James Roberts, CEO and Co-Founder of mOm Incubator, began his journey as a final-year design student at Loughborough University, where he was challenged to design a product that “solved a problem.” watching a news segment highlighting the heartbreaking difficulties in providing adequate newborn care globally, largely due to the lack of affordable, robust infant medical equipment – James found his calling.
Inspired to act, James developed the concept for the mOm Incubator, a revolutionary, lightweight incubator designed to be both cost-effective and highly portable, making it ideal for use in diverse healthcare settings around the world. His innovative design went on to win the James Dyson Award for Innovation, securing crucial funding and putting his idea on a path to real-world impact.
From there, James built a team of passionate experts dedicated to expanding access to neonatal care. Together, they have grown mOm Incubator into a pioneering MedTech start-up with a mission to tackle the global issue of neonatal mortality. The mOm Incubator is now widely recognised for its potential to help reduce the shocking number of preventable newborn deaths that occur each year, and keep babies closer to parents whilst reducing costs closer to home in the NHS..
However, turning an award-winning concept into a scalable, life-saving product required more than vision, it demanded expert manufacturing support. That’s where FRP came in.
Recognising the potential of mOm’s technology, FRP was brought on board as a critical development partner, providing the high-quality, injection-moulded components essential to the incubator’s functionality. More than just a parts supplier, FRP offered expert consultancy on scaling production, helping transform a bold idea into a commercially viable product that could reach vulnerable infants around the world.
FRP’s Role in Helping it Happen
Design for Manufacture (DFM):
- Consulted on tooling design, including steel split lines, gate placement, and venting adjustments
- Performed mould flow analysis to minimise warpage and material waste
- Optimised tolerances to improve production repeatability
- Conducted First Article Inspections (FAIs) and led multiple design iterations
Tooling & Production:
- Sourced large-scale tooling, utilising a 1300-ton injection moulding machine
- Developed near-cleanroom processes for high-standard white part production
- Overcame major challenges in colour uniformity, contamination control, and surface quality
Quality & Compliance:
- Compiled a 300-page batch record for the initial production run
- Created full manufacturing protocols for all component sizes
- Delivered dual-stage metrology across both moulder and FRP facilities
- Enforced rigorous visual inspections using TAPPI chart standards, controlled lighting, and 100% checks
- Developed and implemented clean-process (white room) procedures, including operator training
These efforts were pivotal in helping mOm achieve CE marking – a critical regulatory milestone for bringing their device to international markets.
James Roberts’ vision and relentless dedication to improving newborn care have not gone unnoticed. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to healthcare innovation, he was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for services to engineering and entrepreneurship, a well-deserved honour that speaks to the real-world impact of his work.
Today, mOm Incubator continues to grow, delivering hope and critical care where it’s needed most – mOm is now available in 6 countries and has saved over 12,000 babies with FRP still providing a level of control with the manufacturing.
