Sustainable Transportation and Storage Solution

Our Storage Solution for UK Bike Pedal Manufacturer

Polstore deliver sustainable transportation and storage solution for ethical conscious PEMBREE Pedals

At Polstore, we’re driven by you, the client. Together we create efficiencies, enhance display and accessibility, and protect your assets. We also help to lower costs and reduce waste. These are the primary reasons we began working with PEMBREE Pedals this year.

PEMBREE is a manufacturer of high-performance bike pedals based in East Sussex. Sustainability is a core value to them. All their products are designed and manufactured in their own solar and wind powered factory, using only recyclable materials and they manufacture components in house as much as possible. PEMBREE products are easy to maintain, easy to use and are fully recyclable at the end of life. Their goal is to become a global leader in ethical, transparent, and ecologically sustainable manufacturing within the mountain bike industry.

The challenge

Part of their production process is to anodise aluminium components, which increases the thickness of the natural oxide layer on the surface of these metal parts. This process doesn’t take place inhouse and the items need to be safely transported and stored efficiently at the factory which does this for them.

The challenge PEMBREE had was that the current solution to protect the components during transit following the anodising process was wasteful and not sustainable. The components would be wrapped and packed in copious amounts of tissue paper. This concerned PEMBREE for two reasons: firstly, the amount of waste tissue paper it created, and secondly it was costly because they needed to purchase larger recycling bins to hold all the paper. A lot of time was also spent unwrapping each component before being assembled.

The components had to be transported offsite and protected, but PEMBREE needed a more sustainable solution. They had already migrated from using boxes to transport items and now had customised carry cases but the storage solution inside them needed improvement to prevent damage during transit with couriers.

The solution

PEMBREE owner Phil Law was aware of Polstore and that they offered high-end storage solutions. Phil met with MD Adam Lucas at a tradeshow where Polstore was exhibiting the foam inlays and shadowboards. Phil thought the foam inlays could be a perfect solution to their storage and transport challenge. Made from an inert, chemically resistant and hard wearing material called ‘plazatote’, the foam can be designed to the exact dimensions of the items it is due to protect.

Phil and Adam continued discussions around PEMBREE’s challenges, meeting several times. The Polstore team then personally collected the component pieces for the data capture process. Once all designed, Polstore manufactured the bespoke foam inserts which fit perfectly within PEMBREE’s existing carry cases and storage units, storing each individual component that requires anodising.

An additional benefit was utilising the foam inserts as storage once back in their factory, before being assembled. Like many manufacturers, space is a premium and PEMBREE need to operate as efficiently as possible in their modest sized factory.

Phil added: “It has been a real lifesaver… the amount of time spent unwrapping components was so time consuming. The solution works, it’s as simple as that.”

Why Polstore?

Phil knew of Polstore having seen them exhibit at trade shows and had admired the quality of their storage solutions from afar. He didn’t believe he had a need for Polstore products until he discovered the foam inlays.

Speaking of his experience working with Polstore, Phil says: “We would use them again, no question, and already have another two jobs that we will be sending their way.

‘They were very very good. They created some samples and even though some of the samples weren’t quite right, they made a little adjustment and we got there.

‘The reality is I am a stickler for it… if things work, I will jump up and down and make a song and dance about it because it works! And Polstore foam inlays work, it’s as simple as that.”