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014 – Ian Maclean, John Smedley – Running the Oldest Factory in the UK

In this episode I chat to Ian Maclean, managing director of John Smedley – the oldest operating factory in the world.

John Smedley are one of the finest knitwear manufacturers in the world. The company was established 235 years ago, at the start of the Industrial Revolution, and they still operate out of the same factory in Matlock in Derbyshire.

In the interview Ian talks about the challenges that come with operating out of such an old mill, and how he is making his manufacturing more sustainable by investing in upgrades to the mill which will save energy and allow the company to survive for another two hundred years.

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More about John Smedley

John Smedley Website

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