Meter Provida is a logistics company that sources, stocks and fulfils deliveries of metering products. The company supplies the tools and meters so that its customers, such as Siemens Metering Services, are able to remove and install thousands of meters every day. Its goal is to make its customers’ lives as efficient and hassle-free as possible.

Gas meters are fixed securely in place with security ‘shear bolts.’ To stop people tampering with their meters, these bolts slim out towards the head, which snaps off during installation. The meter cannot then be removed without the use of a specialised tool.

Thanks to the rollout of new smart meters in recent years, there has been a huge increase in meter removals and installations.

Meter Provida had been supplying a Chinese-made plier, but the overseas location of the manufacturer made getting hold of the tools difficult. On top of this, the off-the-shelf quality and standard scissor design meant that the pliers weren’t getting the best possible purchase on the shear bolt. This was resulting in damaged equipment and loss of valuable time and resources!

Having worked with Maun previously, Meter Provida was aware of our premium quality and expertise in creating custom tools. We have nearly 80 years’ tool-making experience, and our home in Sutton in Ashfield is one of the rare places where you can find specialist hand toolmaking, using traditional machinery alongside the latest cutting-edge technology.

The result? Long-lasting quality fused with pinpoint accuracy.

After visiting Meter Provida’s premises and working together to draft a detailed brief, our experienced Production Manager and his team looked at the client’s specific needs and began to draw-up designs.

From there, the team carefully developed a bespoke range of prototypes that were presented to the client, taking in feedback along the way. This iterative process of modification, refinement, testing and review is key to developing an exceptional final product.

Ultimately, we were able to create a brand-new plier, with the teeth required to remove even the most persistent shear bolt. Maun’s trademark parallel action provided an even grip across each side of the bolt.

Thanks to this, along with improved quality and ease of supply straight from our factory in the Midlands, thousands of shear bolt removal tools have now been sold. Grip problems and easy breakages have been all but eradicated, leading to higher productivity and efficiency for Meter Provida’s customers.

This wouldn’t have been possible without Maun’s production team of experts. They design, develop and present the client with options, before taking on feedback and refining the tool. This process involves comprehensive testing and reiterations until the final product is developed.

Whatever the project, whatever the industry, our process remains largely the same, which is why the result remains the same – the perfect, newly created custom tool that meets your needs.

Maun doesn’t just make tools – we develop solutions to the problems your organisation faces. We love solving problems, but success is only possible when we work closely with the client.

From the very start of a project, we dig deep into what our client really needs, and sometimes this changes as we make our way along the development journey together.

From the outset, we take the lead, presenting the client with options and often working back and forth with a range of prototypes until they are happy with the final product.

Ultimately, a good customer experience comes down to two things: a high-quality final result and getting there through a personal, collaborative approach.

We love working with people from all industries, sectors and walks of life and have done for many years. In fact, some of our best innovations and learnings have bloomed from customer enquiries for our custom tool solutions.

If you have a problem that you’re not able to solve with an off-the-shelf tool, we’d love to work with you to create a new, bespoke tool or solution to your problem.

Maun Industries was founded by the Rippon family on 1st January 1944. We were named after the nearby River Maun and, led by skilled engineers, we set about developing and manufacturing our own range of innovative hand tools from day one.

For six decades, Maun operated from Moor Lane, Mansfield, and in 2004, the business relocated to new, purpose-built premises in nearby Sutton in Ashfield. The Rippon policy was to manufacture all tools in-house and sell worldwide, a philosophy that we’re proud to continue to this day.

Maun's quality management system is certified to ISO 9001 and has been for thirty years, and our pliers conform to BS 3087-7:1996, ISO 5747:1995 standards – that we were instrumental in defining.

Maun Industries was owned by its founding family for 64 years. However, time catches up with us all, and the Rippons sold the company in 2008. The following year, Blastparts, a supplier of spare parts and services to the shotblasting industry, became an operating division.

At the end of 2019, ownership of the business changed again, with our current Managing Director Tim Scholes taking the helm. Building on the traditions of the past, Tim is investing to ensure the firm's sustained growth and long-term prosperity.

Neil is one of our talented engineers here at Maun, on hand to guide customers through the tool development process. Drawing on his expertise gained through more than forty years of crafting quality tools, Neil uses both traditional and modern machinery and methods.

Neil has been through the process of hand tool development many times and is an expert in developing bespoke tools to solve customer problems.