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weekly production to around 950 seats. To support the growth, the company added a new unit near its Batley headquarters, consolidating bed production and freeing up space in the main facility.
Logistics has ramped up alongside manufacturing. Weekly shipments jumped from about 12 or 13 trailers to 16, matching the increase in production.
Supporting that expansion means investing in both physical capacity and systems. After launching a new retail ERP platform last year, HSL is preparing for a major manufacturing systems upgrade.“ We want more flexibility within our systems and greater automation in how we process orders. It’ s going to be a significant investment and a major project. The challenge is implementing the system while keeping production running smoothly and ensuring customers see no disruption,” Charlotte adds.
While investing in operations, HSL continues to expand its appeal to customers.
New fabric options, an ottoman bed, and partnerships with brands like Ercol help reach customers outside HSL’ s traditional audience.
Craft and technology
As production grows, HSL continues to balance automation with skilled craftsmanship. CNC technology now supports frame production and fabric cutting, helping the business increase output while maintaining consistency.“ We’ ve gone fully CNC for wooden frames, so that’ s everything designed in a 3D CAD world, tested as a 3D model and then cut on CNC machines. But we’ ve got a headcount of just under 200 doing the handcrafted elements. The sewing is all done by hand; it is hand stitched together and everything’ s hand filled in terms of cushions, so we’ ve got a balance.” The combination of technology and craft enables HSL to increase capacity without abandoning the manual processes that remain central to its products.
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