The shoes you can stand to wear all day

Our expertise in biomechanics has helped WearerTech to create world-leading footwear allowing chefs, surgeons, nurses, vets and other professionals to work in comfort while standing up for long periods. 

Information about Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP)

The Problem

WearerTech had an established position in the UK surgical and catering and hospitality markets. In order to maintain this position, increase sales, remain competitive against lower cost alternatives and grow through export markets, WearerTech needed to differentiate between their product and the competition. They believed that designing footwear with demonstrable benefits, backed up by trials evidence would provide customers with the reason to purchase their premium product. 

Our Solution

Working with Professor Chris Nester and Dr Anita Williams from the School of Health and Society, a KTP was created with the aim to produce a new breakthrough product. 

KTP Associate, Jenny Anderson joined them and the team worked together to create the Wearer Innovation Loop, an on-going strategic research operation featuring five stages designed to produce the highest quality non-slip shoes available. From concept to completion WearerTech now put every product they produce through its paces in a real-life working environment.

For Jenny, the KTP has given her the opportunity to learn more about the benefits of applied research to business while also attending academic conferences that included presenting her work at the Footwear Biomechanics Symposium in Brisbane, Australia. The fact that her research has been published has allowed her to complete her PhD and she now works full-time for WearerTech in a Research and Development role. 

As part of this role she is supervising a second KTP with the University of Salford to create a mass customisation strategy for workplace footwear and a tool to aid selection of appropriate footwear via an online platform.

“Our partnership with the University of Salford and the applied research we carried out together has enabled WearerTech to develop new shoes, based on evidence-based research. These new shoes provide greater comfort, protection and personalisation to help people standing on their feet for long periods of time at work. This is a breakthrough achievement enabled by this KTP.” 
Will Ghali, CEO, WearerTech