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Leeds Beckett collaboration expands to drive smarter, more sustainable manufacturing
The 30-month Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), part-funded by UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) through Innovate UK, will see LBU business and data science experts work with Ardent to develop an intelligent business system to improve operational efficiency, support growth, and enable data-driven decision-making.
Ardent Limited is a specialist supplier of fire protection and electronic safety systems. The company designs, manufactures, supplies, installs and services its products in the UK and internationally.
Dr Alfred Chinta, Head of Degree Apprenticeships in Leeds Business School and project leader, explained: “Through the new KTP, we will support Ardent’s growth ambitions by developing and embedding an intelligent system to improve business operations, and enable data-driven decisions, greater efficiency and more sustainable performance. The system will optimise how Ardent delivers its services and manages its existing portfolio, while lowering operational emissions.
“This capability is expected to increase productivity and net profit margins, and to support international expansion by leveraging data and existing resources.”
This is the second KTP between LBU and Ardent – the first project was completed in 2025 and embedded a new international marketing strategy and corporate culture into Ardent. The project was awarded the highest possible grading of Outstanding from Innovate UK, and KTP Associate, Stephanie Leung, has now been made a permanent member of the Ardent team, continuing to embed and progress the KTP legacy.
Matt Lewindon, Managing Director of Ardent Limited, said: “Following the success of our first KTP, we're delighted to be continuing our partnership with Leeds Beckett University. This project supports an important part of Ardent's growth strategy, helping us explore new ways to improve efficiency and build greater scalability into our operations.
“Knowledge Transfer Partnerships provide a unique opportunity to combine academic expertise with real-world business challenges. We're excited to work with the Leeds Beckett team to embed new knowledge and capabilities within Ardent, strengthening our business for the future and supporting continued innovation across the manufacturing sector.”
An experienced graduate will be recruited to manage the project as a KTP Associate. The role, Business Systems Lead, will be a full-time member of the Ardent team, with full support of the LBU academics. For more information and to apply for the role, please visit the LBU Jobs website. The closing date for applications is Wednesday 23 September 2026.
The full LBU KTP team consists of:
- Dr Alfred Chinta, Course Director in Leeds Business School;
- Dr Adekunle Oke, Senior Lecturer in Operations and Supply Chain Management, Leeds Business School;
- Dr Farrukh Saleem, Senior Lecturer in AI and Data Science in the School of Built Environment, Engineering and Computing.
In this article
Dr Alfred Chinta
Alfred is an experienced academic adept at handling courses at postgraduate level. He provides consultancy to businesses in the UK and enjoys working with organisations to identify supply chain issues and offer solutions to improve their performance. He has worked with 2 KTP projects in the past and is currently working with 2 KTP projects in healthcare waste management and development of AI enabled dashboards for enhancement of Supply chain sustainability. He guides doctoral and masters students to ensure their research, projects and dissertations are innovative and aligned to the current needs of businesses and organisations.
Dr Adekunle Oke
Dr Adekunle Oke is a Senior Lecturer in Operations and Supply Chain Management. His research focuses on the whole spectrum of sustainability and digital technology, and how they interact with operations and supply chain management, particularly in SMEs.
