Spennymoor, UK

Click here to discover Thorn Lighting's Spennymoor, UK manufacturing hub. 

Did you know that Thorn Lighting was established in the UK by Sir Jules Thorn in 1928? Soon after in the 1930s, Thorn’s first lighting factory was set up, located in north London. More factories followed over the years, with sites across the capital, as well as extending up to the UK’s midlands.

Today, two sites remain – both in Spennymoor in northern England. As well as a productive manufacturing hub, there’s also a busy distribution centre.

On an average day, between 6,000 and 8,000 luminaires are produced in the Spennymoor plant (that’s over 5 luminaires per minute!). To achieve this, Thorn has a passionate and dedicated on-site team of up to 500 employees who are part of the Zumtobel Group’s global operations network. This skilled team at Spennymoor mean that the factory is flexible, with the capacity to operate on a 24/7 basis when required.

On the shop floor, there are 37 multi-functional assembly lines, which includes single operator build stations, brush flow lines, squad lines and fully automated flow lines. That’s in addition to three paint plants and cutting edge equipment such as injection moulds, laser cutting, laser etching and cable assembly.

The philosophy of the Spennymoor site is to maximise the capability of each production line by increasing its flexibility to run multiple product families and types. This is achieved by developing assembly lines that can switch between different products and specifications with minimal change over times, increasing the volume of units that can be produced per hour.

To support the highly skilled workforce, there are a number of innovative systems and procedures used, including poke yoke (designing out the potential for error), instructions displayed at workstations, bar code scanning for components and intelligent tools, such as screwdrivers that can check torque and the number of operations conducted. There is also a network of Icarts which boost productivity by transporting materials and semi-finished parts efficiently and accurately to different areas of the factory.

Sustainability is also an important consideration at Spennymoor, and over recent years, there have been many changes to support a cleaner, greener site. This includes improved packaging (and a reduction in the use of it), the installation of a biomass boiler, and a switch to renewable energy. Having achieved ISO 50001, much effort is placed on achieving an energy consumption reduction of 5% each year.

The Spennymoor facility is shared by the Zumtobel Group’s Tridonic brand, meaning that on the same site, indoor and outdoor luminaires are produced, as well as lighting components such as drivers and LED modules. All of these goods are then delivered onwards for us within the UK, as well as globally.

Interested in finding out more about the Spennymoor, UK site? Watch the brand new video here.

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