Misuse of terms like "natural" and "organic" within our industry, the words "British" or "made in the UK" can also be quite loosely applied. Many 'manufacturing' companies sticking "Made in the UK" labels onto their products source the vast majority of their parts from the Far East, simply assembling them here in Britain, often providing a very minimal number of jobs for local people. Today, we look into Earlex Ltd. in a little more depth, and ask: Just how British is this "British manufacturer"?

Building on its successes in the DIY market, the Earlex group moved into the Beauty Industry in 2005, developing what they claim is the first and still the only British manufactured spray tanning machines and guns. Based in Guildford, Surrey, Earlex do outsource some of their manufacturing work to specialist companies - but where? Their tanning machine body and gun mouldings are made by three different UK suppliers, in order to share the workload and balance out their high volumes, and presumably to avoid relying upon only one supplier and avoid production delays. The gun needles and tips are also UK manufactured, and Earlex pride themselves in being one of the few manufacturers that use metal needles and tips in their guns.

Metal needles have great benefits; they are durable, can be removed for cleaning and the manufacturer can achieve finer tolerances in production, which achieves finer atomisation when spray tanning. None of these features are possible with plastic needles. Earlex do source some of their components from outside of the UK, but still from within the EU. Their flexible air hoses come from a manufacturer in Slovakia, and their powerful motors come from Italy (think Ferrari!), not from China. All of these components are assembled at the Earlex HQ in Guildford, where machines are hand built with care by 45 workers in the Earlex factory. Globally, Earlex employs around 120 people. All products are also designed and developed at Earlex's Guildford base.

Its engineering department is currently working on extraction fan units, which will be launched later in the year. The Verdict Whilst Earlex do outsource a small portion of their business, this is to specially chosen EU partners with whom Earlex cooperates closely and supports. The vast majority of their machine components are made in the UK, supporting other UK businesses. All of their assumbly, R&D, and a large proportion of their sales and support is based in Surrey. So if you want to buy British, or you simply want to deal with a domestic company who can offer you almost instant support and service when you need it, you can't really go wrong with an Earlex machine. We always recommend the TS50 tanning machine for heavy use or salon work, and the more portable TS20 tanning system for mobile therapists or lighter use (under ten tans per day).