Nick Booth, Managing Director at Harrison Spinks Beds, talks about sustainable innovations in production while implementing a four-day week.
When it comes to sustainability, luxury bed manufacturer Harrison Spinks has a deep-rooted strategy that has led them to be one of the championing brands on this movement. For a number of years, Harrison Spinks has delivered continuous innovations in both products and processes. And with consumers now consciously shopping with the environment in mind more than ever before, the company is reaping the rewards. “Under the circumstances, business has been relatively good,” Nick Booth, Managing Director at Harrison Spinks Beds said. “Like everyone else, we’ve experienced challenges across many parts of our business. However, our unique approach to vertical manufacturing, weaving our own fabrics, growing our own fillings, and creating our own springs and microsprings has helped protect us from some of these challenges.
“We are pleased with business and there continues to be strong demand for our products, with our home grown and handcrafted story resonating well with our customers. We were aware there was a gap in the market for consumers who want the Harrison Spinks product experience but with a firmer feel. Our latest Optimum Support Collection has been incredibly well received and has fit that space brilliantly.
“Also, we have invested in improvements to our divans and headboards, having removed all foams and replacing it with sustainable alternatives. We are now seeing a greater awareness from our customers and the end consumer in sustainability. With over 100,000 mattresses going to landfill every week, we continue to innovate in that area, which is at the heart of our offering, and our focus is very much on circularity as we plan for future generations.”
Investment in innovation is a key part of their sustainable journey, with Harrison Spinks recently creating a ground-breaking spring coiler machine that will be coming into production soon and will increase speed and output, while reducing energy consumption. Furthermore, the business has invested in two new weaving looms, providing additional capacity for their in-house weaving teams, as well as an additional mattress production line to increase production capacity in line with its plan to bring all manufacturing onto one longer day shift, rather than two shorter ones. “Colleagues now work four longer days but enjoy a three-day weekend, with overtime capacity on a Friday,” Nick revealed. “We started this in January and the feedback has been fantastic, we are delivering the same production hours with quality, productivity and morale all increased.”
In addition, Harrison Spinks also ensures that all its fillings and components are as local, traceable, and ethically sourced as possible. They were the first to partner with British Wool on their traceable wool scheme and has other “exciting initiatives” in the pipeline, which will be revealed soon. Furthermore, the company is committed to SBTi (Science Based Targets initiative), a globally recognised framework for decarbonisation. Nick continued: “We believe by doing this we will make the largest difference to our emissions and ultimately to the environment. It also includes making a difference in our local area through meaningful investment in projects based within the UK – for example rewilding, biodiversity and reforestation projects. It also allows us to invest in community projects and fund the development of responsible innovations and internal practices.
“Our focus right now is on responsible innovation, our investment in new ways of working and supporting our colleagues and community – and we are optimistic for the future,” Nick added. “We are seeing increasing demand for our offer, and not only do we have exciting developments in terms of innovations, we are seeing strong opportunities both overseas and in our core UK market.”
