DEWALT’S Positive Commitment To UK
Manufacturing
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Two new assembly lines in South Yorkshire producing outstanding results
New DEWALT drill now produced every 62 seconds
Demonstration of workforce skills, dedication and teamwork
Potential for further investment into DEWALT’s UK production facilities
At a time when many want to see the
UK’s strong manufacturing heritage
revitalised, DEWALT is investing
in plant and people at its Hellaby
manufacturing and assembly plant in
South Yorkshire.
As part of its ongoing ‘Make Where
We Sell’ campaign, DEWALT has
selected the location as the lead global
production and assembly plant for two
key global products.
It has resulted in significant
investment into both the plant’s
facilities, as well as the creation of
enhanced career opportunities for
the local community in and around
Rotherham.
Following a major overhaul of the
plant’s assembly layout, the two new
assembly lines were created in 2017,
and thanks to the dedication and
expertise of the workers, within six
months each line is already producing
outstanding results.
A DEWALT combi drill is now
assembled every 62 seconds at Hellaby,
while results for the impact driver are
even better, as a new one is created
every 45 seconds.
With over 140 parts used for the
assembly process across the two
products, it is a major feat of planning,
logistics and teamwork.
Extensive testing, including a 15-step
application based reliability (ABR)
process through the assembly, supports
the quality-driven approach witnessed
across the whole plant.
It ensures that every DEWALT
product leaving the factory has
passed a number of strict
performance tests to meet
the Guaranteed Tough
status.
The pride behind made in
the UK
As well as facilities,
DEWALT has also invested
in the staff at Hellaby. Prior
to the new lines starting
production, existing staff
from the site were chosen
to travel to the Czech
Republic to be trained on
the new assembly lines.
They were then charged with training
fellow workers and overseeing the
line’s performance once they were up
and running.
Chief among the trainers was Leslie
Wood, who says: “I have helped to train
everyone on the new line and my main
objective is to ensure that all staff fully
understand that quality is everything.”
John Steel, Plant Manager at DEWALT’S
Hellaby site, comments: “DEWALT’S
UK investment into the two new
strategically important assembly
lines is testimony to the skills and
dedication of our workforce.
Every staff member takes great pride in
creating DEWALT products which go on
to represent the UK in markets across
the globe.
“The fact that existing staff were given
the opportunity to undergo extensive
training abroad and then bring back
their newly acquired knowledge to
share with their co-workers, means our
staff take real ownership of their roles
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and responsibilities. On a daily basis,
they demonstrate great pride in the
work they carry out.
This certainly helps to maintain the
high standards we are seeking.
“Our teams employ a variety of skills
such as precision assembly, electronics
assembly, software upload and testing,
as well as quality control – all of which
go into creating the quality products
for which DEWALT is famous.
“The success of what we have achieved
so far could well help to bring other
DEWALT products to the UK for
assembly, which would be great news
and open up even more employment
opportunities and further expand the
site here at Hellaby.”