British Manufacturing

By Carl Fothergill
on March 25, 2015
With 0 comments

If we are totally honest about it, it was by chance we ended up manufacturing in the UK! Like most people we assumed that the most cost effective way of bringing a simple “plastic” product to market, was by using the cheap labour, from foreign shores, thankfully that proved not to be the case.

As you would expect, we spent a lot of time with research and development, part of the research was finding the most cost effective manufacturing operation. After comparing quotes, it works out to cost about the same to manufacture here in the UK as it would from anywhere else abroad  but we have the advantage of speaking the same language, the ability to monitor quality control and reduce lead times. It doesn’t matter how cheap something is, if it doesn’t arrive on time or if it is poor quality, you are in trouble.

It was another coincidence that “British manufacturing” has also become fashionable, in some foreign markets it adds value and prestige. The government have been quick to pick up on this one too, offering support  and funding to British manufactures. A cynic might suggest that this was more for political gain, than economic, but for some British manufacturers, its a bonus. Naturally, these grants/funding are not just given away, a qualification and lengthy administration process has be completed, but at the end result can be worthwhile.  As is so often the case, this system benefits the bigger business, the ones that need it less, but as a supermarket giant says, “every little helps”. We suspect that in the build up to the general election, some very favourable figures will be produced, about how much they have helped British manufacturing and how many more jobs, have been created as a result. We will be looking at these figures very carefully.

Putting cynicism and opinions to one side, we are a “British Manufacture”, we are competitive with foreign manufacturing and very proud of the fact, that although its a small contribution to the UK, its a contribution.

Is Top Gear facing extinction?

By Carl Fothergill
on March 16, 2015
With 0 comments

Love him or hate him, he has been the talk of the media for the last week, cynics might suggest that this has just been a publicity stunt (a very well executed one) to boost the ratings, others may think that, this time, Jeremy Clarkson has gone too far! In his recent column, he makes reference to dinosaurs, ironically there are plenty of people that would compare the man himself to such a creature, but almost one million people (accurate at the time of publishing)  are willing to put their name to a “bring back Clarkson” online campaign. His article suggests that it is time for him to leave Top Gear/BBC, regardless of what the outcome from the "enquiry" is. In our opinion, Top Gear has lost its way in more recent times, possibly as a result of Mr Clarkson trying to keep it "fresh" and avoid extinction? But jokes comparing recent episodes of Top Gear to last of the summer wine, may have reached the higher levels at the BBC and increased the pressure on the presenters and production team? We think its fair to say, he wont be off our screens for long, he has plenty of talent, but has maybe just got a little bit too big for his boots? You cant go around hitting people, regardless of how much you believe they deserve it! Instant dismissal at the majority of work places, regardless of talent or popularity!

New Video

By Carl Fothergill
on January 21, 2015
With 0 comments

Take one long, cold and windy day in January, add in some talented and dedicated individuals, what do you get? The beginning of our new video. Its fair to say some fun was had too! The new, updated video will be released once edited, but we are confident that it will be, informative, entertaining and useful. We are aiming to show the one, two and three bucket systems, the advantages of the seat lid and the easiest way to achieve the best results. Its also worthwhile reviewing our winter survival guide, with heavy frosts and snow, its easy to forget about paintwork preservation!

Black Friday

By Carl Fothergill
on November 26, 2014
With 0 comments

Whats is all about? Like so many things it started in America, traditionally, shops/stores would open early the day after Thanksgiving, with extra special offers, a bit like the January sales used to be, in the UK! (If you are old enough to remember).

 

 

These days, thanks to the internet, the world is a smaller place and "Black Friday" is something we can all celebrate. As a UK based business, with a web presence, we definitely see the effects of Black Friday. Increased Web traffic and increased sales/enquires.

 

 

So in the UK and the rest of the world, will Black Friday be another festival like Halloween? It looks like it will, if it isn't already. So what is next?

 

 

Charity wizzard continues

By Carl Fothergill
on November 03, 2014
With 0 comments

We continue to sell the last few charity Scratch shields, 100% of the proceeds of this limited edition product will go to DEMAND. in total, we expect to raise £1000 for this great charity. Thank you for your support and if you havent secured your limited edition Scratch Shield, make sure you do it soon, or you may miss out. Demand is a great charity, making a difference to peoples lives.

Now its time for MOVEMBER, another great cause, we fully support. Take action and fight back against preventable cancers, if like most males you are uncomfortable talking about it, grow a "Tash" or make a donation, it all counts!

Scary paintwork this Halloween

By Carl Fothergill
on October 21, 2014
With 0 comments

This time of year a lot of attention is focused on Halloween, a time for scary things, cobwebs, pumpkins and hopefully a bit of fun. But there is nothing fun about "cobwebs" within your paint finish!

A spiders web on your paint is not a problem, just dust them off, but the "Cobwebs" we refer to in this short article is a paint defect. A series of small scratches and swirls, that create an effect, which give the appearance of cobwebs. This is more obvious on darker coloured cars. 

These defects can be corrected with careful treatment and polishing, but prevention is always better than cure! Visit our winter survival guide for your paint, help you keep it Cobweb free this Halloween!

 

Wizzard Idea! For local charity

By Carl Fothergill
on June 26, 2014
With 0 comments

This time, every two years sees the highs and lows of football, World cup or  European cup, then there is Wimbledon, the highlight of the tennis season, soon to be followed by the Common Wealth games. But what if you don't like football or Athletics etc?

Then there is Goodwood Festival Of Speed, the highlight of the automotive enthusiasts calendar, every year! Luckily for us, we enjoy all of the above, the football not so much this world cup, but we didn't have high expectations in the first place!

Making the most of the summer feel good factor, we have teamed up with a local charity, DEMAND. Design and manufacture For Disability a local charity, that help change peoples life for the better, they too manufacture here in the UK.

 

We have manufactured the Scratch Shield in a limited edition colour and limited numbers, these will be sold and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to DEMAND. Our aim to to raise as much money as we can for this great charity and hope that the fact that you actually get something for your money and know that 100% of the "donation" is going to Demand, you are also helping make someones life better.

 

The official launch is July, but you will be able to pre order from Friday June 27th 2014, limited numbers, so don't hang around! When they are gone, they are gone!

Happy New Year

By Carl Fothergill
on December 30, 2013
With 0 comments

January 2012 was the official launch year for The Scratch Shield, we were pleased with the way the market accepted the product, industry feedback meant we were able introduce the Red and Blue options with the confidence that they would also be a success. Additional feedback and demand saw us introduce the "Seat lid", a simple product, designed to convert your bucket into a nice comfy seat. Once again, a design which made it as universal as possible, but not compromising on quality. The biggest feature of the seat lid was the opportunity for custom branding with no minimum order, this really caught some peoples imagination (including the surprise entry into the fishing market).

The British motoring media continue to show us respect and support wherever possible, some like the simplicity of the ideas and others the fact that it’s made in Britain. Motoring journalist Quentin Wilson even gave it a mention in his column in the Sunday Mirror. Thanks Quentin, a small article, but a big impact!

So as 2014 is almost upon us, what can you expect from us over the coming months? You will have to stay tuned to find out. Don’t forget you can follow us on twitter, like our facebook page or just subscribe to keep updated. We have a few projects which are behind schedule; details will be released nearer the time!

Happy New Year!

Winter survival guide

By Carl Fothergill
on November 20, 2013
With 0 comments

As Winter starts to take hold, how can you avoid putting scratches in your paint?

Since the Spring you have washed your car religiously, using some or all of the tips from our free guide to “scratch free washing”. Now that it’s darker earlier, much colder, always raining, frosty and possibly even snow, how can you maintain your scratch free vehicle and preserve your precious paint? You can lock the vehicle away and hibernate until next spring or…Follow our Winter survival guide.

 

  1. Continued washing, although you will have less opportunity to wash this time of year, it is just as important. Try to wash regularly and use the techniques from our free guide. Plenty of “pre rinse” will pay off, despite the fact that it doesn’t seem to stop raining, the debris, grit grime and contamination from the roads, trees and atmosphere are in abundance, ignore them at your peril
  2. Frost, take care when scraping glass, never scrape the paint and although very artistic and entertaining try to stop the children, the immature or intoxicated from scratching pretty patterns into the frost. Try to avoid spray “de icers” or at least make sure none gets on your paint, pouring boiling water directly onto the glass or paint is almost certainly only going to end one way, badly!. Thankfully these days most vehicles are keyless entry, but those of a “certain age” will remember the days of frozen locks, naked flame to the key to warm it before placing it into the lock, trying to defrost it.

Time always seems to be the enemy, but if you can, try starting your vehicle a few minutes before you need to leave, this will have two advantages, firstly, you will have a nice warm vehicle to get into and it will “de-ice” the windows. It will also help reduce the wear on the engine. Only do this if it is safe, we do not recommend you leave the vehicle running and unattended (your insurance probably won’t pay out either if it gets stolen).

  1. Snow, it’s beautiful for the first few minutes, but when the reality of trying to drive on snowy/icy roads kicks in, the frustration can be taken out removing the settled snow from your vehicle. Do NOT use the broom or snow shovel to remove the snow. Yes, these are efficient tools, but they will also leave a reminder, long after the snow has gone, you will have some lovely scratches in your pride and joy. Be careful whatever you use to remove the snow. Like with the frost, where possible start the vehicle a few minutes before, the amount of snow that gathers on top of your vehicle is amazing, even just one inch is a significant volume. Allow plenty of time, make sure you clear the lights, bonnet and roof. Get a mile down the road, the snow has loosened slightly and you hit the brakes, suddenly “someone has turned out the lights” as the snow from the roof slides down the windscreen. Now try and remove that with your wipers and watch the smoke billow from the wiper motor, or at very best reduce the life of your wiper blades.
  2. Most important of all is to take care on the roads, careful washing practice and a Scratch Shield can help prevent scratches, but it won’t prevent the damage caused by a collision of any kind.


New fully interactive website

By Carl Fothergill
on August 27, 2013
With 0 comments

Last Friday saw the launch of our new website, it carried through some features from our old website, like the free guide to scratch free washing, videos showing how to assemble & adjust the Scratch shield and the ecommerce shop. www.scratchshield.co.uk

 

We have also introduced a “wholesale area” and a full international interactive section. This allows all our trade customers to login and buy at wholesale prices, with minimum fuss and maximum convenience, regardless of location.

 

Initially we were late launching, then due to a few teething problems we experienced a few difficulties with the “wholesale” area, these details will be addressed and fixed over the next few days and the international translation issues should be fully functioning and interactive by the end of next week.

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