West Midlands sportswear company SafeJawz have said thanks, or rather Fangs, for the help that WMG researchers at the University of Warwick have given them in the development of their new range of self-fit mouth guards which are designed to make gum shields a desirable piece of sports equipment as opposed to a nuisance item that can hinder performance. As it’s Halloween there was really only one obvious design to go with to mark this successful collaboration which is why Nile Dacres and Waitu Setu from Coventry RFC rugby team are sporting Fang-tastic new mouth guards.

Entrepreneurs George Dyer and Ewan Jones founded the sportswear brand, SafeJawz and their business, Protective Sportswear Ltd in Aldridge near Walsall specialises in custom and self-fit stylish mouth guards that athletes of all levels would want to wear, as opposed to having to wear. Hoping to revolutionise the sector through innovation and twinned with a background in sports dentistry, the company had a distinct advantage in being able to develop a brand new, custom range of striking mouthguards whilst still meeting all the mandatory requirements. However they needed to develop their manufacturing skills and technical knowledge to help take their product ideas from concept to manufacture.

The company turned to WMG at the University of Warwick for assistance as WMG runs a Product Innovation Accelerator project, part funded by the European Regional Development Fund, which provides assistance to manufacturing SMEs within Coventry & Warwickshire and the Black Country. It was developed to help these businesses create and test new products, improve their manufacturing processes and access innovation at WMG.

Jennie Murray, Technology Transfer Engineer, from WMG’s SME Group said:

“We met with the company to bring additional industrial design support and expertise to help conceptualise, test and evaluate the proposed new products. Generating a 3D model from thumbnail sketches, WMG were able to advance the concept into a fully manufacturable design. Utilising specialist equipment these 3D models were brought to life as both adult and junior fit prototypes.”

“To help keep manufacturing costs to a minimum we helped SafeJawz fully optimise the products, from a design perspective, ahead of future manufacturing processes. We also introduced the company to manufacturers and toolmakers within our network, so they could commence discussions around large-scale manufacturing.”

George Dyer the Founder of SafeJawz said:

“WMG made it an incredibly smooth process with their unbelievable knowledge of manufacturing processes and we couldn’t be happier with our latest innovation. Our plan has always been to disrupt a previously uninspired product category and help athletes leverage confidence in their game. WMG have been a key part in this mission, and we’re proud to have their stamp of quality and expertise on our products.”

 

For further information please contact:

Lisa Barwick - Head of Marketing & Communications, WMG
Tel: 024 7652 4721 or 07824 540845
Email: L.Barwick@warwick.ac.uk

Or

Peter Dunn, Director of Press and Media Relations
University of Warwick,
Tel UK 024 76523708 office 07767 655860 mobile
Tel from overseas: +44 (0)24 76523708 office +44 (0)7767 655860 mobile/cell
Email p.j.dunn@warwick.ac.uk

PJD 27th October 2017