When the world’s best surgeons spread a rib cage or clamp a blood vessel, they rely on instruments hammered and filed by skilled hands in a Sheffield workshop.

On this week’s The Factory Next Door we head to Platts & Nisbett, manufacturers of surgical instruments for almost half-a-century.

Number 47 on our list of the greatest things we make here is The Surgical Clamp.

Alyson Nisbett gives us a factory tour as we learn why machines can’t make these instruments, we consider the responsibility that comes with hand-crafting life-saving equipment, and we ponder where a five-inch nail goes in the body.

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Smalls are a big market. Annual underwear sales in the UK top £400m. Much of it used to be made domestically (with a thriving cluster in south Wales), but, in the past 15 years, that industry has dramatically shrunk. Today, just a few artisan lingerie companies survive.

On this week’s The Factory Next Door, we head to New Tredegar in South Wales to meet Naomi Edmondson, the founder of lingerie company Edge o’ Beyond.

Number 46 on our list of the greatest products we make here is The Luxury Lingerie.

Naomi gives us a tour of her factory as we chat about the challenges of keeping lingerie manufacturing alive in the Welsh valleys. Plus, we talk about the physical power of beautifully made underwear and being banned from social media.

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What does it take to make a product so special customers will wait years to get their hands on one?

In the world of horology, Rebecca and Craig Struthers have built themselves an enviable reputation using traditional tools and methods to craft extraordinary timepieces. Their watches are so popular the waiting time for one is currently seven years (they are working to bring that down!)

Number 45 on our list of the greatest products we make here is The Mechanical Watch by Struthers Watchmakers.

On this week’s The Factory Next Door, we visit Leek in Staffordshire to meet the husband-and-wife team who say their journey into horology was an accident.

We learn about the joys of vintage lathes, consider why it matters that kids can read analogue watches, and celebrate the humble white piece of A4 paper.

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Every company has a lifespan. Some have two.

Over the course of a century, glasses-maker Curry & Paxton went from pioneering new optical instruments, to becoming a key supplier to the NHS, to appearing in iconic movies. Then, in 1987, they vanished.

On this week’s The Factory Next Door, we visit the workshop where they are breathing new life into this heritage British brand.

Number 44 on our list of the greatest products we make here are The Optical Glasses.

Peter Lynes, director at Curry & Paxton tells us why, after a 30-year career working with British clothing brands, he wanted to jump into the world of eyewear and revive this glasses maker. During our factory tour, Peter shares insights into how to build a brand and explains why he now wakes up with a heightened sense of purpose.

Also on the show, glasses maker Mila gives thanks to his Grandad and celebrates a machine maker who transformed his life.

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The Factory Next Door is supported by AVEVA, a leader in industrial intelligence.

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The market for jams and preserves might seem… well, jam-packed, but get your recipe right and you’ll find space to grow.

Number 43 on our list of the greatest products we make here is The Premium Preserve.

On this week’s The Factory Next Door we visit Bristol to meet Nicola Elliott, founder of award-winning jam maker Single Variety Co.

Nicola gives us a tour of her expanding factory as she explains why consistency is so hard in jam-making. She also reveals how a cancelled wedding helped transform her business and shares her big dream for the future.

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There are somethings you can’t know about a company until you’ve bought it and had a riffle through the filing cabinets. In the case of clothing maker Buffalo Systems, it was numerous letters of appreciation from special forces, the military, and mountain rescue teams.

Number 42 on our list of the greatest products we make here is The Mountain Shirt by Buffalo.

Broadcaster and adventurer Ben Fogle and Savile Row tailor James Sleater acquired the Sheffield-based company earlier this year. On this week’s show, they explain why they had always wanted to buy the company.

Plus, we also get an exclusive look at a special new product, consider why Britain has so few global luxury brands, and hear why slow growth is sustainable growth.

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The Factory Next Door is supported by AVEVA, a leader in industrial intelligence. 

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There’s plenty of reasons to buy a British manufacturer right now. On this week’s episode, artist Susan Rose reveals why she’s just done that – acquiring a pottery in Stoke-on-Trent.

We take a tour to learn about getting the thickness of mugs just right, the art of the kiln-stack, and why the random-shake of a cup in water is not always what it seems.

We also hear about overcoming dyslexia to build a business, and why a little help from your friends is so often invaluable.

Plus, Susan gives thanks for the birds, saves a butterfly, and makes a mug for The Factory Next Door.

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The Factory Next Door is supported by AVEVA, a leader in industrial intelligence. 

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When the ultra-wealthy want a new set of bespoke bedding for their mansion or superyacht, they email a mill that sits just outside Blackburn, Lancashire.

Peter Reed – whose customers include the Royal Household – has been producing handcrafted bedding for more than 160 years.

Number 40 on our list of the greatest products we make here is The Bed Linen.

Managing Director Sean Clayton explains how the company survived as the British cotton industry rapidly declined, questions why some skills are under-appreciated, and reveals why he never talks politics or religion.

We also learn how a single duvet cover can take five hours to complete with 12 embroidery machines, each with nine bobbins on, stitching simultaneously.

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The Factory Next Door is supported by AVEVA, a leader in industrial intelligence. 

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The global market for saw blades might be worth $16bn a year, but there’s only one saw factory left in the UK.

In today’s show we visit Sheffield’s Thomas Flinn & Co to learn how they’ve been cutting teeth for the past 100 years.

Number 39 on our list of the greatest products we make here is The Musical Saw.

Director Katie Ellis’ family have owned the company for generations. She explains why heritage crafts must be preserved, how her company has pivoted to survive in the era of cheap imports, and why she’s moving to new premises – just don’t suggest leaving Sheffield.

We also learn how to file 200 teeth in under two minutes, get a quick explanation of how musical saws work, and find novel ways to use Lego.

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The Factory Next Door is supported by AVEVA, a leader in industrial intelligence. 

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Earlier this year, Blue Ghost became the first commercial lunar lander to touch down on the moon.

Crucial to that mission’s success was its engine – a rocket designed and built in the Buckinghamshire countryside.

Number 38 on our list of the greatest items we make in Britain is The Rocket Engine.

At a former military base, Dr Ian Coxhill, chief engineer at Nammo UK, shows us around the workshops where propulsion systems are made for space agencies and commercial operators.

Ian demonstrates how to recreate the conditions of space at ground level, reflects on the art of engineering, and offers evidence to suggest robots aren’t going to replace humans yet.

Plus, we hear the roar of a rocket engine as one is put through its paces at the test facility.

Say hello on Instagram @thefactorynextdoor

The Factory Next Door is supported by AVEVA, a leader in industrial intelligence. 

Sign up to their bi-weekly newsletter about manufacturing here:

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