Emtec Laboratories

What Emtec Laboratories does

Emtec Laboratories is a UK-based, family-owned manufacturer of custom-moulded hearing protection devices, operating under the NoiseBreaker brand since 1970. The company originated manufacturing ear moulds for profoundly deaf children and evolved the underlying comfort technology into the NoiseBreaker industrial and recreational product line. Core products are individually cast from each wearer's ear impressions using medical-grade silicone rubber, incorporating an acoustic filter with a drilled channel for sound attenuation (SNR 25.3, H=28, M=21, L=17). The portfolio includes standard, metal-detectable (food industry), audio-compatible (Sennheiser/Genesis 4/radio integration), slimline (helmet-compatible), and corded variants, each certified under EU Type-Examination Certificate EN352-2:2002.

The business operates a direct-sales and agent-distribution model, with a UK and international agent network conducting on-site ear-impression visits for enterprise clients (day and night shifts). Pricing is £95+vat per pair for individuals with quote-based volume contracts for large workforces; the 5+ year product lifespan positions NoiseBreakers as a cost-efficient alternative to disposables (cited 5-year saving of £56,250 for a 90-person workforce). Enterprise customers span oil and gas (BP, KCA Deutag, Chevron), military, emergency services (South Wales Police, Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue), food and beverage (Nestle, Guinness, Cadbury), construction (Bouygues), energy (EDF, Alstom), defence (BAE Systems), and entertainment (National Theatre, RSC). A channel partnership with ELAS extends reach to 4,000+ UK companies through occupational health services. Recreational segments include shooting sports, snoring prevention, motorcycling, swimming, and mowing/machinery.

Emtec is privately held, bootstrapped, and led by director Fiona Edwards following the 1990 relocation to Shrewsbury, Shropshire. The company operates with 1–10 employees and has no disclosed external funding, revenue figures, or M&A activity. Its competitive position rests on 54 years of manufacturing heritage, regulatory certifications, an entrenched agent distribution network, and high switching costs created by the bespoke fitting process and long product replacement cycles.

Name

Emtec Laboratories

Legal name

Emtec Laboratories

Website

https://noisebreaker.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Emtec Laboratories is a UK-based, family-owned manufacturer of custom-moulded silicone hearing protection (NoiseBreaker) since 1970, serving enterprise clients in oil and gas, military, emergency services, food and beverage, construction, and energy, alongside recreational consumers, via a direct agent network and ELAS channel partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Moulded Hearing Protection

NAICS

Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing (33431)

SIC

Household Audio & Video Equipment (3651)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYCRACANAL

Hearing Enhancement / Assistive Listening Audio Devices

Consumer Products & Retail/Consumer Electronics & Appliances Retail/Audio & Headphones (Speakers, Earbuds, Home Audio)

SECONDARYCRACANAM

Audio Accessories (Ear Tips, Cables, Stands, Cases, Transmitters)

Consumer Products & Retail/Consumer Electronics & Appliances Retail/Audio & Headphones (Speakers, Earbuds, Home Audio)

Keywords

• Custom ear plugs
• Hearing protection
• Industrial PPE
• Moulded silicone
• Occupational safety

Headquarters

HQ city

Shrewsbury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Custom Moulded Ear Plug Sales: One-time purchase of custom-fitted ear plugs manufactured from individual ear impressions. Each pair is individually made to order, providing a permanent hearing protection solution with 5+ year lifespan. Revenue generated from both enterprise bulk orders (workforces) and individual consumer purchases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Emtec Laboratories manufactures NoiseBreaker custom moulded silicone ear plugs, individually cast from ear impressions taken of each wearer's ear. Products are made from medical grade silicone rubber with an acoustic filter and drilled channel that attenuate harmful noise while allowing speech and warning signals to be heard, and are sold to enterprise customers with large industrial workforces as well as individual consumers for recreational use.

Product overview

Emtec Laboratories offers the NoiseBreaker product line as a unified portfolio of custom moulded hearing protection products. The core offering is the NoiseBreaker custom moulded ear plug, which is available in several variants: Classic (standard with acoustic filter), Metal Detectable (food industry with metal detection capability), Audio Compatible (housing for earphones and radios), Slimline (helmet-compatible concave design), and Corded (with attachment cord). All products share the same custom-fitted silicone construction technology and are manufactured from ear impressions taken of each individual wearer.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NoiseBreaker: Custom moulded ear plugs for industrial hearing protection and recreational use. The company's primary product brand, introduced as the market-leading moulded ear defender since 1970.

Products and services

• NoiseBreaker Custom Moulded Ear Plugs Custom moulded silicone ear plugs individually fitted from each wearer's ear impressions, providing all-day comfortable hearing protection (SNR 25.3) for industrial and recreational users. Manufactured from medical grade silicone with acoustic filter and drilled channel; available in Classic, Metal Detectable (food industry), Audio Compatible (Sennheiser earphones, Genesis 4 headsets, radio tubing), Slimline (helmet-friendly) and Corded variants. Sold to enterprise workforces (oil and gas, military, emergency services, food and drink, manufacturing) and individual consumers (shooting, motorcycling, sleeping, swimming).

Quantifiable outcome

• 5+ years product lifespan with proper care, reducing ongoing replacement costs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers23 records

Segments14 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ELAScoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorELAS is a nationwide business support company providing occupational health, health surveillance, and compliance services to over 4,000 companies in the UK. The partnership allows ELAS clients to access NoiseBreaker custom fitting services as part of ELAS's comprehensive workplace health offerings.
• Sound Advice Safety and HealthminorOthersPartnership within the ELAS ecosystem - other specialist providers working in conjunction with ELAS for occupational health services.
• STS SolutionsminorOthersPartnership within the ELAS ecosystem - other specialist providers working in conjunction with ELAS for occupational health services.
• OMEGAminorOthersPartnership within the ELAS ecosystem - other specialist providers working in conjunction with ELAS for occupational health services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Etymotic Research: Etymotic manufactures high-fidelity and custom hearing-protection earplugs under the ER-series, including musicians' plugs and industrial custom moulds. Like Emtec, it sells specialty earplugs designed to preserve situational awareness while attenuating harmful noise, serving both professional and consumer markets.
• Westone: Westone is a US-based custom in-ear manufacturer producing hearing protection, musician monitors, and communication earplugs. Its custom-moulded hearing-protection line targets the same occupational and recreation end users as NoiseBreaker.
• Howard Leight by Honeywell: Howard Leight is Honeywell's dedicated hearing-protection brand and one of the largest makers of custom-moulded earplugs worldwide. It competes directly with NoiseBreaker in industrial and recreational hearing protection, offering comparable custom-fit solutions alongside disposable earplugs.
• Puretone: Puretone is a UK-based custom earmould laboratory serving audiology and hearing-protection markets. Its custom ear-mould manufacturing capability and UK presence overlap directly with Emtec's core offering.
• Custom Protect Ear: Custom Protect Ear is a dedicated manufacturer of custom-moulded hearing protection for industrial and motorsport users, with a UK-based agency fitting network closely paralleling Emtec's agent model. They are a like-for-like specialty competitor in custom earplugs.

Others

• DHS (David Hart Group): David Hart Group supplies hearing protection products and audiometric services across the UK, working with occupational-health providers. It is adjacent to Emtec as a route to industrial buyers and as a complementary product supplier.

Broad incumbents

• Moldex: Moldex manufactures a range of disposable and reusable hearing-protection products targeted at industrial safety buyers. It overlaps with Emtec in the same occupational hearing-protection category but competes primarily through volume disposables rather than custom moulds.
• Sonova (Phonak): Sonova, owner of Phonak, is a global hearing-care leader producing hearing aids, cochlear implants, and related accessories. Its involvement in custom ear moulds and audiology supply chains connects it to the same end-user ear-canal fitting ecosystem Emtec serves.
• 3M (PELTOR / E-A-R): 3M's PELTOR and E-A-R product lines cover industrial hearing protection including custom-moulded earplugs, alongside a broad PPE portfolio. As a multi-billion dollar global conglomerate, it competes indirectly via scale, distribution, and procurement-framework inclusion.

Emerging players

• Sordin (MSA Safety): Sordin, now part of MSA Safety, produces professional-grade ear defenders and communication headsets for industrial, hunting, and tactical markets. It overlaps with Emtec in electronic, communication-capable hearing protection.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fionaed66504060
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/emteclaboratories
• Facebookfacebook.com/EmtecNoisebreakers

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Emtec Laboratories