From 2.5 days to 40 minutes: how WMG helped power Wright Rubber’s growth
From 2.5 days to 40 minutes: how WMG helped power Wright Rubber’s growth
Wright Rubber, a rubber manufacturing business based in Burton-on-Trent, needed support to boost productivity, increase operations and grow the business.
Originally founded by her father nearly 20 years ago, Laura Hill is leading the manufacturing company to new heights with the support of WMG via the Made Smarter West Midlands programme.
Challenge: Traditional processes in need of digital transformation
Led by Managing Director Laura Hill, Wright Rubber’s team of six supplies gaskets, hoses, extrusions and rubber mouldings to their customers across the UK and Europe.
To secure the future of the business, Laura wanted to modernise operations and introduce digital processes to make their manufacturing faster and more efficient.
“As a small manufacturer, we were stuck in our ways to a certain extent but there was so much potential that we could unlock.”
– Laura Hill, Managing Director, Wright Rubber.
“We had made a significant investment in the rubber moulding side of the business, but the gasket side was still very manual for many of its processes.” – Laura Hill, Managing Director, Wright Rubber.
For larger gaskets, the process was manual, time-consuming and expensive, as purchasing new tools was needed each time the business received a non-standard order. This wasn’t always viable for low quantities, so the team would either fabricate it by hand or in some cases, lose out to competitors who already had a cutting machine.
“It was very obvious what we needed to do. We needed to digitise the whole process and we knew that a cutting machine was the answer.” – Laura Hill, Managing Director, Wright Rubber.
Laura met with Made Smarter West Midlands to understand what support was available to them.
Tim Kirby, Digital Transformation Specialist for Made Smarter West Midlands visited Wright Rubber, he said “The business was stuck at a turnover point. There was a member of staff kneeling on the floor cutting out the rubber by hand. In this day and age, there is so much technology available that can take over this process.”
“We put Laura in touch with WMG at the University of Warwick who came along to carry out a digital roadmap of the business to make sure all their requirements were met.”
Solution: Partnering for progress: accelerating automation and growth
Led by Principal Engineer Onur Eren, WMG’s SME Group worked closely with Wright Rubber to shape a clear digital strategy, focusing on how automation and digital technologies could transform gasket production and drive long-term growth.
“Our role was to help them shortlist and evaluate different options, ensuring the machine they selected delivered the right balance of automation, accuracy and scalability for their business.” – Onur Eren, Principal Engineer, WMG.
After visiting the factory, WMG’s SME Group conducted a detailed assessment of Wright Rubber’s operations, digital readiness and growth ambitions, creating a tailored digital transformation roadmap to identify where improvements could be made.
This roadmap highlighted opportunities to move away from slow, manual processes towards digitally enabled machinery that would increase capacity, efficiency and competitiveness.
The outcome was a recommendation to invest in a state-of-the-art digitally connected CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machine, enabling seamless integration with design data and allowing the company to process entire sheets of gasket material without manual pre-cutting.
As the machine required a substantial investment of just under £110,000, the SME Group stepped in to de-risk the process through technology due diligence, shortlisting and final selection to ensure the chosen equipment was the right fit for Wright Rubber’s specific needs.
“By taking this structured approach, Wright Rubber has invested in a solution that is already boosting productivity, reducing manual processes and unlocking new opportunities for the future.” - Onur Eren, Principal Engineer, WMG.
(Credit: Jamie Gray Photography)
Impact: Faster, smarter, stronger: the impact of digital innovation
With support from WMG and Made Smarter West Midlands, Wright Rubber invested in a state-of-the-art CNC digital cutting machine: its biggest single investment to date, to boost productivity, accuracy, and profitability.
This new process dramatically reduces labour time, improves material efficiency and minimises waste.
“It’s really revolutionised the gasket side of the business, allowing us to react much quicker to customer orders. One particular job which previously took 2.5 days manually is now completed in 40 minutes! It is mind-blowing.” – Laura Hill, Managing Director, Wright Rubber.
Wright Rubber applied for a £20,000 grant from Made Smarter West Midlands, with the business investing an additional £89,711 towards buying a Genesis-V CNC machine from Blackman and White.
Laura said: “The support from Made Smarter and WMG from start to finish has been great. Knowing that there are experts to help with any questions you might have and help filling out the forms is invaluable.”
“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.”
Award-winning success: from innovation to recognition
Wright Rubber was awarded 'Manufacturer of the Year' at the 2025 East Staffordshire and South Derbyshire Business Awards, with a large part of the application focussing on the improvements and impacts from the new machinery and digitising manual processes.
Following the support from WMG and Made Smarter West Midlands, Wright Rubber is planning to recruit two more members of staff, as well as increase its range of services.
“I would definitely recommend getting in touch. The process was simple, and the support was there from start to finish. We are now able to take our business to the next level thanks to their support." -Laura Hill, Managing Director, Wright Rubber.
Want to grow your manufacturing business? Spark your success story today, by getting in touch with WMG’s SME Group.