Plastic joins the flock for eco-friendly insulation

Omega Plastics has provided plastics expertise to an entrepreneur turning wool into warmth.

The tool making and moulding firm, based in Northumberland, has boosted business for Sally Phelps, an inventor from Cockermouth using Cumbrian wool to make chimney draught stops.

Her eco-friendly ‘Chimney Sheep’ business was started from home in 2012, when a cold winter saw sales of the product, which is designed to reduce heat waste from unlit fireplaces, took off.

“Many people are unaware that an open chimney is like having a window open day and night. Around five percent of household heat is lost when the fire isn’t lit which also creates those cold draughts,” Phelps explained.

The business started working with Omega following a six-fold increase in trading and requests from customers for a larger product to suit more fireplaces.

Unable to produce effective prototypes for the expanded range of size herself, Phelps collaborated with Omega to make new, custom plastic handles and clamps, as the originals were no longer suitable for the enlarged product sizes.

“It is absolutely crucial that the plastic components are precisely tooled to give a firm hold,” Phelps continued. “They teamed up with their partners at Fizikal Design to devise new concepts which improved the strength, functionality and style of each component.”

“Working with the team at Omega Plastics has been hugely beneficial. Having the tooling and manufacturing on one site made the development and production process more efficient and cost-effective. Omega’s acute attention to detail also ensures that we always have a high-quality product.”

In her four years of business Sally has turned 10,000 Herdwick fleeces into chimney insulators, aided by the custom tool moulding provided by Omega Plastics, based in Blyth.

Michael Winship, Business Development Manager at Omega Plastics, said: “It’s been fantastic working with Sally on the new component designs and tooling. Helping our customers to realise their concepts and get their products into the marketplace is what drives us.

“Working together we were able to provide a full solution for the project, taking Chimney Sheep from the re-design stage through to creating precise production ready tools and manufacture.”