Aycliffe Today Business Aycliffe Today Business issue 33 | Page 29

The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 29
Plastic Mouldings Northern sales and marketing
administrator Matt Whittle with the new patented
QuickDraw tape measure, after the County Durham firm
signing a deal with US inventor Dane Scarborough to be
the sole UK and Ireland distributor of the product.
By Martin Walker
County Durham firm wins UK contract to
distribute fast-selling measuring invention
A County Durham business has won a major contract to be the sole UK and Ireland distributor of a
newly-invented tape measure which has already taken the US and French markets by storm.
P
lastic Mouldings Northern (PMN), based
in Bishop Auckland, has gained an
industry reputation for supplying DIY
products to Jouplast, Homebase, B&Q and
Wickes, as well as manufacturing plastic
packaging for the automotive industry.
The diverse company has now struck a
deal with US multi-millionaire inventor Dane
Scarborough to take his QuickDraw product
to the British market.
One of Mr Scarborough’s firms, QuickDraw
Precision Measuring, has already cracked
other markets with the “simple but clever”
invention, which has seven worldwide
patents.
The QuickDraw tape measure is the only
of its kind on the market which is fitted with
a graphite roller, and enables the user to
track a straight line whenever you want and
wherever you want.
PMN sales director Freddy Bourdais has
signed an initial deal to sell 100,000 units
for QuickDraw, and he hopes the deal could
bring in an additional £250,000 of sales to
the company in the first 12 months.
“It has already over taken the sales of
Stanley tape measures in the US, but it’s
a brand new, exciting product for the UK
market,” said Mr Bourdais.
“It’s simple but very clever, and it has
already got people talking. In France alone
it sold 50,000 units in its first
three months.”
Retailing at £24 each, the
QuickDraw tape measure is
already available on Amazon
Prime, while PMN has also
agreed deals with local firms
to stock them, including Tool-
Time Tool Hire and Cre8ive
Graphics in Bishop Auckland and
Workshop Supplies in Newton
Aycliffe.
The tape employs 9mm 4D
graphite leads which can mark
all kinds of wood surface and
some other common materials
as well. The graphite lead lasts more than
1,000 marks and is easily refilled by inserting
leads into the refill space on the top.
“We’re very excited about this product,
both for people in the trade but also for us as
a company,” added Mr Bourdais.
“It might seem like a gimmick, but it is
genuinely very clever, and it’s also tough and
durable. We think it’s an innovative new hand
tool for the industry, and its sales in the US
and France tell its own story.
“As compared to a wide variety of
measuring tapes available, this self-marking
tape has an advantage. It is as good as any
tough tape out there and also hosts a useful
functionality.
“The extended functionalities of the
self-marking measuring tape can be further
extended by adding a radius tip to it. The
idea is to use the marking feature of the tape
to draw curved lines, circles, and arcs in
addition to the straight line.
“The marking tool is also accurate
and easy-to-use, so it’s an ideal tool for
builders, joiners, draughtsmen and structural
engineers.”
More details about Plastic
Mouldings Northern can be found at
plasticmouldingsnorthern.co.uk, or you
can give the team a call on 01388 777 700.