Flintshire businesses have teamed up to create life-saving equipment for military dogs, a world-first product.

The Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) Cymru, part of the University of Sheffield, has helped Flintshire start-up Dylunio Solutions increase the production of a respiratory system.

This system is designed to protect canines from harmful gases while on active duty.

The product is currently being tested in the United States by the commissioning client.

This significant achievement was made possible with the help of AMRC Cymru's Accelerating Decarbonisation and Productivity Technology and Skills (ADAPTS) programme.

This venture received funding from the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) allocated by Flintshire County Council.

For Ewloe-based Dylunio Solutions, the AMRC Cymru team at Broughton created a smart workbench which streamlined the design and development stages.

Sensors installed in the workbench identified any errors, stopping users from moving on to the next stage of the production process, which significantly reduced the wastage of time and resources.

The capabilities of the smart workbench greatly improved quality control, a crucial element in advancing the product to the testing phase.

Graham Wilson (glasses), Dylunio Solutions Design Director, and Matt Groves (navy polo shirt), AMRC Cymru Manufacturing Research Engineer, with the respiratory mask for military dogs which ADAPTS helped produce.   (Image: Dylunio Solutions)

Graham Wilson, design director at Dylunio Solutions, said: "As a small business, AMRC Cymru has been fantastic in tailoring its support to our challenges.

"We are passionate about developing products that make a positive impact, and this respiratory device has the potential to save the lives of military dogs.

"The real-time learnings provided by the smart workbench were invaluable and played a key role in the team meeting the required quality standards.

"The workbench has sped up the entire process, and to send the device to America for testing is an amazing achievement, and we are excited to see how it performs."

The ADAPTS programme has been able to provide support to 32 Flintshire-based organisations across a variety of industries using the UKSPF money.

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AMRC Cymru project manager Natalie Jones said: "The ADAPTS team's work with Dylunio Solutions is just one of the amazing stories of our partnerships with SMEs in Flintshire.

"Without the smart workbench, Dylunio Solutions would have required a huge amount of space to facilitate multiple workstations, which would not have been possible in their offices.

"We’re thrilled that it has been able to get the much-needed product to testing earlier than anticipated thanks to the collaborative efforts of all involved and the financial support from the UKSPF."

Councillor David Healey, cabinet member for climate change and economy, said: "This project is a shining example of the impact of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

"To have two Flintshire organisations work together to develop a world-first product is incredible, and I look forward to hearing how the testing goes."