Hillbrush, the UK’s longest established manufacturer of traditional brushes and specialist cleaning tools, has had a “brush” with TV stardom after the company was featured on an episode of BBC TV’s Inside the Factory about vacuum cleaner manufacturer and Hillbrush customer, Numatic.
Inside the Factory, gives presenters Greg Wallace and Cherry Healey exclusive access to some of the largest factories in Britain to reveal the secrets behind production on an epic scale.
In the Numatic episode, Healy visits Hillbrush, where Chairman Philip Coward showed her how the 40,000 brushes a week Hillbrush supplies to Numatic are manufactured. Healey also sees firsthand how brushes are made and the types of material used for different kinds of brushes – from the stiff cocoa fiber used for hard brushes to the softer materials used to brush a horse’s face.
To see the full episode, visit BBC iPlayer – Inside the Factory – Series 6: 10. Vacuums.
Hillbrush was founded in 1922 by brothers Fred and Bill Coward in Mere in Wiltshire, UK, and Hillbrush is still family-owned and run. The company originally manufactured brushes for the dairy and agricultural industries. In 1981 Hillbrush was granted a Royal Warrant to supply traditional brushes to the Royal Households and retains the Warrant to this day. In the 1980s the business diversified and through innovation and product development, it successfully introduced a range of plastic-backed brushes for use in the food and beverage industries. In 2016 Hillbrush moved sites, still in Mere, to a new state-of-the-art facility enabling them to manufacture a broad range of brushes. The new site also houses the “Visit Hillbrush” visitor center combining a boutique gift shop, restaurant and completely unique brush museum. For 2022, Hillbrush is celebrating its centenary year – 100 years of British manufacturing at its best.
For more information, visit www.hillbrush.co.uk.
