Working with us

Residents working

There are a number of workshops at HMP Northumberland producing quality products and services for external clients.

  • This includes the textiles workshop, producing wide range of Cut Make and Trim (CMT) garments.  Current products are catering coats, food service aprons, shirts, bedding and towels.
     
  • The engineering workshop, which is capable of machining and fabrication of steel products is popular and currently produces security cages, racking, signage frames and security door parts.
     
  • The Pick and Pack workshop produces varied products and order fulfilments for third parties including travel guides, winter care packs, hygiene packs and electrical product assembly.
     
  • Another commercial venture is the digital print workshop, housing two large Canon printers and one large format printer available to print brochures, marketing material and posters.
     
  • There is a full scale commercial laundry capable of washing up to 500kg per hour and currently washes sheets, bedding, garments and work wear for three prisons.
     
  • The waste processing centres within the prison are able to separate and sort metals and plastics, dismantle media products and manage internal prison waste.

Benefits of working with us

Existing clients working with HMP Northumberland benefit from the following:

UK based production

  • Easy to visit once production has started, a textiles visit resulted in a minor amendment being made to garments after the first 100 had been completed.  Had manufacturing been based abroad all 3250 would have been made without the alteration.
  • Quick setup, one Pick and Pack operation started to work two weeks after the initial visit
  • Shared logistics – companies working at the prison are working together to reduce their shipping costs through sharing vehicles delivering raw materials or collecting finished products
  • Quick efficient turnaround. A flexible workforce in terms of numbers and weekend working ensures that the prison can meet timely deadlines.

Value

  • Sodexo cannot use the reduced cost of labour as an unfair advantage, where work is re-shored from outside the EU, pricing is set at a comparable rate.  Where work is competed for from within the EU pricing is set at approximately 90% of market rate.
  • There are currently no minimum orders.
  • Diversification, the majority of clients start working on one project in one area and soon find there is scope for more.  A Pick and Pack client has extended to six different product lines following form the initial introduction of the first product.  A textiles client has moved on from production to re-work of existing in use garments.  A waste management client has added the prison’s food waste as an additional product line and established another product line in textiles. 

Corporate Social Responsibility

  • Providing work for residents at HMP Northumberland contributes towards improving offenders’ skills and experiences to ultimately lead to improved employment opportunities on release and reduced re-offending.  Find out more about our commitment to reducing re-offending.
  • For every shift that prisoners work additional funds are generated for community reparation to help provide additional support for victims and improved resettlement services.

HMP Northumberland
Morpeth
Northumberland
NE65 9XG