The Rise (and Spin) of Condale Plastics’ DefendaStrip® Collaboration

When DefendaStrip® founders Sally and Richard Sprange set out to evolve their anti-climb security product range, they were looking for more than just a supplier; they needed a partner who could turn a technically challenging concept into a manufacturable reality. That partner was Condale Plastics.

The collaboration has resulted in two innovative new products: the Rise and the Spin. Both are built on a specially developed extruded base profile produced by Condale Plastics. The new products are now central to DefendaStrip’s offering and are poised to expand the company’s reach into new sectors, including transport infrastructure.

A problem worth solving

DefendaStrip began life as a bespoke solution to a very real risk. A tragic case in which a child fell from an unprotected pipeline crossing led to HSE pressure on utility companies to fully investigate the extent of their overcrossings and to provide adequate anti-climb protection. Richard and his business partner, Peter Cornfield, carried out overcrossing surveys and drawings for a major gas company and, as a result, discovered a need for a cost-effective, easy-to-install anti-climb solution.

From this need, the original “Flex” anti-climb strip was born: a spiked, flexible product designed to deter access to vulnerable surfaces. The team quickly realised that by mounting the Flex on a robust, purpose-designed base, they could increase its deterrent factor and expand its applications for a wider range of customers.

The brief: make it work!

The brief to Condale Plastics was deceptively simple: create a base extrusion into which the original Flex product could snugly slot. But achieving that proved complex in practice.

“There were raised sections on the Flex that made it difficult, impossible really, to create the right size channel,” explains Sally Sprange. “We were working in millimetres! Eventually, I suggested removing the banding points on the Flex, which allowed it to sit flush within the extrusion.”

This level of collaboration was key. Working closely with Daniel Foster, Technical Sales Engineer at Condale Plastics, the DefendaStrip collaboration went through several design iterations and material trials. They needed a base profile that was lightweight, robust and visually striking, with enough height to enhance the product’s presence but engineered to use minimal material.

Richard devised a honeycomb structure that met all those goals. “It gave us the height and rigidity we needed without adding weight,” says Sally.

Dan adds, “It wasn’t just about making the extrusion. It was about solving a problem creatively. We looked at material costs, installation practicality and how this base could work across multiple product formats: flat mount, rotating and more.”

The final extrusion, made from recycled Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), served as the foundation for two new products. The Rise, a static anti-climb barrier designed for fences, walls and other surfaces; and the Spin, a rotating deterrent that uses the same base profile in a back-to-back arrangement. The design also created a first-of-its-kind ‘mix and match’ anti-climb system, where all the DefendaStrip products can comprehensively protect all boundary surfaces, from walls to fences and downpipes to flat roofs.

While the Rise was launched in January 2025, the Spin is scheduled for imminent release. Both products are now in production and, in Sally’s words, “are probably the two products that are really going to make the company.” With trials underway with Network Rail and other national clients, the new product range is gaining serious traction in sectors with critical security needs.

From prototype to production

This project was not the first collaboration between DefendaStrip and Condale Plastics. The companies previously worked together to deliver a bespoke product for the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, but the Rise and the Spin took the relationship to a new level.

“Dan has been incredibly helpful in bringing our project to life,” says Sally. “Condale Plastics are so easy to deal with and I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone with similar needs.”

From producing prototypes and modifying tooling to advising on end-cap suppliers, Condale Plastic’s team supported DefendaStrip throughout a lengthy research and development process. While the design phases took far longer than anticipated due to funding cycles and the complexity of the challenge, Condale Plastics delivered to every timeline once production began.

Future impact

As DefendaStrip scales up production of the Rise and prepares to launch the Spin, both companies are seeing the benefits of a strong supply partnership.

“This project has been a proper labour of love,” says Dan. “We worked through all sorts of technical challenges, but it’s been rewarding. Not just from a manufacturing perspective, but in seeing a small, values-led business bring genuinely impactful products to market.”

Sally agrees: “We couldn’t have done it without Condale Plastics. It’s more than a supplier relationship; it’s a collaboration built on trust and shared problem-solving.”

With major security stakeholders showing interest and the product range expanding, the partnership between DefendaStrip and Condale Plastics shows what’s possible when innovation is matched with both tenacity and manufacturing expertise.