BreezeBlog

The news seems to be full of safety recalls on goods manufactured in China. This week it has been toys, recently it was toothpaste, car tyres, pet food...

Readers of this blog will remember that earlier in the summer we tried sourcing one particular component from China. China wasn't our first choice but it seemed one component that was suited to Chinese manufacture. Readers will also remember that we were less than satisfied with the quality of the prototypes produced and in no circumstance would have considered moving forward into production.

Throughout the design phase for our product we've consulted closely with our local Trading Standards on a number of issues. As ever they were helpful and supportive of what we are trying to do. Regarding this particular component they recommended that we look out for one particular safety issue. Sure enough this fault appeared quickly in the prototype - hence our decision not to proceed with the Chinese manufacturer.

First of all I'd like to thank Hampshire Trading Standards for their insight - some might say bordering on clairvoyance - their guidance and expertise.

Once again we had to cast around to find a reliable, quality conscious manufacturer. We believe that our search is now over!

I'm pleased to report that we managed to find a UK company willing to produce a prototype with a view to taking it forward to manufacture. RBF Industries undertake manufacturing in a range of industries, including Health, Defence and Transport, as well as smaller concerns like our own. RBF rapidly took on board our requirements, saw the immediate issues relating to production and set to work. The first half-scale prototype was great and we're waiting for a full-scale version of the component to arrive any day now.

Obviously we're not quite there yet. The prototype will have to be translated into a production version with finalised design. We also have to negotiate on quantities, cost etc. As we mentioned in a previous post investigating Chinese sourcing did knock back the product launch. Although we've been delayed in bringing the product out we believe that maintaining a high standard of product is the most important thing we have to achieve. In selecting a UK-based manufacturer we believe that we will achieve this.

There are also spin-off benefits.For example, our products will travel less distance in component form - our equivalent of reducing "food miles"!

We'll keep you posted on progress on this as it is the last piece in the jigsaw before we move through to safety test and production.