Page 11 - Business in Focus Annual Report 2017 v2

ANNU
10
10 ANNUAL REPORT 2016-2017AL REPORT 2016-2017 BUSINESS IN FOCUS 11

DACEY LTD

Established in 1972, Dacey Ltd remains a Business Wales and Welsh Government
family-owned business, which manufactures a worked with Dacey to support the concept
full range of bespoke orthotic products at their and find ways to streamline the whole
facilities in Cardiff and Merthyr. Their product manufacturing process. As a result, Welsh
range includes bespoke surgical, modular Government provided financial support from
and stock footwear, functional foot orthoses, their Innovation Fund for the automation
plastic and metal orthoses and all types of the leather-cutting process.
of fabric supports. All these are currently Additionally, a Business Wales Relationship
supplied to NHS Hospitals across the UK, Manager, Brian Roberts, assisted Bob with
Ireland and Denmark. formulating their business and financial plans
Each shoe is individually tailored to the as part of a Growth and Prosperity grant
needs and measurements of the patient application. The business secured £50,000
which involves transforming a patient’s foot towards the cost of the scanners, software,
measurements into a 3D ‘last’, around which 3D printers and last-milling machine.
a bespoke shoe can be built. The complete Brian referred Bob to a Business Wales
process integrates: last making, the cutting Tendering Adviser to help with the further
and stitching of leather uppers, fixing of sole expansion plans, including tendering for
units and fitting of orthotic inserts if needed. various NHS Trusts. A Resource Efficiency
Once completed, the shoes are issued to Adviser has also been working with the
the hospital clinics for patient fitting and if business, providing assistance with accessing
necessary reworked to achieve optimum fit.
Carbon Trust funding for the proposed
The business remains the only Welsh new premises.
manufacturer of its kind in the orthotic As a result of the financial and business
industry and currently employ over advice, Dacey have been able to observe
100 people.
some immediate benefits, including more
As the business was using very traditional, accurate measurements, meaning less
time-consuming and labour-intensive rework and fewer visits by patients, quicker
manufacturing methods, making the lasts product lead times, removal of the production
by hand to a specification or cast, Bob sought constraints enabling increased productivity
the assistance of the Welsh Government’s and better export potential.
business Wales Service as he was looking to They have already created 10 jobs with
incorporate new CAD CAM shoe last making a further 3 technicians to be recruited
systems and 3D printing techniques into by the end of the year.
the manufacturing process. Due to capacity www.dacey.co.uk
constraints, Bob also identified new premises
for the factory, which would further increase
BUSINESS WALES production and maximise efficiencies.

CASE STUDY

Business Wales is the Welsh Government’s Entrepreneurship Service. It is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund.