The Vinyl Factory man in black tshirt working at factory machinery yellow protective gloves record

The Vinyl Factory

Industry
Arts & Entertainment
Vinyl Records
Location
Hayes, London
Workforce Size
32
Est
2001

The Vinyl Factory is a music company that includes a record label, vinyl pressing plant and venue space. The pressing plant based in Hayes, West London is on the former site of the EMI pressing plant and currently produces over two million records a year. It is the UK's biggest vinyl manufacturer and only one in London.

The Vinyl Factory man sitting in leather chair behind desk record covers displayed behind him
The Vinyl Factory factory machinery with black record

The Business

In its heydey in the 1950s and '60s, EMI's 150 acre site in Hayes had 20,000 workers, many of them making records. In 2001, when EMI closed its factories believing there was no future in vinyl, the original 1960s and 70s equipment was purchased by Mark Wadhwa and Tim Robinson, who went on to found The Vinyl Factory. Now based in Enterprise House, one of the old EMI buildings, The Vinyl Factory Manufacturing meets the growing demand of the vinyl revival with its thirty-two-strong team of skilled staff, experienced in operating and maintaining the iconic, custom-built EMI 1400 presses.

Factory Visit

"I knew the vinyl revival was huge but wasn't aware quite how great the demand is. The Vinyl Factory are struggling to keep up and due to the old-school process of creating vinyl there are only so many records they can make a day. It was fascinating seeing a small 'puck' being transformed into a beautiful record - by steam powered pressure! Very cool indeed." Carmel King photographed The Vinyl Factory in November 2021 for Made in London.

"The music industry has had many peaks and troughs, and a lot of people are jumping on the vinyl band wagon. But we're not in it to stack them high and sell them cheap. We're in it to make the world's best records. A lot of the major record labels are trying to get in on the action - having turned their back on physical music and are trying to buy all our capacity. But that's not how we work. We're first come, first served. So if you were to give me an order this morning, it goes in the queue. You can be Sony, BMG, Universal, or you can be Joe Blogg's Records - it doesn't matter. It was the first job in this morning, so it will fit wherever it's meant to fit in the production line. I think the popularity is coming back from people realising that when you buy a bit of physical music you get a sleeve, you get a lovely bit of print. It's tangible. It can become a hobby. You have to devote time to it rather than it just coming into your ears via your phone. I'm obviously biased, but I think the younger generation are listening to vinyl and they've gone 'Wow - that's how music's meant to sound'."
Adam Teskey, Manufacturing Director
The Vinyl Factory woman packing completed records in sleeves with stack of cardboard boxes behind her
The Vinyl Factory two woman packing completed records in sleeves with stack of cardboard boxes behind her