Client Overview

Our client, Wright Rubber – a proud family-run business in Burton-on-Trent, has built an exceptional reputation for producing high-quality gaskets, hoses, extrusions and rubber mouldings.

Driven by a clear vision for the future, Managing Director Laura Hill recognised the opportunity to enhance efficiency through digital innovation. This forward-thinking approach not only transformed their production process but also helped the company secure the prestigious title of ‘Manufacturer of the Year’ at the 2025 East Staffordshire & South Derbyshire Business Awards.

Discover how WMG and Made Smarter West Midlands supported Wright Rubber on their journey – and how the integration of our Genesis-V CNC machine played a key role in helping them achieve their goals.

 

The Challenge

Wright Rubber recognised that many of their processes remained manual. Complex gasket shapes were still cut by hand or outsourced, creating bottlenecks that affected flexibility and profitability. But as a small business, investing in a traditional digital cutting solution seemed out of reach.

Seeking an affordable way to boost efficiency, Managing Director Laura Hill turned to Made Smarter West Midlands for support.

During his visit, Tim Kirby, Digital Transformation Specialist, immediately saw the challenge. “The business had reached a turnover plateau,” he said. “I saw a member of staff kneeling on the floor, cutting rubber by hand. With today’s technology, there’s no need for a process that demanding.”

Made Smarter West Midlands connected Laura with WMG at the University of Warwick, who carried out a digital roadmap to identify the right solution.

“Our role was to help shortlist and evaluate different technologies,” explained Onur Eren, Principal Engineer at WMG. “We wanted to ensure the chosen machine delivered the ideal balance of automation, accuracy and scalability.”

 

The Solution

From the shortlisted solutions, we were truly honoured that our Genesis-V machine was selected as the one capable of delivering exactly what Wright Rubber needed.

• A 1.6 m × 3 m bed, allowing whole sheets of gasket material to be processed without pre-cutting.
• A conveyor system, meaning continuous feeding from a roll, with automatic clamping and cutting – significantly speeding up workflow.
• Tooling flexibility: the Genesis-V supports a wide range of cutting tools – knives, lasers, routers – making it highly versatile for different materials.
• High precision: our specification offers 0.1 mm repeatability, giving Wright Rubber the control they need to deliver top-tier gasket quality.

We also provided in-depth training, both on-site and remotely, to ensure Wright Rubber’s team could quickly adopt and harness the new system.

 

Investment

It’s true – CNC machines represent a significant investment. That’s why we’re so pleased to see organisations like Made Smarter making support more accessible to smaller businesses, offering grants that help them embrace digital technology and grow.

Wright Rubber successfully applied for a £20k grant and were approved! While our Genesis‑V CNC machine still required an investment from the business, the efficiency gains and long-term benefits have made it more than worthwhile.

Implementation & Training

Our specialist engineers installed and provided training for Wright Rubber to ensure the machine was integrated seamlessly into the business. The feedback regarding installation & training from Wright Rubber was beyond impressive;

“The reduction in labour time is amazing. We had an excellent training session on how to use the machine and have subsequently upskilled a member of staff in using CAD packages, which we previously had no experience of in-house. Not only will this improve our profitability, but it has opened the door for us to be able to offer a wider range of services.”

 

The Impact

Hearing how the Genesis-V has transformed productivity for Wright Rubber makes us incredibly proud.

“A job that previously took two and a half days manually now finishes in roughly 40 minutes.“

“The labour time saved has freed up capacity, enabling Wright Rubber to take on more work and reduce reliance on subcontractors”

The Genesis-V has enabled Wright Rubber to diversify their offerings and customer base with the ability to cut a variety of substrates including foam, vinyl, textiles & cardboard.

 

The Future

A word from Blackman & White:

“From our standpoint, we are genuinely proud to have supplied a solution that delivers precision, consistency and reliability. Being being part of Wright Rubber’s journey- helping them scale and grow is a real honour. Their success reinforces our belief in the power of advanced CNC cutting technology.”

Looking Ahead

We’re excited about Wright Rubber’s next phase. They’re already planning to expand their team and explore new markets. With the Genesis-V at their heart, we’re confident they’re well equipped to scale up, tackle more complex projects and deliver uncompromising performance.

For us at Blackman & White, this partnership underscores our mission: to build cutting systems that not only deliver high precision and reliability, but also support our customers’ growth and innovation ambitions.

Client Testimonial

“We needed to push ourselves to get this project over the line, and we no longer need to sub-contract work that we wouldn’t have previously been able to take on. Not only will this improve our profitability, but it has opened up the door for us to be able to offer a wider range of services. The new machine doesn’t only cut rubber and gasket material, it has the capability to cut cardboard and packaging, textiles, vinyls and sponges and foam – so we can offer a better service to our customers.”

– Laura Hill, Managing Director

Wright Rubber

 

Want to see similar results within your business? Contact us today to learn more about our cutting machines and what we can offer.