University has picked up an award for its work with industry. The TCS programme marries the expertise of academic research with the hands-on needs of industry, bringing benefits to both sectors. It gives students the opportunity to put the theory they have learned into practice”.

James Leckey, executive chairman, said: “As a direct result of TCS the company has been transformed into a ‘world-player’ in the market sector. Using 3-D computer modelling tools we developed two new products, the Advance Chair and the Easy Seat, one of these quickly became a market leader and exceeded sales projections by a factor of 3.

“Export markets have already opened for us in the US and now in Europe and Japan. In fact export sales have increased from 12% to 22%. In terms of financial results, we have increased our annual sales turnover by around £500,000.”

For further information, please contact:

Press Office Department of Communication and Development
Telephone: 028 9036 6178
Email: pressoffice@ulster.ac.uk