Knowledge Transfer – with impact

North East business, Renown Engineering, has built a legacy of success thanks to a partnership with Newcastle Business School started in 2010.

The company, which is part of Northumberland-based Renown Group, has been able to buck recent economic uncertainty and falling markets to deliver lasting profitable growth. Renown attributes much of this success to research support and the placement of a Marketing Manager via the Newcastle Business School Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) scheme. As a result, its relationship with Northumbria is also ongoing.

Applying research-informed knowledge through this partnership model has proved a success story for Renown, and is something Newcastle Business School says can be repeated for other businesses.

Renown’s partnership with Newcastle Business School also ran alongside a similar KTP with Northumbria’s Engineering and Environment Faculty – both of which were independently assessed and awarded highly prestigious grades of `outstanding’ by the Technology Strategy Board.

Managing director for the Renown Group, John Hamilton, has been a strong supporter and advocate for the KTP with Newcastle Business School. He said “Since the KTP started in November 2010 our sales have risen from £11m to £15m and profits have also increased. I believe a significant part of this growth is a direct consequence of the work done on the Marketing Knowledge Transfer Programme with Newcastle Business School”.

The Renown Group consists of Renown Engineering, Renown Oil and Gas, Renown Materials Handling, Westmoor Engineering, PJ Engineering Products Ltd, SDS (Sound Dead Steel), and Pensher Skytech.