KIGG and University of South Wales KTP
innovation
Established in Sully near Cardiff in 2005, KIGG Ltd designs and manufactures
electricity Smart Meters which send electronic meter readings to the energy
supplier automatically, and provides subsequent factory start-up services to
government and private investors worldwide.
Work with increasingly
sophisticated clients
highlighted the need for
further development of
‘Smart’ products, however,
specification of the
International Electro-technical
Commission (IEC 61850) had to
be acquired by KIGG to meet
the correct standards in order
to make these ‘Smart’ products.
About the sponsor
Knowledge Transfer
Partnerships (KTPs) is a UKwide programme helping
businesses to improve their
competitiveness and
productivity through the
better use of knowledge,
technology and skills that
reside within the UK
Knowledge Base. The KTP
programme is managed by
Innovate UK. This project was
fully funded by the Welsh
Government over its duration
of 11 months; enabling a
Knowledge Transfer Partner
with the Centre for Electronic
Product Engineering (CEPE) at
the University of South Wales,
which helped accelerate
KIGG’s engineering knowledge
uptake and develop the
demonstrator equipment
needed to attract new clients.
About the project
The funding enabled KIGG to
understand the IEC standards
with help from a PHD student
contracted to the project and
based at CEPE, who
implemented the standards
and fed back to KIGG, which
then applied them to its own
work.
KIGG and University of South Wales KTP
KIGG went on to permanently
employ the PHD student and is
working on new designs with
the benefit of his expertise,
and by sharing his knowledge
with existing members of staff.
KIGG is also now looking at
future collaboration with CEPE
in order to deepen its
knowledge base and widen its
product portfolio further.
their government would
replicate the KTP programme
in their country. The scheme is
vital to expanding our
technology and expertise, and
has also supported us in
winning Smart factory start-up
projects worth millions of
pounds.”
The Associate
Coming from a mainly
The company
academic background, the KTP
gave the associate exposure to
KIGG Ltd.’s main focus is to
support investors and clients in real world engineering
problems. By using knowledge
establishing their own
gained through their studies it
businesses by providing them
with the expertise required to allowed them to gain valuable
industrial experience which
start-up their own factory.
then lead on to full time
Marked achievements include
employment.
overseeing a factory start-up
project in the Middle East, and
By applying his engineering
a factory upgrade project in
knowledge in the real world,
South East Asia. KIGG have
the associate was able to
also been able to provide
develop problem solving skills
highly sophisticated
and develop a knowledge in
technology to clients in India
the smart metering industry in
and China.
an industrial setting, allowing
theory to be put into practice.
KIGG Ltd. Managing Director,
Jonathan Harfoot, said:
Daniel Carr, KTP Associate,
“When we explain how the
said: “The KTP was a great
Knowledge Transfer
way of making the transition
Programmes (KTP) work to
from university to industry.
others, and relay the support
This has given me invaluable
we have had from Welsh
experience and made me a
Government and University of
better engineer that I would
South Wales to our investors
have been coming fresh from
and clients abroad, they are
university.”
amazed. A lot of foreign
clients express the wishes that
The Academic Partner
Starting from the point of
creating the software and
hardware platform necessary
to develop an Intelligent
Electronic Device, the
partnership successfully
demonstrated that
collaboratively the parties
involved could deploy an IEC
61850 network enabled
measurement and control
device.
This development has allowed
KIGG to enhance its offering
to potential clients and it has
demonstrated the ability of
CEPE to help companies turn
ideas into practice.
Alun Cox, Knowledge Transfer
Officer at the University of
South Wales said: “Working
with KIGG on this programme
has allowed the Centre for
Electronic Product Engineering
(CEPE) here at the University
to provide KIGG with specific
industrial network knowledge
and implementation
techniques.The partnership
has also allowed CEPE to gain
a practical industry insight into
the automated sub-station
business which wouldn’t have
been possible otherwise.”
www.ktponline.org.uk
innovation
Innovation Timeline
•2005 – KIGG Ltd establishes
UK office, with foreign
clients predominantly in
India & Malaysia. Awarded
design and 10,000 meter
order from Malaysian client.
•2007 – Factory technology
support programme grows
in Malaysia – KIGG wins
125,000 electricity meter
order with re-design.
•2009 – Malaysia Factory
project expands with re-
designs and two new orders
for the total of 750,000
single phase meters, worth
$12 million over next five
years.
•2011 – KIGG Ltd named
runner up at Inspire Wales
Awards for best training.
•2012 – KIGG Ltd receives
60% A4B funding from
Welsh Government.
•2013 – KIGG wins UKTI +
TATA Mentoring &
Partnering Programme, and
esteemed mentoring
programme to support and
do business in India.
•2013 – Nigeria Factory start
up project starts to provide
50 million meters over
20 years.
•2013 – PHD student Daniel
Carr employed permanently
by KIGG Ltd.
•2014 – Jordan Factory joint
venture awarded small order
with UNESCO.
To find out more about funding and
support from the Welsh Government:
Email: [email protected]
Web: business.wales.gov.uk
Tel: 03000 6 03000
WG22758 / © Crown copyright 2015