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For the past two years For the past two years Exceptio has been quietly rebuilding British sock manufacturing from a purpose-built facility in the heart of the country’s historic hosiery industry, combining production with sustainability and innovation. Acting editor, Benjamin Austin, sat down with managing director, Rob Horsley to discuss the site and more.
On a secluded bit of land on the fringe of Asfordby sits a modern facility hidden by trees and hedgerows.
Surrounding it are fields, stone houses, and the River Wreake, but when arriving at its location, you are met with a slick set of buildings that has been growing in recognition over the last two years.
This is the UK base of sock manufacturer Exceptio run by managing director Rob Horsley. Roughly 4,000m.sq in size, it was designed to be a scaled version of his production facility in Portugal, containing the same machinery and practices as the European location; albeit smaller.
But its reduced size does not detract from its purpose, as it was designed to bring production back to British soil functionally and sustainably.
Working with the onshore market.
Though the latest building has been in use for the last two years, Rob and Exceptio have been working from the site for the last 20.
Rob said: “I think the bigger message was more important: The ability to introduce manufacturing back to the UK, not just from an R&D perspective but for smaller orders.
“So, what we decided to do was emulate our main facility in Portugal, so what you see is a mini version of the production facility over there.”
Though scaled down, the facility offers just as much in terms of production, with stocked materials being the only restriction due to space.
Approximately 250 shades of yarn are stocked in Portugal, with around 50 held in the UK for rapid turnaround. But with every cloud there is a silver lining, as being based in the UK comes with different advantages.
Rob continued: “We can work with British wool, which we don’t have to export as it’s grown and dyed here, so that is a huge advantage.
“Since bringing production here, we’ve hired four new people, we’re buying British materials, putting back into the economy, so they’re all positive things coming from this site.”
Most significant of all though, it establishes production back on British shores; an achievement that Rob didn’t think he would see.
He said: “Egotistically, I’ve been in the industry for 45 years and never believed in my professional lifetime it would come back.
“It is an amazing feeling and something we’re proud to be part of.”
Masterclass in sustainable infrastructure
It isn’t just the production side of the business the Asfordby site is emulating, as it has also implemented key
sustainability infrastructure and practices.
On the roof are 106 solar panels generating around 75% of the facility’s required energy; and, occasionally, producing a surplus that is redirected back to the grid.
It also has the capability of harvesting rainwater, which is pumped across the site into the buildings’ toilets and used there.
Also utilised is a sophisticated heat recovery system which filters and distributes hot air from one part of the building to another where it is better used.
Rob said: “From a cost perspective, it makes us super competitive.
“One of the reasons companies have moved abroad is because of energy costs. We’ve bought into that looking for our own renewables, and the message from a business to have its own sustainable capabilities is worth far more and is far more than employing the best salesman in the world.
“Customers can come and see all of this, and they like the fact their products are manufactured in this manner.
Machinery and the ‘Sockology Centre’
When walking around the site, there is a distinct hum of machinery that is a blend of Italian innovation and British heritage.
The primary knitting machines are Italian Lonati models, which still use technology that has its roots in the
British industry.
Rob said: “The main reason we are using them today is their knitting heads that are being used today, the origin of the tech with which I was brought up.”
As well as modern kit, innovation at the site is further driven by the Sockology Centre, where the team creates 3D renders of designs. This digital-first approach allows Exceptio to bypass traditional sampling hurdles, sending designs straight to the machinery to speed up the process.
It also helps customers understand products, accelerates development, reduces physical sampling and speeds up
production. Rob is also currently looking to invest even further into machines to increase their capacity and efficiency, while also looking into AI and seeing how it can be used to help customers further.
The human touch
At the heart of all these innovations is Rob’s ultimate philosophy which remains centred on people. His goal is to remain “accessible for all” by keeping minimum order quantities (MOQs) low and staying at the cutting edge of new fibres and technologies.
Through it all, the mission of the Asfordby facility remains the same as the day Exceptio was founded.
Rob said: “It’s about no compromise. The integrity that I hold within myself is embedded into everybody and every product we make and its people; absolutely people, and product over
profit all the time.”
For Rob, the Asfordby plant is the ultimate proof that; with passion, a bit of ‘mechanical aptitude’, and a refusal to settle for the status quo; sustainable, onshore manufacturing is the way forward.
The message is therefore clear, British manufacturing is back and Exceptio is proving how through this new
facility.
By using its manufacturing expertise, its desire to be there for its clients and its relationships with British suppliers, it is showing the rest of the market how to drive the industry forward.
