Does UK Manufacturing Mean Limited Capacity?

There can be a perception that choosing to manufacture in the UK comes with a compromise. You gain proximity, shorter supply chains and easier access to the people making your products, but perhaps you have to accept a smaller manufacturing operation or more limited production capacity in return.

For some suppliers, that may be true. But UK manufacturing comes in many different shapes and sizes. At Benchmark, our operation in Letchworth provides 120,000 sq. ft. of production and storage space, bringing together the people, equipment and manufacturing disciplines needed to deliver retail display projects at significant scale.

So what does that capacity actually look like?

Start with 120,000 sq. ft.

Numbers like that can be difficult to visualise. A walk around the facility tells the story rather better.

Our Letchworth operation includes dedicated areas for the different processes involved in retail display manufacture. There is:

• Joinery
• Metalwork
• Plastics
• Print
• Finishing
• Assembly

Alongside the production areas, we have space for packing, storage and the logistics operation required to get finished displays where they need to go. Each area has its own teams, skills and equipment, with projects moving between them as production progresses. At any given time, several stages of several projects can be underway across the facility.

What does manufacturing capacity actually involve?

Floor space is clearly part of the equation, but there are several other factors that determine how much work a manufacturer can deliver. Retail displays frequently combine different materials and manufacturing processes. A single project might require fabricated metal frames, timber cabinetry, plastic components, printed graphics and specialist finishes before everything comes together at assembly.

For a large rollout, all of those processes need to operate in a coordinated way. Metal components might be produced while joinery is underway elsewhere. Graphics can be prepared while other elements move through finishing. Completed components then need to reach assembly in the right quantities and at the right time. Space, machinery, people, processes and production planning all contribute to the overall capacity of the operation.

A national rollout creates a different challenge

Making hundreds of displays requires careful planning from the outset. Once an approved design moves into volume production, consistency and throughput become increasingly important. Components need to be produced repeatedly. Materials need to be available. Different production stages need to remain coordinated. Finished units need to be assembled and checked. Then they need somewhere to go.

A programme involving hundreds of retail locations can also create substantial requirements for packing, storage, distribution and installation. All of those stages have to keep pace with the wider rollout programme.

Storage is part of the picture

National rollouts don’t always leave the factory in one movement. Displays might need to be produced ahead of installation dates. Different stores may become ready at different times.

A client might want stock held for future call-offs. Overs, replacement units or spare components could need to remain available after the main programme has finished.

Benchmark’s production and storage space allows these requirements to be managed alongside manufacturing. That can be particularly useful for phased programmes where units need to be produced, held and released according to a changing rollout schedule.

Different projects can share the same factory

One of the advantages of having capacity is the ability to accommodate very different types of work. At any given time, one part of the factory might be producing components for a substantial multi-store rollout while another team is working on a much smaller quantity for a different client. Elsewhere, there could be a prototype under development or a one-off fixture destined for a flagship store.

We’ve talked elsewhere in our Myth Busting series about the variety of volumes involved in retail display manufacturing. Our facility has been developed to support that variety, allowing different types and sizes of project to move through the business at the same time.

Come and see it

Perhaps the easiest way to understand the scale of a manufacturing operation is to walk around it. We actively encourage clients and prospective clients to visit us in Letchworth. You can see the machinery. You can walk through the different manufacturing areas. You can see work in progress.

And you can meet the designers, project teams and manufacturing specialists responsible for delivering the work. For anyone considering a manufacturing partner for a significant retail programme, a factory visit can tell you a great deal. You can see the available space, the equipment, the different processes underway and the scale of projects moving through production.

Most importantly, you can see for yourself where your displays would actually be made.

UK manufacturing at scale

Benchmark has spent more than 30 years developing the people, equipment, processes and facilities behind the retail displays we manufacture. Today, those capabilities come together across 120,000 sq. ft. in Letchworth, supporting projects ranging from prototypes and one-off displays through to high-volume national rollouts. And if 120,000 sq. ft. is still a difficult number to picture, there is an easy solution. Come and have a look.

Visit Benchmark in Letchworth.

Take a closer look at our joinery, metalwork, plastics, print, finishing, assembly, storage and logistics capabilities and meet some of the people behind them.

Call 01462 633000 or email sales@bench-mark.co.uk to arrange a visit.