Knives get a ‘sharper’ look and feel as part of UK reshoring process

An innovative range of knives with ergonomic TPE handles has been re-launched as a new-generation version that is completely manufactured in Britain.

Essex-based business, Peta UK, brought the production of its Easi-Grip knives back to the UK from China, in a commitment to demonstrating the quality of the products.

“With so many sales online these days it is difficult to differentiate and show a commitment to quality. We already make a large percentage of our products in UK; so we became members of the ‘Made in Britain’ campaign as we believe this to be a mark of quality,” explained Genny Crockett, Managing Director of PETA UK.

The updated range of knives, designed to make meal preparation easier for those with limited upper body mobility or conditions such as arthritis, features a handle over moulded with soft-touch TPE for improved grip.

“We have always been proud of the ergonomics and functionality of our Peta Easi-Grip knives, however, we were not so proud of the look of them,” Crockett continued.  

“We worked with a design student who developed a much curvier shape which we loved and introduced a vibrant colour. The result is a really funky design yet still retains the integrity of the ergonomic design principles.”

Reshoring of tooling

PETA worked closely with Skar Precision Mouldings Ltd in Hadleigh, Suffolk, to organise the shipping of tooling from China to UK.  The tooling was professionally assessed by Skar’s technical team and some work carried out to give a more consistent finish before finally being used for a production run. 

Brian McLellan, Technical Sales Director, explained: “We have been working with PETA for many years and were extremely enthusiastic about helping them to move production of these parts to the UK. This is one of a number of projects that we have brought from China back to the UK this year, which, in all cases, has made commercial sense for our customers.”

Crockett agrees: “Reshoring production to UK means that we have more control over the process; if there are any problems we can visit Skar to discuss a solution.  Our lead-times are also dramatically reduced and small-batch manufacture is something Skar is used to working with.”