Measom Freer & Co was founded over 85 years ago in 1937 by Gordon and Eve Freer, who set up their first office on High Street, Leicester. In the 1940’s they moved to Regent Street, Leicester and were involved in the early forming and pressings of plastics. By the late 1940’s, having moved again to St Margaret’s Street, Measom Freer & Co became one of the pioneers in processing plastics by injection moulding.
Buttons and trimmings for the fashion and clothing trade occupied most of the business from our Leicester base. As the business grew, more space was required, so in the 1950’s all manufacturing was moved to a modern factory on Saffron Lane. As our injection moulding facilities were expanded considerably, the company began manufacturing for the motor trade, electricals and household goods. Measom Freer was an innovator in the industry, becoming the first producer of plastic shoe heels in the country and introduced the bicycle reflector.
In 1958, when Saffron Lane became too small to cope with business demands, Measom Freer relocated to new premises in Pullman Road, Wigston. More injection moulding machines were purchased to allow the business to expand further across more sectors. The company was able to start producing many new products from toiletries right through to intricate parts for the electrical trade.
An Injection Mould being loaded into the SH4 Injection Moulding Machine,
at Pullman Road, Leicester 1960 © Measom Freer & Co. Ltd.
By the early 1960’s, purchasing injection moulds and other engineering parts had become a major part of the business. When more control over tool-making was required, Measom Freer set up its own subsidiary toolmaking company. In the late 1960’s the company had expanded into blow moulding and started producing plastic bottles for areas such as the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. Blow moulding also meant the company could start producing technical mouldings such as bellows.
As tooling costs became more of an issue for trade customers in the 1970’s, the design department improved the range of standard products immediately available from stock. In 1995 all production was moved to Chartwell Drive in Wigston, whilst Pullman Road remained as the primary warehouse for stocking products. A unit in Chartwell Drive was later purchased to bring all warehousing on-site.
Today the company is still run as a family business and owned by the 3rd generation of the Freer family with the 4th generation moving the business forward with increased investment and innovation.
The company continues to expand its markets and modernise every aspect of its business. We boast modern CNC milling and turning capabilities which tie in with the 3D modelling and CAD design available at Measom Freer. This has enhanced the toolmaking for both innovative products and custom moulding services.
Our modern production machinery is technologically advanced and we keep up to date with current material developments and innovations. This allows us to stay one step ahead of the market so we can offer our customers the products they need, when they want them, at the right price.
We constantly look at new materials including Bioplastics, Recycled Materials and Green Plastics.