On Thursday 28th September, manufacturers throughout the UK opened their doors to the public for a behind-the-scenes look at how manufacturers’ facilities work.

Here in Cumbria, Cumbria Business Growth Hub partnered with three local manufacturers to organise site tours which offered members of their local communities the opportunity to learn more about their work.

In Carlisle, a group visited Pirelli’s tyre manufacturing facility. Attendees were met by Engineering Manager Allan Wilson who gave an introduction to the business before the tour, which involved an up-close look at a number of the manufacturing processes including the baking of the tyres, robotic pallet stacking and by hand tyre checking. Although highly automated all areas still require highly skilled and knowledgeable employees.

Meanwhile in Haverthwaite, another tour took place at outdoor playground equipment manufacturer Playdale Playgrounds. The company’s President, Barry Leahey MBE, gave a talk on the history of the company and their recent export success, showing pictures of Playdale playgrounds installed all over the world in countries including Singapore, Australia and South Korea. The tour then took the group through Playdale’s entire process from ideation, design and build through to customer service and marketing the finished product.

Finally, our third group gathered for their tour of James Walker & Co in Cockermouth. After a presentation by Site Director Ed Surman, attendees got a behind-the-scenes look at how James Walker makes high-spec rubber seals for the nuclear, oil and gas, renewable energy and aviation industries. Equally as impressive were the business’s flood defences which can be locked down in just 30 minutes to protect the site from flooding.

Head of business support, Lesley Robinson said: “Our thanks to Pirelli, James Walker, and Playdale Playgrounds for hosting our National Manufacturing Day site tours. Here at Cumbria Business Growth Hub we are immensely proud of Cumbria’s thriving manufacturing sector and it was great to be able to showcase just a few of them.”

Barry Leahey said: “It was fantastic to have members from various sectors across Cumbria visit us and witness Playdale Playgrounds Ltd leading the way in supporting and championing UK manufacturing. I am proud of the Playdale Team, whose hard work and dedication not only help us excel but also inspire others in the industry. By showcasing our commitment, we aim to drive the growth of UK manufacturing and make a positive impact.”

Ed Surman said: “It was a pleasure to host this visit and showcase the skills and knowledge within the James Walker Cockermouth business, from where we supply technically advanced elastomer products for critical sealing applications across the globe.”