Case Studies

A family-run company set up by managing director George Watson 20 years ago, Charcuterie Continental specialises in supplying quality European cooked meats. Working closely with their suppliers to ensure the highest possible quality, Charcuterie Continental often develops recipes from scratch to provide bespoke products for a range of clients including high profile names like Makro, Costco, Starbucks and Greggs. As well as the wide range of continental meats produced by the company, more traditional Scottish fare like haggis is also on the menu at Charcuterie Continental's headquarters in Twechar, just outside Glasgow.

Esteem is a training and consultancy company which specialises in supporting entrepreneurial and business development. It was established in 1988 by Trudy MacKenzie and assists customers requiring support with their IT and People Development. The company believes that its philosophy of investing and growing its people is key to the success of the business.

Consultant gynaecologist, James Browning set up Gyne Ideas in 2001 to develop innovative medical devices and procedures to benefit women's health.

James, Managing Director of Gyne Ideas, decided from the outset that he was going to do things properly in terms of the management of the company's Intellectual Assets. Having seen other companies manage their IA badly, he appreciated the importance and benefits of taking the time to go through the correct processes, not least to facilitate funding and subsequent third party investment. 

As one of the world’s largest companies, Honeywell International Inc. are involved in manufacturing and technology for a wide range of industries. They are one of 30 major quoted stocks which make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average index of stock market performance and their shares trade on the major markets of New York, London, Chicago and the Pacific.

Intelligent Textiles was formed by Brunel University Research Fellow, Asha Peta Thompson and Brunel lecturer, Stan Swallow. Asha and Stan started working together, researching and designing products for people with disabilities, in the University's "Design for Life" Centre.

Asha, a weaver and knitter by trade, combined her design and fabric knowhow with Stan’s knowledge of electronics to produce a sensory fabric which allowed people with cerebral palsy to access a computer, which knows where, how and when it’s being touched.

Until around 18 months ago, Biotechnology Company PanTherix conducted research into the discovery of novel classes of antibiotics for the pharmaceutical industry from its facility on the West of Scotland Science Park. In the difficult funding environment for bioscience industries, and the continual pressure associated with maintaining a fully integrated research capability, the company was forced to focus its commitments. This resulted in a suspension of in-house research and instead a concentration on the further development and exploitation of its intellectual assets and collaborative out-licensing arrangements.

Randak Brand Development (Randak) employs 12 people and, as the name suggests, specialises in helping its clients develop their brands and manage their communications successfully.

With more than 30 years of experience, Randak’s own brand has been cemented thanks to work with clients including Diageo and Marks and Spencer. As a company which encourages its clients to get the most from their intellectual assets, it is only too aware of the value of its own.

RSVP Design Ltd was formed in 2003 to design activity-based training tools such as physical games, simulations and puzzles for learning and development professionals. The company also supplies its wide range of tools to training departments and companies.

Saga is a hugely familiar brand primarily known for providing holidays for people aged fifty and over, although  the major part of its business derives from insurance and other financial services. The company has been in existence for more than fifty years and has built up a huge wealth of customer information during that time. While its brand name and image are fully protected, two of the significant challenges for Saga are to manage and maintain positive brand perception and to exploit maximum advantage from the brand loyalty created.

The Osprey Company is a family partnership involved in the design and manufacture of signs and interpretation for UK nature and heritage sites. Based in Coldstream in the Borders, the partners in the business were looking for support on how best to manage rapid financial growth and organisational expansion.