Camira

Location: Hopton Mills, Mirfield

Turnover: £53 million

Market leading commercial textiles

Everyone in the world, who has ever travelled by public transport or sat on an office chair, is likely to have experienced the work of Camira.

From its Mirfield and Meltham sites, Camira is a world leading developer and manufacturer of commercial fabric, supplying 9 million metres to the global market each year.  

Established in 1974, the privately-owned company has approximately 500 staff worldwide. People are key to the company’s success and great importance is placed on employee training and development.

Camira operates in two key markets – commercial interiors and commercial automotive.  Around 70% of the business involves supplying high performance, aesthetic fabrics for task chairs, boardroom furniture and soft seating areas. Meanwhile as Europe’s largest supplier of fabric to the commercial automotive sector, Camira fabric is found on trains, buses, coaches and excavators throughout the world.

The company’s impressive 4,000-strong client list includes Virgin, Eurostar, JCB Orient Express, Santander and Herman Miller.

Innovation in a traditional industry

Yet, this forward-thinking company doesn’t just supply cloth, it provides solutions to its customers’ problems. Taking advantage of the region’s textile expertise and with close links to the Textile Centre of Excellence, Camira has refocused these traditional skills into a highly technical, added-value service.

“We have become a niche player, providing specialised, high-tech products to a global market, which includes China. Continued investment in new machinery, skills and research and development is a vital part of our ongoing business development,” said managing director, Paul Goodall.

Sustainability plays a key role in any new initiatives. The company recently introduced Sting, a cloth spun from nettles grown on brownfield sites, which is 100% renewable and inherently flame retardant. Sting won Camira a Major Commendation at the BCE Environmental Leadership awards in 2009. Paul said:

“Our business processes are also as sustainable as possible. To reduce our carbon footprint, we work strategically with local companies, all dyeing takes place in Yorkshire and recycled raw materials are sourced locally where possible.”

In 2009, Camira achieved perhaps the greatest accolade of all, when it was named Company of the Year - an industry award voted for by its customers.