For more than 30 years, Openhouse Products has been designing and manufacturing specialist equipment bags and products that support industries ranging from emergency services to healthcare and beyond. Their bespoke medical bags, trusted by frontline responders, highlight the company’s ability to blend innovation with practical design that can make a critical difference in high-pressure situations.

With family business roots, Openhouse prides itself on a culture of trust, quality, and hands-on problem-solving. Their adaptability has enabled them to expand into new areas while maintaining their reputation for excellence. As committed members of ACID, they champion the importance of protecting intellectual property, ensuring their customers receive original, high-quality designs while standing firmly against design theft.

For more than 30 years, Openhouse Products has been designing and manufacturing specialist equipment bags and products that support industries ranging from emergency services to healthcare and beyond. Their bespoke medical bags, trusted by frontline responders, highlight the company’s ability to blend innovation with practical design that can make a critical difference in high-pressure situations.

With family business roots, Openhouse prides itself on a culture of trust, quality, and hands-on problem-solving. Their adaptability has enabled them to expand into new areas while maintaining their reputation for excellence. As committed members of ACID, they champion the importance of protecting intellectual property, ensuring their customers receive original, high-quality designs while standing firmly against design theft.

1.Openhouse has been designing and manufacturing for over 30 years – what do you think has been the key to your longevity and success?

Our longevity comes down to a combination of innovation, listening to our customers, and staying agile. We’re not afraid to adapt, evolve our designs, and invest in technology and talent. But above all, we’ve built long-standing relationships based on trust, consistency, and delivering real value, high quality products.

2.Your bespoke medical bags are used by emergency services across the UK – can you share an example of an innovation or design you’re especially proud of?

Our bespoke approach means we can manufacture for any industry. Over our 30-plus years, we have been asked to design pig harnesses, bariatric training mannequins, punch bags, rope rescue bags and many more weird and wonderful things.

We pride ourselves on helping the Emergency Services and Health Sector with the First Response Bags and equipment we design and manufacture. It sounds simple, but in high-pressure situations, the layout of their equipment bags can and does, save lives.

3.Openhouse has strong family business roots – how has that shaped your company culture and approach to problem-solving?

Being a family business brings a strong sense of responsibility, both to our people and to the quality of what we produce. Our culture is hands-on, solutions-driven, and personal. When a problem arises, we don’t escalate it through departments – we roll up our sleeves and fix it together.

4.Beyond the emergency services, you also support a huge range of sectors – what’s the most unexpected or interesting project you’ve worked on?

A few years ago, there was a need to more cost effective off the shelf solutions so our team worked tirelessly to come together with our best and most popular designs to create hybrid versions that would work for a number of our customer base.

It challenged us to think differently – factoring in all the potential uses of each bag and what would need to be carried. It’s always exciting when our design skills translate into new, meaningful areas.

5. Why do you feel it’s important for a company like yours to protect its designs and innovation through IP?

Our designs are the result of years of experience, customer input, and technical development. Without protecting that intellectual property, we risk losing the value we’ve created. It also ensures our clients receive the genuine, high-quality product they expect – not a substandard imitation.

6. Have you ever faced challenges with design copying or infringement, and how did you approach them?

Yes, unfortunately we’ve seen instances of blatant copying – both in the UK and internationally. It’s frustrating, especially when it undermines our R&D efforts. We’ve taken steps to challenge this legally where necessary, but prevention through strong IP protection and awareness is key.

7. How does being part of ACID help reassure your customers and partners about the originality and quality of your products?

Being an ACID member signals to our customers that we take design integrity seriously. It reassures them that we operate ethically and professionally – and that we’re backed by a network committed to protecting design innovation in the UK.

8. What advice would you give to other design-led businesses who may be starting to think about protecting their IP?

Don’t wait until something goes wrong. Be proactive: document your designs, register what you can, and seek guidance early. Joining a community like ACID gives you access to knowledge and support that can save you a lot of time and cost down the line.

9. ACID values the support of its members to enable it to campaign for design law reform. Do you have any messages for Government/Policy Makers on IP issues? Do you think that copying of designs is deliberate and blatant?

We’d urge policymakers to take design theft as seriously as other forms of intellectual property infringement. In our experience, copying is often deliberate – and the damage to small and mid-sized businesses can be significant. Stronger deterrents and faster legal routes to resolution would make a real difference.

10.Have you signed the ACID IP Charter?

Yes, we have.