Luxury Scottish knitwear and accessories manufacturer Johnston of Elgin is investing £1 million on a new visitor centre at its Hawick site in the Scottish Borders. The new development, which is due to open in May this year, will include a visitor centre with museum, coffee shop and retail space and is set to create new jobs whilst safeguarding existing jobs at the Eastfield Mills site.

The official announcement was reported by the BBC today but on a recent visit to the Hawick factory, company director James Sugden told Knitting Industry that the new visitor centre would initially create 15 new jobs but also safeguard the 250 staff already working at the Hawick factory.

Building work has already started on phase one of the development at the front of the main building on Mansfield Road which used to house fully-fashioned knitting machines. Historical examples of machinery used to knit Johnstons products in bygone days will be on show at the new visitor centre.

Mr Sugden says he is confident there is a good future for luxury knitwear manufacturers in Hawick and thinks those companies that are left of what was once a much larger industry will do well.

"Most of the town's remaining manufacturers operate in the luxury end of the market and have created their own niches. They are all very good at what they do," Mr Sugden said.

The town had, until recent years, a number of larger employers including internationally known names like Pringle of Scotland and Lyle & Scott.

Today Johnstons is the largest employer and the Hawick industry is made up of small but nimble well invested companies making the highest quality products. Many companies make exclusively in cashmere.

New machinery investments

Last year Johnstons invested in a number of Shima Seiki SWG ‘mini' series machines - SWG041/SWG062/SWG091 models in 7 and 10 gauges for knitting complex seamless gloves hats and scarves. The company manufactures approximately 6000 pairs of cashmere gloves per week and has one of the largest plants of glove knitting machines for non-industrial gloves in Europe.

It also plans further investments in garment knitting machinery this year and has been evaluating, amongst other machines, Shima's 15 gauge SWG machine which is capable of making ‘18 gauge look' garments. The machine makes a product which Johnstons says equates to the old 27 gauge fully-fashioned frame type garments.

Fine gauge knitwear demand at Johnstons has risen recently in line with cashmere prices. Ultra fine gauge garments retail at good prices when compared to heavier gauge garments but use less raw material. Johnstons currently knits about 3500 fully fashioned and seamless knitwear garments per week.

Johnstons has also been investing in sock knitting machines and last year bought its first MATEC Perfectoe after a six months evaluation period.

The Perfectoe, which is built in Brescia, Northern Italy by the Santoni Group, is a double cylinder single feed machine with fully electronic control for rib and links socks with automatic linking for toe closing. Johnstons currently manufactures around 2500 pairs of cashmere socks per week.

Another area in line for investment is garment assembly and the company is evaluating the Complett QF linker and other systems. Johnstons has also invested in an impressive state-of-the art highly automated warehousing system which has designated customer specific stocking areas for some of the world's most prestigious brands and retailers.

Awards for excellence

But is not just manufacturing which Johnstons excels in - winning awards is another. In October last year the cashmere knitwear and accessories brand was awarded the coveted Gold Award at the UKFT Export Awards.

The Gold Award is given to UK companies who boast a long standing record of export success and recognise those companies who excel at creating UK made and designed products. It also acknowledges the export achievements of those companies that have managed to retain domestic production, skills, standards and employment.

In 2010 James Sugden was made an OBE (Officer of the Order of The British Empire) for his services to the textiles industry over a 40 year period. Mr Sugden, then 64, said at the time he was both surprised and delighted by the award.

Now based at the company's knitwear factory at Hawick in the Scottish Borders, Mr Sugden previously spent more than 20 years at Johnston's headquarters at Elgin in North East Scotland.

"This industry is not really about awards, it's about patience and hard work. I have had huge support from so many people, they have always gone the extra mile for me and it means a great deal," Mr Sugden said at the time after receiving his award.

"The manufacturing industry has always been the Cinderella of the economy, but there are signs that the government is taking seriously the contribution that it makes," Mr Sugden added.

Known for their luxury cashmere and beautiful tweed products, Johnstons has been manufacturing in Elgin in north east Scotland since 1797. Their history is one of quality, resilience and above all outstanding provenance. The company manufactures its knitwear in the famous knitwear town of Hawick in the Scottish borders in southern Scotland.

Johnstons Elgin facility is the only mill in Scotland to take cashmere from fibre to fabric, and is the relied upon manufacturer for international fashion brands and Savile Row tailors alike. The company employs over 450 people in Elgin and 250 people in Hawick making it one of the country's largest textile manufacturers.

When asked what the secret to Johnston's success was, Mr Sugden said that hard work and old fashioned Scots prudence in difficult trading conditions were of the utmost importance.

"Continual steady investment in new technology without stretching ourselves financially is very important, "he said. The family owned company funds most of its investments from cash flow and last year recorded a turnover of £50 million.