OE Electrics Hosts a Sold-Out Made in Yorkshire Factory Tour

We were delighted to welcome 50 manufacturers to OE Electrics’ Wakefield facility for a sold-out Made in Yorkshire factory tour, marking the first factory tour event of the year and a fantastic opportunity to open our doors to fellow manufacturers from across the region.

The event was particularly meaningful for us, coming seven years on from our previous Made in Yorkshire factory tour in 2019. At that point, we had only recently moved into our purpose-built facility and were still very much growing into the space. Since then, the business has evolved significantly — not just in scale, but in how we use the building, how we operate day-to-day, and how we continuously improve across the organisation.

The factory tour provided the perfect opportunity to reflect on that journey and to share how the site has matured to support productivity, flexibility and long-term growth.

An Insight-Rich Tour of the Facility

Attendees were taken through a structured, guided factory tour, rotating through a series of focused stations across the site. Each stop was led by members of our team who have been directly involved in delivering the improvements being showcased, giving visitors practical, first-hand insight into how changes were implemented and why they matter.

The tour highlighted a wide range of best practices, including:

• Optimisation of shopfloor layout and material flow, reducing wasted space and improving visibility

• Significant productivity gains achieved through process improvement, rather than heavy capital investment

• The introduction of one-piece flow lines and SMED principles, enabling faster changeovers and increased throughput

• Improved inventory management and space release, supporting both efficiency and cash flow

• Greater use of digital tools on the shopfloor, providing real-time information and improved accuracy

Rather than focusing on theory, the emphasis throughout was on practical learning — sharing what we’ve changed, what we’ve learned along the way, and how incremental improvements can compound over time.

Digitalisation Driving Efficiency

One area that generated particular interest was our approach to digitalisation, especially within order processing and information flow. Over recent years, we have moved towards a near-paperless operation, introducing digital order management and “digital golden folders” to replace manual paperwork.

This shift has reduced administration, improved version control and enabled faster response to customer changes. Crucially, it has allowed us to do more with fewer resources, freeing up our people to focus on higher-value activity while improving reliability and consistency across the business.

Culture, Capability and Global Growth

Following the tour, attendees enjoyed further networking and an engaging panel discussion, which explored wider aspects of our journey. Conversations covered our ongoing culture transformation, how we support flexibility and engagement on the shopfloor, and how we balance continuous improvement with maintaining a strong, people-first environment.

We also discussed our international growth, with OE supplying customers across Europe, the Middle East, North America and beyond, alongside our continued focus on sustainability, reshoring and product longevity.

These discussions reflected the realities many manufacturers are facing — rising costs, skills challenges and the need to remain agile — and made for a particularly valuable exchange of experience.

Connecting Industry and Policy

The factory tour followed a recent visit to OE by Jade Botterill MP, co-ordinated with Made in Yorkshire. During that visit, OE Electrics’ Managing Director, Nigel Bibby, personally led Jade around the facility before sitting down with her to discuss both our successes and the challenges we are navigating in the current climate.

Those conversations covered productivity improvements, digitalisation and growth, alongside pressures such as energy costs, employment costs, skills availability and long-term planning. That earlier visit added valuable context to the factory tour, reinforcing the importance of connecting real manufacturing environments with wider policy discussions.

A True Team Effort

The success of the factory tour was very much a team effort. From the station guides and group hosts on the shopfloor, to the panel contributors, the team supporting on the front desk and hospitality, and everyone involved behind the scenes, the day was delivered with professionalism, pride and genuine openness.

A special mention must go to Charlie Owen, who pulled the event together and managed the logistics on OE’s side, ensuring everything ran smoothly from start to finish.

We would also like to thank Made in Yorkshire for making the event happen, bringing together such a strong mix of manufacturers and ensuring a fantastic turnout on the day.

Looking Ahead

The factory tour was a proud moment for everyone at OE Electrics. It gave our team the opportunity to showcase their work, share their knowledge and reflect on how far the business has come since first moving into the facility — while also learning from the conversations sparked with fellow manufacturers.

We thoroughly enjoyed hosting the event and look forward to continuing to share best practice, collaborate across the manufacturing community and build on the progress we’ve made so far.