On Wednesday (22 March), our SME Group presented ‘Why Innovation Matters’ to SMEs across the Black Country.

The exclusive invite-only event took place at the NatWest Manufacturing Hub in Wolverhampton with speeches from Alison Rose, CEO of Commercial and Private Banking, and Richard Hill Head of Sector Automotive and Manufacturing at NatWest. Archie MacPherson CEO, WMG centre High Value Manufacturing Catapult and Paul Milne, Innovation Manager in our SME team, represented WMG.

Attendees were given a chance to hear first-hand about our SME Group’s specialist Product Innovation Accelerator Project. The Project is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. It was developed to help manufacturing SMEs, based in Coventry and Warwickshire and the Black Country, develop new products, processes and access new technology through collaboration.

One company we’ve helped is Protective Sportswear Limited who developed a product brand called SafeJawz, specialising in custom and self-fit mouth guards.

The Walsall-based company wanted to create stylish mouth guards that would appeal to athletes of all levels. However the company lacked the appropriate design and manufacturing capabilities to help take the product from concept to manufacture.

Through our WMG centre High Value Manufacturing Catapult, we provided specialist support, which included dedicated industrial design and CAD assistance to conceptualise, test and evaluate the products. Our 3D printing capabilities then helped it to life and produce a fully manufacturable design. This has enabled SafeJawz to broaden its product range, and advance into new areas including martial arts and ice hockey, and other field-based sports. We are also working with SafeJawz on a new, premium mouth guard.

Archie MacPherson, CEO, WMG centre High Value Manufacturing Catapult, said: “I’m passionate about helping companies to improve their competiveness, and I’m looking forward to using my expertise to help convert the art and science of innovation into tangible results.”

Alison Rose, CEO of Commercial and Private Banking at NatWest, said: “Innovation is vital to any SME as it develops its long-term business plans. Our partnership with WMG is a great example of how we as a business community can work together to help enable SMEs to find the tools and resources they need to develop and grow. The SME Group’s Product Innovation Accelerator Project is a great resource to aid businesses with their innovation agenda.”

The Project is open to companies seeking to participate actively in research and development, to test and demonstrate new products based on access to leading edge technology and applications.

If you’re an SME looking to exploit market opportunities and unlock your potential contact our SME team at: wmgsme@warwick.ac.uk or 024 7657 4299.