The Factory

The Factory is an innovation space for making, digital fabrication and product design in the heart of South Bristol.

Based in Filwood Green Business Park, KWMC: The Factory offers laser and CNC cutting facilities, product design and prototyping services, and opportunities for training and business support. From making furniture, signage, installations and exhibitions to creating prototypes and new designs, our friendly team can support you with your making needs.

The Factory also offers a programme of residencies, training courses and volunteer opportunities, providing support and advice for those looking to develop these new skills into a career or business of their own. A full list of our services can be found below. To organise a visit or consultation contact us on 0117 403 2306.

The History of The Factory

The Factory has its roots in the Eagle House Pop Up Furniture Factory – a six-month pilot programme that offered training and employment to Knowle West residents from a temporary base in a disused former youth centre. During our time as leaseholders of Eagle House, we worked with a team of artists, makers and local people to complete a large commission for MIDAS and Bristol City Council to kit out Filwood Green Business Park, making nearly 500 pieces of bespoke wooden furniture. In May 2015 we moved our manufacturing enterprise into one of the new business units at the Business Park and it was renamed KWMC: The Factory.

In 2015 The Guild of Guardians presented its prestigious Alfred Telling Award to The Factory; the annual award recognises an entrepreneur starting their own business in a manual trade in the Bristol area.

 What our clients say about us:

“[The technicians] and the team at KWMC:  The Factory were great to work with. […] We wanted to work with a social business and we had seen the quality of their work on other projects.  From start to finish the service we received was excellent – and the final product is a much admired part of our new building.”
(Ben Silvey, Director of YMCA Bristol)

Gallery

The Snug at The Bristol Wing (Photo Credit: Matt Gutteridge)

The Snug at The Bristol Wing (Photo Credit: Matt Gutteridge)

The Snug at The Bristol Wing (Photo Credit: Matt Gutteridge)

“We loved working with The Factory on [our] Tinkering Space – the team were brilliant to work with from beginning to end, and have produced a really high quality, robust result that we and our visitors enjoy every day. They understood the creative brief we gave them and worked within limited time and budget to produce something really special. […] Even when we had a last minute setback with an untested idea we were asking them to try out, The Factory team went above and beyond on alternate solutions with good humour and patience.”
(Anna Starkey, Creative Director, We the Curious, Bristol)

Gallery

“Thanks so much for all the work your team have done in supporting me to make my plywood planters with CNC cutting. I really appreciate it, and if I didn’t have The Factory to get me started, I wouldn’t be at my current stage of scaling up to make larger batches.”
(Beck Prior, Design & Fabrication Artist, Priormade)