AW Hainsworth Unveil New State-of-the-art Laboratory

AW Hainsworth have unveiled their latest investment in the future of textile innovation – a quarter of a million-pound state-of-the-art new laboratory space. The UKAS-accredited space includes a range of new testing instruments and advanced machinery supplied by leading manufacturers, James Heal of Halifax and Roaches International, that will greatly enhance the company’s current in-house testing capabilities.

In a project lasting 6 months, Hainsworth’s internal Project Engineers and Maintenance team worked tirelessly to build the new laboratory space, ensuring it meets the exacting needs of our Technical and Quality teams. In addition to including the latest testing equipment, the laboratory is a more modern, spacious and accessible environment than the previous lab space, resulting in a creative and engaging facility for our technicians to work in and our customers to visit.

Hainsworth worked closely with James Heal and Roaches International to equip the lab with the latest testing instruments and machinery. Both suppliers are renowned around the world for providing the finest in lab machinery and testing solutions, and Hainsworth are proud to have collaborated with these businesses from the West Yorkshire area.

On Thursday 19th March, the laboratory opening was celebrated with a launch party attended by Hainsworth’s customer partners, suppliers and figures from the local council and universities. The guests were given a tour of the lab and the wider mill, and were given the opportunity to speak in-depth with our technical team. The event featured speakers from the fields of textile development and industry, including:

Managing Director Amanda McLaren hailed the laboratory opening as an investment into Hainsworth’s future. “The opening of our new testing facility is an excellent opportunity for AW Hainsworth to reinforce our technical expertise and demonstrate our commitment to people development, as outlined in our corporate sustainability strategy. We have a very strong technical team, and having access to a state-of-the-art laboratory will enable them to reach their full potential as technicians.”

The lab isn’t just a refurbishment, it’s an investment in the skills of our people.

Amanda Mclaren, Managing Director

Technical Director Zena Al Mausawe said, “The laboratory will enrich our capabilities in testing and product development, which in turn will greatly benefit our customers and fabric end users. The enhanced equipment and increased space will ensure that we can continue to provide up-to-date testing, guaranteeing that all our fabrics will continue to exceed technical standards. This will also really support our research and development capabilities, allowing our people to build on their already considerable expertise and further extend our product offering – particularly in the PPE, transport and leisure markets, where technical performance is critical.” 

Amanda added, “I’m so proud of our team for their hard work completing this much-needed investment into our textile mill. With this new facility in place we’re better positioned than ever before to provide our customers with premium fabrics that surpass international safety standards, while also enabling ourselves to develop lab services for the future. 

“With this investment we are reinforcing our commitment to our people, our customers and our community.”