As the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships project comes to an end, Narberth-based Princes Gate Spring Water are seeing the benefits of injecting some timely graduate knowledge and expertise into their company. They have repositioned their brand to be more successful in the extremely competitive UK bottled water market, and found a savvy marketer in the process to add to their management team.

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) is one of the UK's leading programmes that help businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills.

Companies are expected to only contribute about a third of the costs involved in the government-financed initiative.

For Princes Gate Spring Water, this involved taking on graduate employee Nicola Merriman as a full-time KTP associate. Nicola was jointly supervised by their sales manager, Rachel Evans, and Mike Thomas - a senior lecturer in management and business at Pembrokeshire College. The project was overseen by KTP adviser for West Wales, Dr. Ted Jones.

The primary aim of the project was to develop the branding and marketing of Princes Gate Spring Water to make it more appealing to the retail market - a key distribution channel for any serious brand of water. Former research had indicated a need to modernise the brand to appeal to the primary target for bottled water.

"As luck would have it, the match of graduate to company was incredibly suited," said senior lecturer Mike Thomas.

"Nicola is a masters graduate from University College Dublin who before moving to the area to set up home with her husband, Paul, managed Coca Cola's water portfolio in Ireland.

"Nicola had also experienced a very successful re-brand in the bottled water market, with Coca Cola emerging as a market leader, and that fitted exactly with what Princes Gate Spring Water want to eventually achieve in Wales."

Since the launch of the revised branding at Princes Gate Spring Water two years ago, when it underwent a complete overhaul, there has been some phenomenal work from all of the management at Princes Gate Spring Water. The portfolio now boasts listings in key retail outlets - including Asda, Sainsbury's and the Co-operative. Sales management are also currently in talks with the UK's biggest supermarket, Tesco.

Commenting about the KTP scheme, David Jones, MD of Princes Gate Spring Water, said: "It has been an incredibly busy time for the business, and marked a steep change for the brand.

"Nicola has been a great addition to the team that has worked very hard towards accomplishing the ambitious goals we set.

"Credit also goes to Pembrokeshire College - and principal Glyn Jones in particular - for instigating the programme which has benefited us greatly.

"We predict exciting times to come for Princes Gate Spring Water!"

There has been some very good personal news for Nicola Merriman, too.

Her marketing skills and hard work have been recognised as essential to keep the company moving forward. And as her contract as a KTP associate ends, Nicola has accepted the permanent position of marketing manager with Princes Gate Spring Water.

To find out more about how Knowledge Transfer Partnerships can provide resources and expertise to make Pembrokeshire organisations thrive, go to http://www.pembs.ac.uk/ktp">www.pembs.ac.uk/ktp or call Nicki Howells on 01437 753 414.