Did you know that two of pBone Music’s beginner instruments are made right here in the UK?
That's right. pBuzz, the brass starter instrument for children, and pCorder, the world's first fully recyclable, carbon-neutral, and antimicrobial recorder, are manufactured in the UK.
When it comes to buying musical instruments - whether you are a parent or performer buying a single pBuzz or an educator buying pCorders in bulk - knowing where your products are made is an often overlooked part of the buying process. After all, an instrument that is manufactured closer to its destination means a much smaller carbon footprint.
Let's find out more about why pBuzz and pCorder are manufactured in the UK, what it means when you buy these instruments wherever in the world you are based, and how we can all do more to make a difference to the environment.
Where are pBuzz and pCorder Manufactured?
pBuzz and pCorder are made in the UK, with AV Injection in Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire handling the injection moulding and assembly. Our plastic mouthpieces for pBuzz, along with other instruments such as pBone and pTrumpet, are manufactured by the fantastic female team of machine setters and operators at GLH Mouldings in Hinckley, Leicestershire.
The innovative cases for pCorder are also made in the UK from recycled cardboard: you can read more about the design in our article about the creation of the pCorder case.
When we supplied more than 50,000 primary instruments to children in Wales as part of the National Plan for Music Education in Wales, we manufactured these same beginner instruments in Merthyr Tydfil. We worked with Elite Supported Employment and the Merthyr Tydfil Institute for the Blind to give adults with learning disabilities opportunities for paid employment, by assembling pBuzz and pCorder in the local community.
Besides pBuzz and pCorder, the rest of the pInstrument range is manufactured at our facility in China. Instruments like pBone, pTrumpet, and pTrumpet hyTech, are more complex and expensive to assemble. John Wuan is our Supply Chain & Quality Manager and ensures that our pInstruments are manufactured to the highest standards.
Our instruments are played across the globe, which of course means that they need to be shipped and delivered to our customers. Besides the fact that manufacturing plastic instruments requires less energy than brass and many other instruments, the lightweight design ensures a small carbon footprint. Our packaging is designed to cut down on materials too, while we offset all the carbon involved in the manufacturing and shipping process.
A key reason for these products being designed and manufactured in the UK is the use of antimicrobial additives in the instruments. Both pBuzz and pCorder use Polygiene BioMaster to prevent the build-up of bacteria in key areas. Because of the complexities of the design, it was crucial from a development point of view to have these teams working closely together.
The obvious benefit of pCorder and pBuzz being made in the UK is the environmental impact. So many of these instruments are being used in schools in the UK…including more than 50,000 that were manufactured in Wales to give every Y3 child a primary instrument. pCorder and pBuzz are rated carbon-neutral by Carbon Footprint, the UK’s leading validator of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon emissions.
As we manufacture and market the best instrument solutions for hubs and educators, products made in the UK will continue to be at the forefront of our sustainable strategy.