SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Michael Smith Switchgear Ltd
The leadership team at Michael Smith Switchgear
There are 284 solar panels on MSSL’s building in Leicester
The interventions have delivered tangible benefits: energy costs are down by more than 20% and fuel costs by 26%. MSSL’s carbon footprint per employee is now 50% lower than it was in 2018, despite significant business expansion. Championing people Sustainable development extends beyond the environment for MSSL. The company has implemented a suite of policies to foster inclusion, professional development, and wellbeing. Female representation in the workforce has risen by 300% and there is a close focus on apprenticeship pathways for young engineers. Employee engagement initiatives, from Lunch and Learn sessions to mental health support, have driven down absence rates. MSSL has won nine consecutive RoSPA Gold Medals for safety over the last decade. Sector and community engagement MSSL is also an active participant in its industry and community. As well as developing leadership- level involvement with industry bodies, including BEAMA and ICAEW, the company works on youth employment projects with local charities including Menphys. This provides workplace visits for young people with disabilities. MSSL also extends impact through its supply chain auditing. In this way, it spreads good practice, influencing partners to adopt more sustainable practices. Notably, MSSL’s efforts have been recognised with more than 20 awards, including regional, national, and international recognition from the likes of Make UK and industry giant Schneider Electric. “MSSL’s goal is to achieve Net Zero comfortably ahead of the UK Government’s 2050 target, serving as a blueprint for sustainable growth in British manufacturing”
Michael Smith Switchgear Ltd (MSSL) halved its carbon footprint while doubling business growth, and the company’s remarkable progress means it is running seven years ahead of Make UK’s Net Zero Roadmap. Now in its 40th year, the Leicester company has transformed from a traditional family business into an industry leader in sustainability. MSSL’s deep commitment to the environment and wellbeing of its people has been coupled with robust commercial growth. MSSL manufactures low voltage switchgear assemblies and power distribution solutions for critical infrastructure, including hospitals, data centres, schools and other large buildings around the UK. The company’s carbon reduction journey began in earnest in 2013, when directors Sean Smith and Emily Smith placed sustainable development at the heart of the business. Their vision was clear: to align manufacturing growth with sound environmental stewardship, workforce wellbeing, and high quality standards. Halving footprint, doubling growth MSSL’s impact from modest origins has been remarkable. In just five years, the company halved its carbon emissions while growing revenues by 64% to £7.3 million and increasing workforce by 37%. Change was delivered through strategic allocation of resources to support an increasingly impactful string of sustainable development initiatives, including: • Extensive use of R&D project to redesign products, reducing copper raw material usage by more than 20%. • Installation of 284 solar panels, now generating 36% of the company’s electricity. • Transition to electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. • Purchase and preservation of 17 acres of local woodland. • Comprehensive recycling, cutting landfill waste by 100% in three years.
The Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP with Emily Smith and Sean Smith
MSSL has won a string of awards for its work on sustainable manufacturing
Blueprint for the future MSSL continues to innovate. Plans are underway for further solar expansion, green roofing, rainwater harvesting and use of digital technology to further reduce energy consumption. The goal is to achieve Net Zero comfortably ahead of the UK Government’s 2050 target, serving as a blueprint for sustainable growth in British manufacturing. MICHAEL SMITH SWITCHGEAR LTD 4 Elland Road, Braunstone Frith Industrial Estate, Leicester, LE3 1TU Tel: 0116 275 4100 • info@mssl.uk.com www.mssl.uk.com michael-smith-switchgear-ltd
King’s Awards Magazine 2025
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