Local MP Visits Arville Textiles to See Investment in the Future of British Manufacturing

We were delighted to welcome our local MP, Sir Alec Shelbrooke, to Arville Textiles on Friday 10th July, giving him the opportunity to see first-hand how we’re investing in the future of British manufacturing.

As one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of world-class technical textiles, we’re proud to design and manufacture advanced textile solutions from our head office in Wetherby, supporting customers across some of the world’s most demanding industries, including defence, aerospace, automotive, industrial safety and healthcare.

The visit was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the investment we’re making in our business, our people and our manufacturing capability.

£1m Transformation Programme

As part of our ongoing transformation programme, we’ve recently taken delivery of a 3.9-metre-wide twin beam Tsudakoma Airjet loom, the first of four new looms representing a £1 million investment. This latest technology will increase our manufacturing capacity, enhance our competitiveness and further strengthen our advanced weaving capabilities.

Tsudakoma Airjet loom at Arville Textiles, Wetherby

Our Award-Winning Apprenticeship Programme

Developing the next generation of textile specialists is equally important to us. Our award-winning apprenticeship programme continues to play a vital role in building the future workforce for our industry, and we’re proud to be working closely with Shahban Aziz and the Textile Centre of Excellence to champion apprenticeships and inspire more young people to consider careers in advanced manufacturing.

Arville’s Apprenticeship Programme Award. L-R: Sir Alec Shelbrooke MP, Stephen Gill – Group CEO

Tour of Our Manufacturing Facilities

During the visit, Sir Alec toured our manufacturing facility, including seeing our new Airjet loom in operation, before meeting members of the Arville team and learning more about the specialist technical textile solutions we design and manufacture on-site.

Steve Gill, Group Chief Executive Officer at Arville Textiles, said:

“We were delighted to welcome Sir Alec Shelbrooke to Arville and to showcase the world-class advanced manufacturing taking place here in Yorkshire.

It was a valuable opportunity to demonstrate how a long-established British manufacturer is investing in new technology, developing highly skilled apprentices and engineers, and strengthening UK capability across defence, aerospace and other critical industries.

We had a constructive discussion about the opportunities and challenges facing UK manufacturing, particularly the importance of resilient domestic supply chains and sovereign capability in defence. Given Sir Alec’s longstanding interest and experience in defence matters, we were grateful for his offer to explore how he may be able to support Arville in building stronger links with government and the defence sector as we continue to grow.

We appreciate Sir Alec taking the time to visit our business and look forward to continuing the conversation as we invest in innovation, create skilled jobs and expand our contribution to UK manufacturing.”

75th Anniversary of Arville Textiles

This year marks our 75th anniversary, a significant milestone in Arville’s history. Since 1951, we’ve grown from a family-owned business into a globally recognised technical textile manufacturer, partnering with customers around the world to develop high-performance textile solutions for critical applications.

As we celebrate this landmark year, we’re continuing to invest in the future, strengthening our manufacturing capabilities, developing skilled talent and reinforcing our commitment to delivering world-class technical textile solutions from our home in Yorkshire.

Arville Helps Inspire the Next Generation at Textile Futures 2026

We were proud to support Textile Futures 2026, joining the Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, and fellow manufacturers, educators and industry leaders to showcase the exciting opportunities available in modern textiles to more than 100 young people from schools across West Yorkshire. The event, organised by the Textile Centre of Excellence (TCoE) at the Barbara Hepworth Building, University of Huddersfield, highlighted the breadth of careers available across fashion, technical textiles and advanced manufacturing.

As one of TCoE’s member companies, we are delighted to play our part in demonstrating that today’s textile industry is a world away from outdated perceptions. From high-performance protective fabrics and defence applications to specialist materials used in transport, aerospace and industrial markets, students were able to discover how textiles are helping solve some of the world’s biggest engineering challenges.

The event also reinforced the importance of building the industry’s future workforce. Feedback showed that many attendees were surprised to learn that the UK remains a global leader in advanced textile manufacturing, while more than 100 visitors registered their interest in learning more about apprenticeships and careers in the sector.

At Arville, we believe inspiring the next generation is just as important as developing world-class technical textiles. As we celebrate our 75th year in manufacturing, we remain committed to investing in skills, supporting apprenticeships and helping ensure that the UK textile industry continues to thrive for decades to come.

We’d like to thank the Textile Centre of Excellence, the University of Huddersfield and everyone involved in organising another outstanding event. We look forward to continuing to work together to inspire the engineers, designers and innovators of tomorrow.

Arville Recognised with Two Apprenticeship Awards

We are so proud to have received two major honours from the Textile Centre of Excellence at their 50th Awards Ceremony, in recognition of our commitment to developing skills, supporting young people and investing in the future of UK textiles manufacturing.

We were named Apprenticeship Training Company of the Year, while Simon Hartley, Head of Production at Arville’s Wetherby headquarters, received the Apprenticeship Mentor of the Year award.

These awards recognise our long-standing commitment to nurturing talent and creating opportunities for young people to join the industry. As a family-owned Yorkshire business celebrating 75 years of textile innovation, apprenticeships play a hugely important role in developing our future capability and safeguarding specialist skills.

Simon’s award reflects the significant personal contribution he has made in supporting and developing apprentices across the business. His hands-on approach, leadership and commitment to mentoring young talent embody the supportive culture that sits at the heart of our business.

Commenting on the awards, Steve Gill, our CEO said:

“These awards are incredibly important to us because they reflect something fundamental about our business – our long-term commitment to people, skills and the future of textiles manufacturing. We are particularly proud to see Simon recognised for the outstanding support and guidance he provides to our apprentices. We’d also like to thank the Textile Centre of Excellence for the recognition and congratulate all the other winners on such a special occasion.”

Arville invests in new Uster Q-Bar 2 system and Tsudakoma Air Jets with 3.9m width capability as demand for volume grows

We are delighted to announce that we have further strengthened our manufacturing capabilities with the installation of the Uster Q-Bar 2 on-loom digital inspection system and Tsudakoma Air Jets at our factory in Wetherby.

These investments come off the back of increased customer demand for high volume production and reflect our continuing dedication to delivering world class quality and customer service.

The Q-Bar system will help us to identify defects in our fabrics even earlier, improve fabric quality and reduce waste and rework time.  It will also increase productivity as our business continues to grow and ensure that we maintain the right balance between manual inspection and automated quality control right across our fleet of looms.

The Tsudakoma Air Jets will enable higher-speed production without compromising fabric quality and enhance our ability to manufacture a wider range of high-performance and complex textiles up to a width of 3.9m for our growing roster of customers within the Aerospace, Automotive, Defence, Food, Industrial, Pharmaceutical and Medical sectors.

Commenting on this latest investment, Neil Allan, Group Chief Operations Officer said:

“The new Q-Bar system and Air-Jets underline our commitment to continuous improvement and innovation. They will allow us to enhance quality control, improve productivity and reduce waste, while supporting our highly skilled teams with the latest digital technology and our ‘right first time, every time’ philosophy.

Together, the Q-Bar and Air Jets mark yet another step in our journey from short run specialists to higher volume technical expertise and providing our customers with fully integrated and end-to-end manufacturing capability.”

Neil Horan joins Arville as Group Chief Financial Officer

Neil’s appointment is Arville’s second senior appointment since the start of 2026. It reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to investing in experienced leadership to support its strategic growth plans and reinforce its position as a leading innovator in technical textiles.

Arville Appoints Ryan Boyce as Group Head of Sales

Arville Textiles is delighted to announce the appointment of Ryan Boyce as its new Group Head of Sales, strengthening the company’s commercial leadership as it executes its growth strategy.

Ryan joins Arville following a distinguished 14-year career at Bridge of Weir Leather, where he most recently served as Business Development Director. During his tenure, he played a key role in driving international growth, developing strategic partnerships, and leading commercial initiatives across premium automotive and transport sectors.

In his new role, Ryan will lead the commercial function across Arville’s full portfolio, overseeing sales strategy, business development, and customer engagement across the Group’s range of world class technical textiles. Ryan’s experience in complex global supply chains and value-driven sales leadership will support the Group’s ambition to accelerate growth while strengthening its existing customer partnerships.

Commenting on his appointment, Ryan said:

“I’m excited to be joining Arville at such an important stage in its growth journey. The Group has an impressive portfolio of specialist capabilities and a strong reputation for quality and innovation. I look forward to working with the team to build on that foundation and drive the next phase of commercial expansion.”

Arville’s CEO, Steve Gill, added:

“Ryan brings deep commercial expertise, a strong track record in strategic business development, and a collaborative leadership style that aligns perfectly with our growth ambitions. We are delighted to welcome him to the Group.”

Ryan’s appointment underscores Arville’s commitment to investing in senior talent to support its long-term growth strategy and strengthen its position as a leader in technical textile innovation.

Arville Launches New Website

We’re delighted to announce that the new Arville website is now live.

Launched as part of our 75th anniversary year, the site has been completely refreshed to give a clearer view of what we do – producing World Class Technical Textiles for customers all over the world.

You’ll find a fresh design, improved navigation, and a wide range of new content. Whether you’re looking for specific product requirements, exploring our integrated design, weave, coating and fabrication capabilities, or just want to learn more about the sectors we work in, you’ll find it all here.

Our new website reflects our knowledge and experience, and also the partnerships that we have with our customers who have always been at the heart of how we work. We’re proud to share this new chapter with our customers, partners, and fellow employees.

Watch this space as there’s plenty more to come.

If you’re interested in knowing more about Arville and how we can support your project, contact us at sales@arville.com or give us a call at +44 (0)1937 582 735

Recruitment: Arville Boosts Sales Team With Senior Business Development Hire

We’re delighted to welcome Louise Sheridan to the Arville Sales Team.

Louise joins us as Business Development Manager. She brings decades of experience in industrial textiles, starting at just 16 years old as an Apprentice Lab Technician before moving into sales. Previously at leading companies such as Pincroft, James Heal, and Camira, she’ll focus her resources and knowledge on Arville’s growing Military & Defence market.

Arville 75: Celebrating 75 years of World Class Technical Textiles at the Wetherby Beer Festival

For three generations – and almost 75 years – Arville has been at the forefront of technical textile innovation. We’ve been pioneering man-made fibres and engineering high-performance fabrics across PPE, aerospace, defence, and many other sectors.

This year, we officially enter our 75^th year and will be holding a series of events and activities to mark the occasion. First up for our Arville 75 celebrations, we will be proudly continuing our sponsorship of the Wetherby Beer Festival 2025, raising money for local causes including Grange Park Sports Club, Martin House Children’s Hospice, and Wetherby RUFC.

The event is on May 2-3 at Grange Park, home of Wetherby Rugby Club. We hope to see you there.

Smarter Manufacturing: Sustainability & Efficiency at Arville

At Arville, sustainability is at the core of how we operate. Through intelligent stock and inventory management, strategic recycling partnerships and advanced manufacturing efficiencies, we’re investing in responsible production.

Our Material Review Board (MRB) has already repurposed over 10 tonnes of old and stranded yarn, preventing waste while improving our cost efficiencies. Meanwhile, our partnership with Davys Textiles ensures that all materials are recycled rather than discarded, aligning with our ESG commitments. With further process refinements in place, we’re making sure that every stage of production is leaner, more efficient, and future-ready. Special recognition goes to Eleanor Ford for co-ordinating Phase 1 and Luke Handley for his outstanding leadership in the warehouse team. Their work is paving the way for Phases 2 & 3, which will free up warehouse space, streamline stock management, and prepare Arville for future growth.

For our customers, this means greater reliability, reduced lead times, and a more sustainable supply chain. At Arville, innovation and responsibility go hand in hand as we work to ensure that the future of textiles is smarter, cleaner, and more efficient.

Knowledge is Power: Arville Textiles 101 & Internal Sales Development Training

True innovation comes from deep technical knowledge. That’s why we continuously invest in training, research, and knowledge-sharing to ensure our teams remain at the forefront of textile engineering.

This year we’ve set up Textiles 101, a training programme led by industry expert Neil Fegan, whose father was a partner with Arville’s founder, William Wight. This hands-on course offers a deep dive into weaving and yarn fundamentals and Arville’s wide range of machinery. Senior Management, Marketing and Sales teams have all been involved, and it’s been a great way for our junior and senior management to work together and share knowledge.

We also continue to invest in our commercial team with our Internal Sales Development Training which focuses on customer service and making sure that our teams provide every customer with specialist guidance tailored to their requirements.

Between them, our Textiles 101 and Internal Sales Development Training programmes ensure that Arville doesn’t just sell world class technical textiles – we understand them and our customers’ challenges inside and out.