Member Article

Bathroom manufacturer moves production back to UK

Online bathroom retailer bathrooms.com is reversing the offshoring of manufacturing by moving production back to the UK. CEO Ian Monk has chosen to ’reshore’ production in Birmingham, even as the company looks to grow exports. Bdaily asked Ian why he decided on the move?

What has prompted you to move production back to the UK?

I believe a strong retailer will have a good balance between international and UK production which allows them to take advantage of the benefits of each. The items we have moved back to the UK have been those with a high design content which require a faster speed to market to take advantage of the latest trends – in this case our bathroom furniture.

What are the challenges in this process?

Historically UK manufacturing has required higher MOQ but they have responded to the international challenges and are much more flexible in these areas. We have focused on maintaining a competitive price with high quality and quick speed to market, so trying to hit all of those elements at the same time has been a challenge, but one which we believe has paid off.

Many people perceive production costs to be uncompetitive in the UK - is this untrue?

If you choose the right product for the right location then the UK can be very competitive and a compelling business case. Our Bathroom furniture is pre-assembled which allows consumers to save money on installation. This means that they can take a lot of space up in a container coming all the way from the Far East. That combined with more automated production techniques in the UK, generally better payment terms and an easier design process means that the UK is becoming increasingly competitive.

Your move is to support exports - do you think your experience is representative of a sea change for British manufacturing?

We live in a global society and every business must position itself to respond to the opportunities offered by this. We believe more British businesses will see the opportunity of diversifying their sourcing base across this globally society, with a mixture of local and international partners.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .