The Factory Next Door

Steve Duke
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  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
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What’s on your list of the greatest products made in Britain? Join journalist Steve Duke as he criss-crosses the island to meet our makers in their factories and workshops. Winner of a Silver Award at the British Podcast Awards 2025 and the Best Business Show at the Independent Podcast Awards 2024. Join the community on Instagram @thefactorynextdoor And if you can, please consider buying me a coffee to keep this show on the road https://buymeacoffee.com/thefactorynextdoor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 50. The Knitted Polo Shirt

    21 APR

    50. The Knitted Polo Shirt

    When you’ve been learning your craft for almost two and a half centuries, you can confidently call yourself ‘the world’s finest’. John Smedley have been making their knitwear in Derbyshire since 1784. Number 50 on our list of the greatest things we make here is The Knitted Polo Shirt. On this week’s The Factory Next Door we head to Matlock to visit John Smedley’s historic Lea Mills. Managing Director Jess McGuire Dudley gives us a tour as she reflects on her first year in charge. We hear why there’s a renewed interest in apprenticeships at the factory, consider the therapeutic qualities of linking, discover which job requires the steadiest hand, and chat about collaborating with actor Bill Nighy. Say hello on Instagram @thefactorynextdoor The Factory Next Door is supported by AVEVA, a leader in industrial intelligence.  Sign up to their bi-weekly newsletter about manufacturing here: www.aveva.com/factory Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    36 min
  2. 49. The Folding Bicycle

    7 APR

    49. The Folding Bicycle

    Spend a day in any major city from Seoul to San Francisco and you’ll spot them weaving through the traffic – a bicycle with distinctive small wheels and arched top tube. Brompton’s folding bike is an example of a great British design that’s loved around the world. More than 1.2m have now been sold. Number 49 on our list of the greatest things we make here is The Folding Bicycle. On this week’s The Factory Next Door we head to Greenford in West London to meet the team making these beautiful bikes. CEO Will Butler-Adams OBE explains why they are an engineering company that makes bicycles, not the other way around. We go for a quick ride, see bikes being beaten up, and learn why manufacturing in London is integral to Brompton’s future. Plus, we chat about what success looks like, learn where the name ‘Brompton’ came from, consider truck-driving in clogs, and explore how businesses can help drive positive change. Say hello on Instagram @thefactorynextdoor The Factory Next Door is supported by AVEVA, a leader in industrial intelligence.  Sign up to their bi-weekly newsletter about manufacturing here: www.aveva.com/factory Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    39 min
  3. Bonus Ep. Northampton. How to grow our shoe industry

    17 MAR

    Bonus Ep. Northampton. How to grow our shoe industry

    Over the past 20 years, the amount we spend on shoes in the UK has tripled. It now stands at £14bn. During the same period, our domestic footwear industry has dramatically shrunk. The vast majority of shoes we buy are now made overseas. One town remains synonymous with shoemaking. Northampton. And it’s here that you can still find craftspeople making some of the finest shoes in the world. Brands like Crockett and Jones, Edward Green, Tricker’s and Joseph Cheaney & Sons are still selling their shoes to the world. In this special episode of The Factory Next Door, we head off on a tour of Northampton to ask a simple question: What can we do today, to ensure that in 10 years time Northampton’s historic shoe industry is growing again? We begin at last makers Springline, where director Michael chats to us about how we can help ourselves. He also shares a story that breaks my heart. Chris, founder of Crown Northampton shows us around his factory making the world’s finest trainer, as we consider overhauling the benefits of working in the industry. And then we pop in to visit a friend of the show, William Church from Cheaney to discuss the challenges facing the industry right now – and how to overcome them.   Say hello on Instagram @thefactorynextdoor The Factory Next Door is supported by AVEVA, a leader in industrial intelligence.  Sign up to their bi-weekly newsletter about manufacturing here: www.aveva.com/factory Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    56 min
  4. 48. The Wedding Tent

    3 MAR

    48. The Wedding Tent

    Pitching a 24-metre-long tent is one thing. Manufacturing one requires a whole different set of skills, including cloth cutting, sewing, woodwork and a good understanding of mathematics. On this week’s The Factory Next Door we head to North Yorkshire to meet a team striving to keep alive the ancient art of tent making. Number 48 on our list of the greatest things we make here is The Wedding Tent by Wills Marquees. Co-founder Chris Brawn gives us a tour of their workshop as we learn about the beauty of light cutting through cotton, consider why tent-making is both easy and difficult, and ask whether nice people can succeed in business. Say hello on Instagram @thefactorynextdoor The Factory Next Door is supported by AVEVA, a leader in industrial intelligence. Sign up to their bi-weekly newsletter about manufacturing here: www.aveva.com/factory Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    31 min
  5. 47. The Surgical Clamp

    17 FEB

    47. The Surgical Clamp

    When the world’s best surgeons spread a rib cage or clamp a blood vessel, they rely on instruments hammered and filed by skilled hands in a Sheffield workshop.   On this week’s The Factory Next Door we head to Platts & Nisbett, manufacturers of surgical instruments for almost half-a-century.   Number 47 on our list of the greatest things we make here is The Surgical Clamp.   Alyson Nisbett gives us a factory tour as we learn why machines can’t make these instruments, we consider the responsibility that comes with hand-crafting life-saving equipment, and we ponder where a five-inch nail goes in the body.   Say hello on Instagram @thefactorynextdoor   The Factory Next Door is supported by AVEVA, a leader in industrial intelligence.    Sign up to their bi-weekly newsletter about manufacturing here:   www.aveva.com/factory Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    26 min
  6. 46. The Luxury Lingerie

    3 FEB

    46. The Luxury Lingerie

    Smalls are a big market. Annual underwear sales in the UK top £400m. Much of it used to be made domestically (with a thriving cluster in south Wales), but, in the past 15 years, that industry has dramatically shrunk. Today, just a few artisan lingerie companies survive. On this week’s The Factory Next Door, we head to New Tredegar in South Wales to meet Naomi Edmondson, the founder of lingerie company Edge o’ Beyond. Number 46 on our list of the greatest products we make here is The Luxury Lingerie. Naomi gives us a tour of her factory as we chat about the challenges of keeping lingerie manufacturing alive in the Welsh valleys. Plus, we talk about the physical power of beautifully made underwear and being banned from social media. Say hello on Instagram @thefactorynextdoor The Factory Next Door is supported by AVEVA, a leader in industrial intelligence. Sign up to their bi-weekly newsletter about manufacturing here: www.aveva.com/factory Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    32 min
  7. 45. The Mechanical Watch

    20 JAN

    45. The Mechanical Watch

    What does it take to make a product so special customers will wait years to get their hands on one?   In the world of horology, Rebecca and Craig Struthers have built themselves an enviable reputation using traditional tools and methods to craft extraordinary timepieces. Their watches are so popular the waiting time for one is currently seven years (they are working to bring that down!)   Number 45 on our list of the greatest products we make here is The Mechanical Watch by Struthers Watchmakers.   On this week’s The Factory Next Door, we visit Leek in Staffordshire to meet the husband-and-wife team who say their journey into horology was an accident.   We learn about the joys of vintage lathes, consider why it matters that kids can read analogue watches, and celebrate the humble white piece of A4 paper.   Say hello on Instagram @thefactorynextdoor   The Factory Next Door is supported by AVEVA, a leader in industrial intelligence.    Sign up to their bi-weekly newsletter about manufacturing here:   www.aveva.com/factory Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    30 min
  8. 44. The Optical Glasses

    6 JAN

    44. The Optical Glasses

    Every company has a lifespan. Some have two. Over the course of a century, glasses-maker Curry & Paxton went from pioneering new optical instruments, to becoming a key supplier to the NHS, to appearing in iconic movies. Then, in 1987, they vanished. On this week’s The Factory Next Door, we visit the workshop where they are breathing new life into this heritage British brand. Number 44 on our list of the greatest products we make here are The Optical Glasses. Peter Lynes, director at Curry & Paxton tells us why, after a 30-year career working with British clothing brands, he wanted to jump into the world of eyewear and revive this glasses maker. During our factory tour, Peter shares insights into how to build a brand and explains why he now wakes up with a heightened sense of purpose. Also on the show, glasses maker Mila gives thanks to his Grandad and celebrates a machine maker who transformed his life. Say hello on Instagram @thefactorynextdoor The Factory Next Door is supported by AVEVA, a leader in industrial intelligence. Sign up to their bi-weekly newsletter about manufacturing here: www.aveva.com/factory Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    28 min
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About

What’s on your list of the greatest products made in Britain? Join journalist Steve Duke as he criss-crosses the island to meet our makers in their factories and workshops. Winner of a Silver Award at the British Podcast Awards 2025 and the Best Business Show at the Independent Podcast Awards 2024. Join the community on Instagram @thefactorynextdoor And if you can, please consider buying me a coffee to keep this show on the road https://buymeacoffee.com/thefactorynextdoor Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Steve Duke
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    54
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Steven Duke
  • Show Website
    The Factory Next Door

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