A high-performance bike wheel manufacturer is accelerating innovation after securing support through Made Smarter South East.
The Rider Firm, based in West Sussex sells carbon and alloy wheels worldwide. It has invested in advanced computing and 3D printing technology to accelerate product development, bring new products to market faster and create new jobs.
In addition, members of the team completed Made Smarter's Leading Digital Transformation (LDT) and Digital Champions programmes, helping to build the skills and leadership needed to support future growth.
Made Smarter has helped us explore how digital tools can support innovation in our product development. The support has given us the confidence to invest in new simulation and prototyping capabilities, allowing our engineering team to experiment more quickly and push the performance of our wheels even further. It will help us accelerate development while strengthening the long-term competitiveness of the business.
Rob Fields, Head of Engineering and Product
Operating in a highly competitive global market, The Rider Firm is focused on maintaining its position at the forefront of wheel design through continuous innovation.
Engineers use advanced design and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software to create and refine new wheel concepts before producing 3D printed prototypes. These are then tested in a wind tunnel and refined based on the results.
However, increasingly complex aerodynamic simulations are time and resource intensive, creating a constraint on the number of concepts that can be explored and limiting the pace of product development.
To continue pushing the boundaries of aerodynamic performance, the firm needed to invest in greater computing power, as well as faster and more cost-effective prototyping technologies. As an SME with limited resources, however, securing investment to support innovation remained a continual challenge.
Through a Made Smarter South East Digital Transformation Workshop, advisers Keith Russell and Chitra Cherodian identified opportunities to strengthen the company's product development through technology and digital skills.
The business secured a £10,000 technology grant towards a £20,000 investment in a new high-performance PC, an upgraded Formlabs 3D printer and an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).
The investment upgraded its in-house computing capability, allowing engineers to run computational fluid dynamics simulations continuously in the background while focusing on other activities.
The upgraded 3D printing capability enables prototypes to be produced significantly faster and more cost-effectively, allowing engineers to test more design variations and accelerate simulation, prototyping, testing and refinement.
Recognising that digital transformation depends on people as well as technology, the business also engaged with Made Smarter's skills programmes.
Daniel Gillborn, Chief Technology Officer, completed the Leading Digital Transformation programme, a 14-week course designed to develop the strategic vision needed to lead technology adoption and organisational change.
Meanwhile, Brad Ashton, Systems Manager, and Dan Qarkaj, Ecommerce Manager, attended the Digital Champions programme, equipping them with the skills and tools needed to lead, implement and accelerate digital projects.
The investment will accelerate the journey from concept to production by enhancing the company's in-house CFD, CAD and 3D printing capabilities. Engineers will be able to design, simulate, prototype and refine new products more quickly and cost-effectively.
The enhanced computing power will reduce the time required to run complex aerodynamic simulations, including turbulent flow dynamics, while the upgraded 3D printing technology will enable engineers to produce more wheel variants in around half the time and at less than half the cost of the previous process.
Together, these improvements will allow engineers to explore more design concepts, test more product variations and make better use of specialist facilities such as wind tunnels. More frequent testing will generate richer performance data, refine designs more effectively and bring innovative new products to market faster.
Ultimately, the project will shorten product development timescales, improve innovation capability and support the creation of higher-performing products, strengthening The Rider Firm's competitive position in the global cycling market.
As the business continues to grow, the project is expected to create four new jobs while upskilling its existing workforce of 21 employees.
With its enhanced digital capabilities, The Rider Firm is well positioned to accelerate innovation across its product portfolio, supported by a team with the skills and strategic vision to drive future digital transformation.
Daniel, CTO, said: "The Leading Digital Transformation programme really helped me challenge my thinking around digital transformation. The programme introduced so many useful ideas and approaches. I now have a peer group where I can bounce ideas off, with no fear of judgement, just a willingness to help, share experiences and offer different perspectives, which I really value."
Brad and Dan both said the Digital Champions programme gave them the opportunity to step back and take a more strategic view of the business.
"It reinforced that digital transformation isn't just about technology, but about people, culture and how change is led effectively," Brad said. "I've come away with clearer direction, a stronger understanding of where to focus and the confidence to lead meaningful digital improvements across the organisation."
Dan added: "The course gave me valuable insight into managing people, processes and change, and how to implement best practice across our organisation. It was a great opportunity to learn more about different management styles and approaches, while providing a fresh perspective that challenged many of our existing organisational practices and processes."
