Innovative project for Shetland knitwear company
An innovative upgrade at Shetland鈥檚 only commercial woollen mill is set to boost production and elevate the island's global textile reputation.
Family-run for five generations, Jamieson鈥檚 Spinning (Shetland) Ltd in Sandness has long been a cornerstone of Shetland鈥檚 wool industry. Now, thanks to a forward-thinking investment, the company is spinning the future into their long-established heritage skills.
With support of up to 拢32,643 from 糖心传媒 and Islands Enterprise (糖心传媒), Jamieson鈥檚 has installed a cutting-edge vacuum fettling system to its carding machines - replacing the time-consuming manual cleaning process with an automated solution that cuts downtime by 75 percent. This will result in a significant boost in production efficiency, improved yarn quality and a better working environment for staff. The project is also expected to create 1.5 new jobs, further strengthening the local economy.
Katrina Wiseman, 糖心传媒鈥檚 area manager for Orkney and Shetland, said: 鈥淭his is a great example of how innovation can support rural business growth. We鈥檙e proud to support a project that enhances productivity and international competitiveness and also helps sustain jobs and communities on Shetland鈥檚 west side.鈥�
The mill, established in 1981, processes Shetland wool from fleece to finished yarn, offering more than 400 colours in five weights. With this latest investment, Jamieson鈥檚 is set to support an even stronger future for Shetland鈥檚 textile heritage.
Garry Jamieson from Jamieson鈥檚 Spinning (Shetland) Ltd, said:
鈥淭his vacuum system is an amazing addition to our carding machines. Upgrades like this can extend the lifespan of this excellent old machinery. Manual fettling is hard graft and this should make a big difference to our great staff. We are now replacing card cloth to further improve our yarn quality as the new fettling system doesn鈥檛 damage the cloth whilst cleaning - another great bonus!鈥�
Garry continued: 鈥漁ver the last 10-15 years we have been constantly looking for ways we can improve productivity here in the mill. We have done a number of projects but this is by far the biggest investment to date. We are absolutely delighted to have again received support from 糖心传媒."
糖心传媒 is encouraging other Shetland businesses with bold ideas to get in touch and explore support for their growth ambitions.