Celebrating 21 years of Shrink Wrapping

A journey of innovation and excellence

This year marks a major milestone for Tufcoat – 21 years in business! From humble beginnings as a small-scale boat shrink wrapping service, Tufcoat has grown into a leading international provider of shrink-wrap solutions for the construction, industrial, maritime and aviation sectors. Celebrating this special birthday, we reflect on the company’s achievements and look to an exciting future. Commenting, Ewan Lake, co-founder of Tufcoat;

“We’ve come a long way since two friends started a ‘lifestyle’ business working from the back of a van. Over the years we’ve had to keep adapting to overcome new challenges, develop our capabilities and seize new opportunities. Our success is testament to our teams’ hard work, the reliability of our key suppliers and the ongoing trust of our customers”

The journey so far

Tufcoat’s story begins in 2004 when co-founders Ewan Lake and his then-business partner discovered shrink wrapping while driving past a boatyard in the United States. Inspired by the concept, which was relatively unknown in the UK, they saw the potential to bring this protective solution to the marine industry at home. And so ‘Boatcoat’ was launched – a name aptly explaining what the company did – shrink wrapping boats.

It wasn’t long before a chance conversation with a North Wales boatyard led to a contract at aerospace giant Airbus, marking the beginning of a longstanding and continuing, partnership. Spurred on by this success, the decision was made to shift the focus of the business from boats to modular buildings, industrial assets and large construction projects.

With this change in direction came a new name – Boatcoat became Tufcoat.

Expanding into installations and high-profile projects
As Tufcoat’s reputation for shrink wrapping grew, client interest in full-service installations contributed to the company passing the £1 million turnover milestone for the first time. Expanding our services allowed us to apply our shrink-wrap solutions to numerous high-profile and iconic projects across multiple industry sectors. Over the past 21 years, highlights for us have been projects like Westminster Hall, Big Ben Tower, FCO, Buckingham Palace and the Nightingale hospitals. These projects have enabled us to demonstrate the versatility, reliability and modern methods employed to deliver Tufcoat’s shrink-wrap installations.

Innovations in shrink-wrap technology
As our portfolio expanded, so did our commitment to product innovation. We introduced a printable shrink-wrap product that can display branding or custom designs. This pioneering product has been game-changing in high-visibility areas where clients want to make a visual impact while protecting their assets.
In 2005, we began the development and production of our own unique formula shrink-wrap which has been developed through rigorous testing methods to comply with the highest ISO and European safety standards. These technological advancements have allowed us to develop multi-layer shrink-wrap with additives for UV resistance and superior flame retardancy.

Partnering and community support
It’s not all about business growth; Tufcoat is also committed to giving back to our community. We are keen supporters of Circus Starr, a charity that brings the excitement of the circus to children with additional needs or families in difficult situations. We’re also avid supporters of young talent and sponsor local youth football teams in Plymouth.

Reflecting on the past 21 years, Ewan Lake, co-founder of Tufcoat, shared his pride in the company’s achievement;

“A big thank you to everyone who has been involved in the Tufcoat story of growth, innovation and excellence so far – here’s to the next 21 years!”