NEWS COMMENT
Welcome to the Winter 26 issue of UK Manufacturing. For 70 per cent of companies, the promises of digital transformation are falling flat. This is according to data from McKinsey
on digital transformation and leadership goals. However, this sobering statistic is not due to any technological faults – rather businesses are failing to acknowledge their most valuable assets, their workers. Find out more in an article from Fluke Reliability on page 9 of this issue.
Victoria White, Editor G N
lobal apparel design and manufacturing specialist Dishang UK is marking its 20th anniversary since opening, with a significant investment in its new HQ offices and product showrooms. This underlines its long-term commitment to the UK and Europe as it relocates its headquarters to a landmark building in the heart of Yorkshire. The award-winning subsidiary of Dishang Group has spent two decades building its reputation as a trusted manufacturing partner to some of the UK and Europe’s largest brands across fashion, workwear, uniforms and performance apparel. What began as a small extension of Dishang Group’s global operation has grown into a thriving UK hub delivering consistent 20 per cent year on year growth over the past 20 years. Dishang UK’s turnover has exceeded $100m in 2025 while globally Dishang Group’s turnover stands at $2.6bn with a 50,000-strong workforce. The anniversary coincides with a major operational milestone for the business following the relocation of its head office to The Chapel, located in the famous spa town of Harrogate, North Yorkshire. Over the last 12 months the 8,000 sq ft historic Grade II* listed building has undergone a full refurbishment to create unique purpose-built showrooms and a creative space for buyers, designers and development teams. The significant investment reflects Dishang UK’s growing scale and ambition, with the new headquarters designed to strengthen collaboration with customers and showcase the group’s end to end manufacturing capability in one central UK location. The completion of the project was officially marked in December when General Manager Kris Zhu travelled from Dishang Group’s head
UKManufacturing Winter 2025/2026
ew opportunities in underfloor heating and cooling applications for the automotive sector and data centres has kickstarted the latest capital equipment investment from Bridgnorth Aluminium (BAL).£600,000 line accelerates Bridgnorth Aluminium’s expansion into new markets The company, which is one of the town’s largest employers, is installing a refurbished £600,000 Schmutz line at its expansive Stourbridge Road facility, giving it an in-house capability for finishing thinner gauge materials. Installed and upgraded by experienced engineers, the equipment will provide slitting and winding for thin gauge aluminium reels destined for customers in Wales, the EU and the US. Commissioning should be complete by March and comes just a few months after the business returned to 24/7 operations in key process areas and builds on new molten metal filtration equipment that reduces impurities in the casting process. The recent investments position Bridgnorth Aluminium as a world leader in flat rolled aluminium coils
for lithography, packaging, cooling and heating applications, electrification and data applications. Adrian Musgrave, commercial director at BAL, commented: “It has been a really positive start to 2026, with export orders up, new domestic clients secured and some major advancements in capabilities well on the way to being completed. “This is all being achieved against a backdrop of global uncertainty and is real testimony to the long- term strategy the management team has put in place and the way our 330-strong workforce responded to a difficult time for our business in 2023.”
www.bridgnorthaluminium.co.uk DISHANG UK MARKS 20 YEARS WITH MAJOR INVESTMENT
office in Weihai, China, to cut the red ribbon at The Chapel during the company’s annual team development day.
Dishang UK employs a 47-strong team of designers, garment technologists and business development specialists, working directly with Dishang’s global manufacturing network to deliver technically robust, scalable and commercially successful products for major brands. Richard Watts, managing director of Dishang UK, said the dual milestone reflects the long-term vision behind the UK operation: “Reaching 20 years in the UK is a proud moment for everyone involved. What we’ve built is a highly skilled team focused on innovation, integrity and long-term customer success. “The move to The Chapel is a natural next step,
giving us a space that reflects both the scale of Dishang’s global manufacturing capability and the collaborative way we work with our customers across the UK and Europe.”
The Chapel houses ten dedicated showrooms, each focused on a specific product category, alongside a comprehensive fabric library and design spaces. The investment enables buyers to develop collections with full visibility of Dishang’s end-to-end capability, from initial concept through to large scale production. Since opening, the building has quickly become a destination for UK and European buyers seeking a direct manufacturing partner with advanced technical expertise and international reach.
www.dishang-group.com 5
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