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| Committed
to UK Manufacturing |
New
Balance launched its UK manufacturing facility
for technologically innovative footwear 22 years
ago. Against the trend, which has seen many of
its competitors moving production overseas, the
company remains committed to manufacturing in
Britain, and has now been rewarded for its creativity,
ambition and endeavour with a Queen’s Award
for Enterprise.
Currently New Balance, which employs over 210
people at its site in Flimby, Cumbria, and produces
over 28,000 pairs of shoes a week, derives nearly
90% of sales revenues from exports, with 40% of
all footwear sold going to European markets.
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“Everyone
at New Balance is delighted and proud that our design
and manufacturing innovation and our vital contribution
to the sustainable growth of the UK economy has
been recognised with such a prestigious and unique
accolade,” said Alistair Cameron, General
Manager- Europe, Middle East and Africa.
“The ‘Made in England’ cachet,
coupled with product quality and manufacturing flexibility
has offered us distinct advantages in certain of
our export markets - significant examples being
Japan and Italy, where we have achieved considerable
market penetration.”
New Balance shoes have been available to the British
market since 1979 when they were distributed by
Fleetfoot, a company run by Olympic Gold Medallist,
Chris Brasher. Once the brand became established
in the running market, it was time to develop domestic
manufacturing, a key philosophy of New Balance.
Thus, in 1982 New Balance's first factory in the
UK opened in the North West of England in the picturesque
Lake District.
Situated on the coast of Workington, Cumbria, the
New Balance production unit initially employed forty
people. Work progressed there throughout the 1980's
and up until 1991 when the factory was relocated
to a larger, more modern premises, at a nearby town
called Maryport.
The UK factory is a real success story, continuing
to grow as demand increases. Currently employing
a production team of 220, production runs at around
20,000 pairs of shoes a week with demand for even
more.
In 1993 Modular Manufacturing (teamwork) systems
were introduced, which meant more efficient production
and better quality control. With this, system versatility
was improved with
employees trained on more than one job in the factory,
which meant a more varied day's work for them, and
tighter quality control for the product.
When the factory moved in 1991, production was around
2-3,000 pairs a week. Production has steadily increased
as demand for New Balance shoes has grown throughout
Europe. The factory handcrafts almost
all New Balance running shoes and heritage classics,
and has recently introduced the technology to begin
manufacturing styles from the popular cross training
fitness range. More and more styles are increasingly
becoming 'UK made' as factory capacity expands,
currently making over 80% of all New Balance shoes
on sale in the UK.
In 1993 the factory was making 4,771 pairs of New
Balance shoes a week. This increased to 7,403 by
1996 and to 9,787 by 1998. It is currently making
around 20,000 pairs of shoes a week with demand
for even more and will break the one million pair
per year barrier in 2003.
The recent construction of a new 21,500 square foot
warehouse enables production to be increased to
an amazing 25,000 pairs of New Balance running shoes
a week, by the end of 2003.
The UK factory is a real success story, continuing
to grow as demand increases. However, there are
some things that stay the same - many of the associates!
New Balance Europe works hard to keep it's employees,
and many employees have been with NB since 1982
when the first NB manufacturing facility in the
UK opened its doors. New Balance Europe (UK) hopes
to continue to experience favourable growth in the
domestic manufacturing arena, and plans to continue
to provide stable employment for the people of Maryport
and the surrounding towns.
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