A Beckenham company have helped put the spring in the step of a revolutionary sticky tape dispenser.

European Springs & Pressings was approached by TapePal to solve the final sticking point in inventor Karl Hurrell's product.

The team of designers, based at Chaffinch Business Park in Croydon Road, got stuck right into the challenge to 'wrap up' the production of the tape dispenser.

Mr Hurrell, the director and creator behind compact hand-held tape dispenser, TapePal, says European Springs & Pressings was the only company which could help him finish the product.

He said: "Most companies I approached turned me away.

"It was only European Springs & Pressings that could give us what we needed.

"Not only did they recognise the potential of the product, they also showed belief in me and took the time to discuss my sketches, refining and engineering them in to designed solutions, creating bespoke tools to deliver a manufacturing solution.

"The spring ‘finger’ they crafted is singly the most important element of the design and you could say, they have completely ‘wrapped up’ the development and production of TapePal.

"The spring gives the roll of tape tension - it's like suspension - so as the reel goes down, it doesn't rattle around, and the concealed spring mechanism makes it more effective.

"It's ready to use as soon as you pick it up.

"TapePal is child-friendly, because the mechanism is hidden, you'll never lose the end of the roll, and it attaches to regular-sized tape."

Karl, 42, is based in Brandon, Suffolk, and is a designer by trade.

He says it was this skill, combined with his experience working with different materials making custom show cars, that helped him "always think outside the box".

He added: "It was an amalgamation of my design and hands-on experience.

"TapePal is an everyday household product that everyone could have - it appeals to everyone.

"Getting tape off the roll irritates everyone and I wanted a solution to that.

"Office dispensers are cumbersome, and the small ones aren't very effective and are thrown away, which is bad for the environment.

"TapePal has 85 per cent less plastic than a desk-top dispenser, so it's a no-brainer."

Mr Hurrell also has a patent-pending on a version of the dispenser using two-inch tape, which could replace industrial tape rolls.

Stuart McSheehy, 47, MD of European Springs and Pressings, said: "Karl had a great idea, but he didn't know how to take it to market.

"We looked at what he was trying to achieve, bought into the product and believed in it.

"We designed the spring and tear-off strip to help his product perform well, advised on the design and made samples.

"The critical thing for us is understanding the customer's needs, ensuring they're looking at something realistic and sensible.

"We make an incredibly broad spectrum of products - we have 3,500 customers spread across every industry known to man, but keep tripping over new ones.

"We've geared ourselves up to be a one-stop-shop - we can take something from an initial idea drawn on the back of a fag packet and can model it in 3D CAD, laser cut prototypes and take to market."