Fifth generation family firm recognised for innovation and exports
Fifth-generation family bedmaker, Harrison Spinks, has welcomed the Vice Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire to its Leeds headquarters to receive its Queen’s Awards for Enterprise.
Tim Hare, one of the Queen’s representatives for West Yorkshire, visited Harrison Spinks’ brand new £2.5m Innovation Centre to present the awards to chairman, Peter Spinks, Managing Director, Simon Spinks and buyer, Daniel Spinks – three generations of the family currently involved in the business. The Spinks family has been making beds in Leeds since 1840.
The awards were granted in recognition of outstanding success in Innovation and International Trade.
The award for Innovation was granted in recognition of Harrison Spinks’ development of novel manufacturing processes for sprung mattresses. Mattress comfort is improved as spring concentration increases, however, technical issues across the bed making sector have meant that spring density is limited by the gauge of wire used. The company solved a whole series of problems to reduce the diameter of wire used by 30 per cent.
Working in partnership with British Steel, a unique grade of steel has been developed, along with a refined drawing process to create the fine wire. Harrison Spinks has also developed patented spring making machines that work at five times the speed of traditional machinery.
The Queen’s Award for International Trade for Outstanding Short Term Growth in Overseas Sales was granted to Harrison Spinks following a 296% increase in exports. Internationally, Harrison Spinks trades in over 50 countries with joint ventures in USA and China. Now overseas sales make up 25% of the company’s total sales.
Hare was given a tour of the company’s new Innovation Centre which includes a state-of-the-art sleep lab, before visiting the 67,000 sq ft manufacturing site which is being developed into a factory of the future.
Simon Spinks, Managing Director for Harrison Spinks said: “The Harrison Spinks brand has always been about innovation and quality. We are proud to have brought a number of firsts to the bed industry with our approach to spring technology and our vertical integration – meaning we make almost all the components in our products – sets us apart from our competitors.
“Our ambition is to change the way the world sleeps, and we feel that the award for International Trade confirms that we are starting to achieve that goal.”
It is believed that Harrison Spinks is the only bed company to have been granted two Queen’s Awards for Enterprise on two occasions. In 2013 it was granted two Queen’s Awards for Enterprise for Innovation and Sustainability, the 2018 awards bring the total count to four.
