Manufacturers used to be the focal point of their communities – the glue that kept them together, almost.

Today, most communities in the UK are seemingly unaware that manufacturers work among them.

But that doesn’t mean it isn’t still going on, and if the government is serious about levelling up, encouraging more companies to be that community linchpin would be a very good start.

Garment-maker David Nieper Limited is just such an example.

From skills training through to support for local education, the company (by no means a giant, with turnover of just under £20m) is a true pillar of the local community.

Tellingly, when the rush to ‘globalise’ (offshore) started in the 90s, the company resolutely refused to make their products anywhere but in the UK.

On this edition of Kaizen Central, we meet the company’s MD Christopher Nieper OBE.