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The knowledge exchange opportunities that arose from a strong and sustained Partnership during the course of two successive KTPs [S1, S2] have had far-reaching benefits to all stakeholders. However, it is the particular benefits to the SME that are focussed on here.

Firstly, it is important to state the context and nature of the business. As multi-channel consumer electronics retailers operate in dynamic and highly competitive market conditions, they are under constant pressure to invest in new communication and information technologies that automate or support retail activities to increase productivity and gain competitive advantage. SMEs are particularly vulnerable to fluctuations in the marketplace, and as many do not have adequate resources to develop bespoke technological solutions, they are continually in danger of losing market share.

The two research strands that have led to (a) the development of an e-business platform and (b) the development of an integrated business forecasting tool have come about as a result of knowledge and requirements exchange between Ask Outlets Ltd. (the Company) and London Metropolitan University (the University).

1^st KTP – business strategy realignment and new revenue channels

In the first of the two KTPs, the KTP Associate Sajid Afzal, under the direction of Prof. Ouazzane and Dr David Ward applied the research to the development of a bespoke CRM system that has enabled the Company to have more productive interaction with their consumer base. The CRM has resulted in a measurable improvement of sales revenue - but most importantly, has been instrumental by the end of the two-year KTP (2014) in a material shift in the Company’s overall strategy, through new revenue generating channels that have been created.

As a “ direct result of the introduction of the CRM software” Ask have introduced new internal systems which “ maximise [their] stock ordering processes” ensuring that they only order products to meet customers’ needs and which have resulted in an average “ annual saving of £200k per annum for the financial years 2015 – 2020” [S3].

In the KTP final report submitted to Innovate UK [S1], the Company was asked to assess the nature and significance of the impact on their activities as achieved through the partnership. The Company confirmed that the following impacts have been highly achieved: increased breadth of information or extent of dissemination, improved customer or stakeholder satisfaction and improved efficiency or productivity. The KTP final report summarizes the main benefits to the Company as being (a) enhanced revenue generation through the ability to identify new trends through consumer profiling and (b) enhanced agility through the ability to monitor and react to dynamic competitor pricing. In 2014, the Company reported a GBP350,000 increase in the annual sales turnover directly attributable to the KTP [S1].

2^nd KTP – growth and sustainability

In the second of the two KTPs, the KTP Associate Samson Habte, under the direction of Prof. Ouazzane and Dr Preeti Patel applied the research to the development of an integrated business-forecasting tool. The aim of this research was to support the Company’s decision-making processes in order to make increases in productivity across all sales channels, thereby ensuring growth and sustainability. Mr Sandip Patel, Managing Director, identified changes in consumer activity as a result of economic changes, including Brexit, which made the introduction of a forecasting tool an essential part of forward planning. The Company’s valuable data and information assets are now (from 2017 onwards) used to gain forecasting insights, leading to competitive advantage. Amongst the many benefits the Company has gained are (cited by the Company in their input to the KTP final report [S2]):

• the minimising of risk to both under-stocks and over-stocks as replenishment can be predicted which leads to a direct reduction in inventory costs,

• a reduced staff workload has resulted from inventory optimisation leading to productivity being increased by approximately 40%,

• the ability to monitor competitor pricing and react promptly to fluctuations,

• the relationship with the Company’s suppliers has also benefited by the prioritisation of stock allocations on a weekly basis,

• overall benefit of enhanced communication with suppliers for fulfilling stock orders,

• the empowerment of the Company’s team of buyers whose purchasing decisions are more accurately informed, resulting in profitable bulk purchasing,

• the ability to identify new trends through forecasting leading to the identification and introduction of new product lines.

Resulting directly from the KTP, these benefits have led to changes in the Company’s competitive position in terms of an increase in annual (financial year 2018-19) sales turnover of GBP600,000 with a growth of GBP1,000,000 anticipated for financial year 2019. Mr Patel also reports that this growth is against a backdrop of “ several smaller competitors [falling] into administration” resulting in a less competitive market where Ask’s major competition is now “ the bigger players such as John Lewis and PC World Currys.” [S3].

Continued and long-lasting significance and reach

Participating in the KTPs has enabled the Company to be sustainable and resilient in the marketplace. These improvements were felt soon after the projects completed, and Mr Patel has also been able to report on the continued benefits. The most impactful of these developments include expansion of the business into new localities within the UK, job creation and development, knock-on benefits to supplier sales teams and the ability to perform strongly in the online arena during the coronavirus pandemic (2020).

Improvements in internal systems, staff realignment and focus on multichannel business have taken place in the intervening period. Specifically, improved business performance measures include: by only ordering those products required by customers and bulk buying of specific products has allowed Ask to manage their “ overall stock holding and free up [their] cash flow especially when [their] have been growing” and allowing Ask to focus on “ online and through multi-channel marketplaces” where their growth has been “ approximately 31%” year-on-year [S3].

The company’s 2020 testimonial [S3] gives explicit details of continued expansion opportunities (in the form of newly launched store locations across the UK) which are attributable to the KTP inventory planning and forecasting solutions. The new Sony Centre in Birmingham “... is currently generating sales of approximately £600k pa and we have recruited an additional 8 staff”. The new Audio-Visual outlet located in the royal-warranted Daniel Department Store in Windsor is similarly performing well, “ Here we have recruited an additional six staff and this outlet is currently generating approximately £800k pa”.

The CRM tool, together with the forecasting solution has enabled the Company to explore potential new product branding opportunities beyond their traditional Sony Centre brand. Their new store in Windsor is multi-branded incorporating additional brands such as Roberts Radio, LG and Samsung by the showcasing of “... the complete range on play tables for customers to touch and try”, with the result that “one particular brand has grown almost 300% compared to previous year” with additional benefits of increased support from the branded supplier such as local advertising and promotions. This multi-brand store has also allowed Ask to showcase the new brands both in store and online [S3].

In addition to the jobs created at the locations, the existing workforce experienced positive change as a result of the introduction of the software. A reduced need for staff in the product buying team allowed those staff to be retrained to research new products. New staff are “ delivering advertising through online platforms” Ask’s staff have reported that “ the additional training and changes to their roles has enhanced their personal esteem and has given them improved career options” [S3].

Positive feedback received from Ask’s suppliers relates to the seamless analysis of the Company’s sales data, via the forecasting tool, which allows the suppliers’ sales teams to identify growth of particular items and adjusting their own supply to match. Mr Patel summarises this domino-effect as “.. .So, this has not only benefited us, but the suppliers are also benefiting with our sales data” [S3].

The Managing Director concludes with “ The changes and benefits to our business that resulted from both the CRM and forecasting solutions have enabled the business to, hopefully, weather the current coronavirus crisis.” [S3]

Technology developments and the public’s desire for smaller, thinner, and more powerful devices has increasingly presented manufacturers with practical challenges in the design and testing of new product concepts, in particular ability to test the individual components that connect together to make integrated circuits, such as in smart phones, which may include over a billion components on a single chip. The only possible way to obtain performance assessments of such components is by simulating the compact models representing the components. Qucs/Qucs-S, devised by Brinson and Kuznetsov, has allowed the facilitation of compact device modelling and simulation replacing the prohibitively costly testbench testing associated with earlier technologies.

Standardisation of Verilog-A

Qucs/Qucs-S research has benefited international efforts to establish Verilog-A as the professional standard for compact device modelling. Originally devised as an engineering language for describing the components used to construct analogue electronic circuits, Verilog-A was not fully compatible with the compact device modelling needed for the development of existing and emerging semiconductor technologies. Verilog-A is a subset of the IEEE standardized Verilog-AMS hardware description language. Following the August 2014 release of Verilog-AMS V2.4 international efforts to rectify the language deficiencies needed for efficient compact modelling have resulted in Verilog-A being adopted for device modelling and model interchange amongst different simulators (both commercial and FOSS), and industry. Work on Verilog-A standardization is an international ongoing project. As Wladek Grabinski, of MOS-AK’s MOS Modelling and Parameter Extraction Working Group, addressing Brinson’s promotion of standardisation through Qucs/Qucs-S, advised “ The Verilog-A standardization supported by FOSS ADMS tool and EDD modeling concept introduced in QUCS design environment” has provided significant benefits to users, including model developers who “are developing a model once, [focusing] on the model equation, not on its software implementation [and the] new model can run” on any software platform.[S1]

Brinson’s Qucs/Qucs-S is the only modelling and simulation software tool to include Verilog-A model synthesis from circuit schematics and it includes Verilog-A modelling facilities that are freely available to all interested users from individuals to small, medium and large enterprises.

A vehicle for emerging technology model construction

Brinson’s Qucs/Qucs-S research has contributed to individuals’ and SMEs’ model design, particularly in relation to building emerging semiconductor technology models [S2], and also through the application of the research in non-semiconductor domains including the mechanical domain [S3], and product design [S4].

Mechanical domain device modelling

The contribution of Brinson’s Qucs/Qucs-S software to simulation and compact device modelling has resulted in significant developments in the field of medical devices where physical application of experimental models is not a feasible option. As Dr Daniel Tomaszewski, the Instytut Technologii Elektronowej (ITE), Warsaw, commented, Qucs has had an “ important role” in the ITE’s successful work between 2014-2016 in the “ *design and modelling of thermal energy conversion into mechanical energy followed by the conversion of mechanical energy into electric field energy, and application of open-source circuit simulation programs for the device model parameter extraction.*”[S3]. ITE carries out R&D projects, from concept development, through multi-domain computer simulations, to the development of a prototype of a specialized instrument.

Human medical implants, such as pacemakers, powered by a lithium battery present the patient and their medical team with the inevitable need for battery replacement through invasive and potentially life-threatening surgery. Tomaszewski’s model of an Energy Harvester is the first step in the concept development of a battery that in drawing its power from its environment will represent a profound benefit and improvement for patients and medical staff. As Tomaszewski states, Brinson’s Qucs with its Verilog-A related functionality has been of “ particular importance for a development of compact models of non-standard electronic and heterogenous [sic] *devices and systems. Such models can be used in the simulation for the system operation prediction. The systems under consideration can be further developed and optimized.*” [S3] Earlier SPICE based simulators, centred on electrical analogue simulation, lack the tools to model the conversion of mechanical energy to electrical energy required for this work; Brinson’s Qucs is the only FOSS modelling and simulation software tool that has the modelling tools sufficient to support the work concentrated on converting mechanical energy (from body movement) into electrical energy that is stored to provide a power source for operating implanted electronic devices. As Tomaszewski notes *“Solving such a task is not possible using dedicated software for the electrical simulations of circuits with lumped elements. Qucs/Qucs-S was the tool of choice”** [S3]

Knowm’s memristor models

The Qucs-S/Xyce Verilog-A version of the “Kmowm” memristor model is a central part of an industrial “start-up” tool chain for the design and manufacture of memristor semiconductor products. Knowm Inc. “ exists to lead the computing industry toward neuromemristive processors” [S2]. Originating in 2002, Knowm has been awarded several US government grants to develop Knowm memristor computing technology. The existence of the memristor was first hypothesized by Leon Chua in 1971 with a practical realisation constructed in 2005. Knowm Inc is a high-tech company making a small range of memristor products that contain the basic devices on integrated circuit chips [S2]. Knowm Inc used Qucs-S because it has allowed new symbols to be built for the memristor and simulation of its performance using Xyce. Qucs-S has provided Knowm with the functionality to model and simulate memristors for new circuit designs.

The availability of Qucs-S as a FOSS software tool allowed Knowm, an SME, to launch into the emerging semiconductor technology market without the cost implications associated with commercial packages.

Speaking of their decision to use Qucs-S and financial and ethical benefits it brings to the company, Knowm’s founder and CEO, Alex Nugent said, “ It was free and provided elements that were needed.” The commercial suppliers of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools pose “a major barrier” to the semiconductor industry and Nugent “would prefer memristor technology was not locked by the same EDA cartels, preventing small business and individuals and many students from developing the technology. As a small company ourselves” the cost of EDA tools “represent a significant barrier and we are always on the look for affordable and capable EDA tools.” When addressing the long-term benefits of Qucs-S to Knowm’s research, Nugent outlined the broader benefit to the semiconductor industry of software, such as Qucs-S, being available through FOSS licences, “Open source EDA and the open-source hardware movement is incredibly important to development of novel electronics. Many people around the world would otherwise not have access or even be able to participate.” [S6]

Knowm’s software developer, spoke of the importance and benefits of Qucs/Qucs-S to an independent developer, “ I was previously using Verilog-A to implement various memristor models for simulating memristors and running these models in trial versions of commercial tools like Keysight ADS.  These tools were way beyond my budget and so I started looking to open-source alternatives like Xyce.” This personal experience of the affordability and accessibility of Qucs/Qucs-S was reinforced while working at Knowm, where the these benefits supported nanotechnology development: “The ability to support ADMS and the open-source hooks to add support for additional open-source simulators like Xyce were game changers when I started to work with Knowm and their memristors.  Having this option lowered the barrier to entry to working with their technology.  Along with Knowm's memristors which are affordable and the ability to use lower cost EDA tools it is possible for anyone to conduct their own research into advanced nanotechnologies”. [S6]

The software developer noted that improvements and benefits because of using Qucs-S, “ were immediate in that we were able to have an easy-to-use circuit layout and editor as a front end to various simulators . . . The flexibility and access to the source code allowed for implementing our own Knowm memristor symbol and model implementation. In addition, we were able to create sub-circuit libraries for the various topologies of the Knowm kT-Synapse. This allowed us to simulate complete circuits that use several synapses to simulate things like generalized and reconfigurable logic gates. Using Qucs-S we were also able to simulate dynamic pulse response and other critical design features and have the ability to easily view the simulation output from Xyce in both graphical and plot formats”. [S6]

Librem 5 smartphone

Purism is a tech company founded in 2014 out of concern “ for the exploitative direction of the tech industry.” It is dedicated to delivering “ *freedom respecting, privacy protecting, and security focused products and services that people trust, and feel safe in using.*” The Librem 5 phone was designed to fill a gap in the smartphone market for the security conscious and ethical user. Librem 5 was fully developed utilising free and open source software, including Brinson’s Qucs-S. As Eric Kuzmenko, hardware engineer at Purism, explained Purism “ used a free software tool called Qucs-S and the free software SPICE-compatible simulation kernel called Xyce to simulate our headphone detect circuit, which included a zener diode used to protect the respective GPIO from too high or too low of input voltage from the audio codec’s HP DAC output.” It was the combination of “ Qucs-S and Xyce allowed [Purism] to use the MMSZ4688T1G diode’s SPICE model in a circuit that best represented the physical conditions of nothing being inserted into the 3.5mm jack but the HP DAC output being active.” [S4]

Todd Weaver, Purism’s CEO and Founder, speaking of the benefits of using Brinson’s Qucs/Qucs-S notes that, “ Bringing SPICE compatibility to Qucs significantly widens the applicability of the software to such a large extent that it became the go-to software for all of our simulation needs.” The availability of Qucs-S through a FOSS licence has ensured that Purism is able to develop its products. Weaver stated “Without Qucs-s there would be no user-friendly way of simulating our circuits with purely free (as in freedom) software. With the current state of FOSS schematic capture software, short of writing huge patches for some other application, the only way to simulate a circuit with Xyce without the use of Qucs-s would require writing a netlist by hand and displaying the results in something like LibreOffice Calc. Qucs-s has made free and open source simulation easily accessible to the world of electronics designers, and we love It”. [S5]

By November 2020, the USD 2,200,000 crowdfunded Librem 5 phone had been mass-produced and shipped to Purism’s customers. [S7]