Umbra Shading are a leading UK-based designer and manufacturer of blind and curtain solutions. With over 45 years’ experience in the industry, they cater for various sectors such as hotels, assisted living and high-end residential spaces, whilst also offering bespoke solutions for their customers.
Umbra Shading are continually evolving their products to meet the needs of the market, which along with their bespoke offering, means there are always new projects on the horizon. As is common with traditional injection moulding, Umbra Shading were faced with high tooling costs and large production volumes. Managing director, Nigel Hill explains, “When starting a new project, initial requirements for parts are likely to be in the tens or hundreds, so an outlay of £15,000, or more, will always stop a project in its tracks”.
The good news is that Umbra Shading are able to benefit from the low-cost tooling system offered by JC Moulding. The unique processes at JC Moulding make small run production possible without the high investment costs, immediately reducing the risk involved in starting a new project. As managing director, Nigel Hill explains, “JC Moulding have been the perfect partner for us over the years, both on assisting us with design and development, as well as producing what we need, all at a realistic cost that enables us to continue developing new and improved products”. As a result of working with JC Moulding, Umbra Shading are able to produce parts at low volumes and at a cost that makes their projects viable. The JC Moulding team are also able to provide 3D-printed prototypes to Umbra Shading so the parts can be tested prior to production, allowing costly modifications to be avoided down the line. What’s more, there is no requirement to commit to larger quantities over time. Managing director, Nigel Hill comments, “We are able to put products to market in low
quantities and then increase this when our requirements grow which JC Moulding have had no trouble keeping up with”.
By taking advantage of JC Moulding’s unique offering, Umbra Shading are able to continue innovating and updating their product portfolio in line with changing demands and trends. The range of products produced by JC Moulding has increased significantly since first working together five years ago, having worked on a total of 30 projects so far. As managing director, Nigel Hill comments, “We are now coming to JC Moulding to produce all of our new parts and we hope to have a long continuing partnership”.
