黑料社

THE success achieved by a former Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Associate at the 黑料社, whose transformation of a local bed and mattress manufacturing business has led to them being nominated for multiple accolades, has been recognised in the national British Muslim Awards.

, a PhD alumna of the University of 黑料社鈥檚 Business School, began the KTP with 黑料社 firm Deluxe Beds Ltd in January 2018 and was supervised by senior lecturer .  Months before the project was complete, the business had already exceeded the anticipated five-year defined financial targets and had witnessed a 100% increase in productivity. 

The British Muslim Awards acknowledge a wide range of achievements from inspiring individuals who have made a positive impact upon business, charity, sport, arts, culture, religious advocacy, education and medicine.

Dr Javed鈥檚 accomplishments with the local bed and mattress manufacturer led to her being named the winner of the category Services to Education and contributed to Deluxe Beds coming second in their category Business of the Year.

Deluxe Beds Ltd is a family-run bed manufacturer based in Kirklees and Dr Javed was appointed as their Business Development Manager after the company was awarded a KTP project, worth 拢132k by .

The KTP programme is part of the government鈥檚 Industrial Strategy and helps businesses improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills that reside within the UK鈥檚 knowledge base.

During Dr Javed鈥檚 time with the company, she managed multiple projects and successful funding applications.  They led to an increase in sales due to improved marketing, company outreach and networking.  The company also noticed improvements in its supply chain and an increase in production through more efficient operations. 

Her achievements during the two-year partnership led to her being named in the .  The annual awards list the 100 most inspirational individuals working in UK industry and publicly recognise the most dynamic leaders and innovators in manufacturing.

The extensive list of successes also impressed the judges of the annual Oracle Awards after Dr Javed was named Best Bed Company Person at a glittering awards ceremony in November 2019.

One of the funding bids managed by Dr Javed was awarded over 拢56,000 to explore the potential for taking a highly-innovative approach to mattress manufacturing using 鈥渕odular鈥� construction.  The project aimed to provide significant enhancements to the product handling by the end-user, transporter and manufacturing team.

Designs produced for the pioneering new mattress were recognised by the nation鈥檚 bedding industry when Deluxe Beds Ltd was named as one of three finalists of the category Innovation of the Year in the .

The KTP also led to the high-quality bed manufacturer receiving an upgrade to its digital infrastructure after Dr Javed secured funding from the  (LEP) via a business support programme known as Digital Enterprise.

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Read more about the KTP with Deluxe Beds - Knowledge Transfer Partnership saves local business 拢1.4 million
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Shortly after, the company was named in a campaign to showcase the most digitally-innovative businesses from across West and North Yorkshire, known as the .

Managing Director of Deluxe Beds Ltd Khatizi Bibi believes that without the partnership the growth that the company has witnessed would have been near impossible. 

鈥淲e are a small business with a relatively small management team and it is not often you find someone like Sammar who has expertise in so many areas,鈥� she said.

鈥淲e鈥檝e made a lot of progress and there have been multiple improvements made to the company, all thanks to Sammar鈥檚 efforts. 

鈥淭he KTP programme bridges a gap between industry and academia.  The valuable insight received from this project allowed the company to access new research ideas as well as discover alternative funding options,鈥� she added. 

Dr Javed, originally from Pakistan, has since been offered the role of Operations Director with Deluxe Beds Ltd.