BP&R Editor Giulia Daniele toured the Linecross facilities and sat down with the team to discuss the business’s recent technology investments, new Corby site and future direction, as they prepare to celebrate 60 years of growth and success.
linecross
60 years of growth
The shores of Rutland Water have seen Linecross grow and evolve over the years, slowly making a name for itself in British manufacturing. As the company prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary next year, reminiscing feels like the only way to gear up for this impressive milestone. Steve Holwell, New Business Development Manager, says, “It seems like only yesterday that we were preparing for the 50th anniversary. Time flew by so quickly. We’ve always been a problem-solving organisation and have adapted to the ever-changing demands of our customers. This has also allowed us to expand to three manufacturing sites – all specialising in different processes but aligning with our core vision and mission.”
Linecross’s sites – Rutland, Cannock and Corby – are proof of the business’s continuous investment. Steve adds, “We always had challenges with space availability. Our Rutland site – where vacuum forming is the focus – sits between a railway line and a river. We built mezzanine floors to get more utilisation, but this wasn’t sustainable long-term. In 2012, we had the opportunity to acquire BI Composites, where we established our Cannock site – now the centre of excellence for injection moulding and polyurethane foam systems. We were successful in securing several new projects, which prompted the need for more space once again. We identified a new unit in Corby, which made sense logistically as it’s only 11 miles from the Rutland site, and made it our centre of excellence for compression moulding and polyurethanes.”
Different processes, different materials and different skillsets all come together under the same culture – one that promotes commitment to quality, collaboration and continuous improvement.
Paving the way forward: the Cannock site
Walking through Linecross’s Cannock facility offers a glimpse into the future of manufacturing. Alongside its 14 injection moulding machines, spanning from 50 to 2,300 tonnes, the site has become a showcase for the company’s investment in digital manufacturing, automation and intelligent production systems. The injection moulding building demonstrates the company’s ongoing collaboration with InTouch Monitoring through the latter’s machine monitoring software. This connects to key machinery and monitors real-time operational performance and efficiency, helping operators keep on top of cycle times, materials handling and more.
In the assembly building, Emma Griffiths, Assembly Production Manager, has taken digitalisation up a notch by setting up tablet-based workstations in the production area. She explains, “Operators can use tablets to book work in real time as well as view documentation associated with the product they’re making, including SOPs, drawings and quality alerts. Assembly is a fast-paced environment. Tablets give operators ownership and pride in what they do, while enabling us to free supervisors and team leaders’ time to work on continuous improvement and alongside Engineering on new customer projects.”
Linecross has also embraced AI within its business systems. Working closely with Exel, its MRP software provider, the company became one of the first manufacturers to trial Efacs’s AI-powered invoice processing. The software automatically extracts supplier information, pricing and quantities before matching invoices to deliveries, learning from every document it processes. Jenna Pearce, Group Supply Chain & Commercial Manager, adds, “The impact has been remarkable. It reduced repetitive administration and allowed our finance team to focus on higher-value work. Technology isn’t replacing people – it’s removing tasks that nobody particularly enjoys.”
The company has also been improving its IT security systems. For instance, Jenna has been working towards the TISAX accreditation – the automotive industry’s recognised information security standard – while upgrading servers, introducing fail-safe mirrored systems and strengthening network security. She says, “Customers like Bentley and JLR expect that level of security. Manufacturing today isn’t just about machinery; it’s about protecting data, ensuring resilience and giving customers the confidence and the reassurance that you can keep operating, even if something unexpected happens.”
Every investment has been made with people in mind, as Emma claims, “The products we’re making today are becoming far more complex. Automation allows us to remove repetitive tasks so our people can focus on the skilled work that really adds value. At the same time, it helps us remain competitive and continue attracting talented people into manufacturing. We’re lucky to have a leadership team that is open to new investment. It fosters a mentality where you feel free to bring innovative ideas to the table.”
Growing ambitions: the Corby site
If Cannock represents technological progress, Corby symbolises Linecross’s next phase of growth. Officially launched in late 2025, the new facility significantly expands the company’s manufacturing footprint while creating a dedicated centre for compression moulding, S-RIM, CNC machining, waterjet trimming and assembly operations. But kicking it off was far from straightforward. The move itself required over 20 articulated lorry loads of equipment to be transferred from Rutland before the team transformed the empty building into a fully operational manufacturing site.
Maria Smedley, Site Production Manager, explains, “We were given the brief in August and had to build 15 weeks of stock before completely relocating the department. That meant coordinating machinery, materials, production schedules, purchasing and logistics while continuing to supply our customers. By the time production started on 3 November, everything had to be installed, commissioned and ready to go. It was an enormous team effort.”
The recipe for success? Brilliant people. “I believe the best work comes from the combination of a focused and dedicated team. I am really proud of every member of my team; without them, I couldn’t have done it. I only ever see it as: we are a unit, and we pull the weight together. Now that we are based in a new facility, we can set our own standards, which is challenging but mostly rewarding. My goal is to prepare the business for the next 60 years. I am excited to bring this energy into the next phase of growth.”
Although Corby remains closely connected to Rutland and Cannock, the long-term vision is for it to become a self-sufficient operation. For Linecross, this investment represents confidence in the future of British manufacturing.