Member Article

Southport father and son team create radiator innovation

Father and son John and James Maddocks launched Southport-based Radwraps Ltd in March 2013 after six years of research and development and countless frustrations trying to hide radiators whilst attempting room and interior design.

They came up with Radwraps as an alternative to costly MDF radiator cabinets that require fitting and are uneconomical to run. It works by giving customers the chance to upload their own image or one from the company’s extensive gallery, which is then printed on a made to measure magnetic cover that fits on the radiator.

Unique in every way, the product offers no heat loss and can be fitted by anyone in 20 seconds without any glues, screws, or mess. It will soon be certified and put to the test against its wood and MDF counterparts by experts at Liverpool John Moore’s University.

The Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS), now part of the Business Growth Service, worked with the company for the last six months offering specialist support, including targeting new customers and expanding its range of retailers, wholesalers and distributors.

Business Growth Manager Mark Sutherberry has also been supporting the team with contacts in these vital fields.

James Maddocks, MD of Radwraps Ltd, commented: “We believe that we have developed a new and different product that is already causing quite a stir in the DIY and design industry, resulting in interest from several multi-national companies.

“Our vision is to establish Radwraps as a household name in all the large stores across the country and abroad and are hoping to see big changes this year. We are expecting a 700% growth in turnover with the addition of up to five new members of staff. We are also about to launch a new product which makes the perfect partner to Radwraps; it’s a really exciting time for us.”

Business Growth Manager Mark Sutherberry added: “In getting the product to market, the business has faced many challenges, namely designing a product whilst having no heat loss and creating something that is easily fitted and competitively priced. We also had to consider the copyright issues. The key to it all was to seek expert help when available and this is where MAS came into its own, offering advice and introducing Radwraps to consultants that will help John and James grow the business.”

Radwraps Ltd is a recent winner of the Merseyside Innovation Awards and the business has also been nominated for the Young Business of the Year Award.

The Business Growth Service, launched in December 2014 by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, brings together GrowthAccelerator and the Manufacturing Advisory Service, with additional elements from the Intellectual Property Office (Intellectual Property Audits) and the Design Council (Design Mentoring).

The manufacturing offer is closely aligned with GROW:OffshoreWind and Fit for Nuclear (F4N), the latter delivered by the Nuclear AMRC (NAMRC).

The Business Growth Service also refers SME manufacturers to the right support provided by other agencies, including UK Trade & Investment, Innovate UK (including High Value Manufacturing Catapults), the British Business Bank, local Growth Hubs and UK Export Finance.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Russ Cockburn .