Broadwater: more than 50 years of Suffolk manufacturing expertise

From their base in Beccles, Broadwater has spent more than five decades building a reputation for quality manufacturing, technical expertise and innovation. Over that time, the company has grown from a small local operation into an internationally recognised manufacturer, while retaining the family values and commitment to quality that have underpinned its success from the beginning.

We met with Group Finance Director Mags Humphrey to hear more of their story – a story which begins more than 55 years ago with founder Pat Betts, who identified an opportunity to improve the efficiency of commercial vehicles through aerodynamic design.

As the business developed, its expertise in glass reinforced plastic (GRP) opened doors to new industries and applications, leading to the creation of Broadwater as a specialist manufacturing business in its own right. Today, the company produces GRP components for a diverse range of sectors. Many people may not realise they have already encountered Broadwater’s work.

Mags explained: “We make products for a variety of industries. Philips Medical is one of our biggest customers. If you’ve ever been inside an MRI scanner or a CT scanner, the covers that go around the equipment are one of our biggest markets. But we also make covers for JCB bonnets, post boxes, parcel delivery chutes and parts for Ariel sports cars. Anything that can be made out of glass-reinforced plastic, that’s what we do.”

Although the company has moved between sites over the years, Suffolk has remained at the heart of its story.

Now based at a purpose-built manufacturing facility in Beccles, Broadwater has experienced significant growth over the past decade, doubling its turnover while expanding into new markets and serving customers across the UK and overseas.

For Mags, the company’s strong local roots remain an important part of its identity.

“We’ve always been in and around Suffolk, and I think that has really helped us. It is key to our success because we have a good reputation in the local community. Pat, at 93, is still going and everybody knows Pat Betts. He has a really good reputation, and I think he prides himself on running a family-orientated company. Even though we are bigger now, we still have that small-company feel.”

That sense of continuity and connection to the local community continues to shape the company’s culture today. And, while manufacturing technology has evolved over the years, many of Broadwater’s core production processes still rely on highly skilled craftsmanship.

“We have robot trimming and other automated processes, but the basic process of actually creating the products is still very hands-on. It is physically demanding and it is highly skilled. Some of the people working with us have been here for more than 40 years.”

Developing those skills is a significant investment. Because many of the techniques used by the company are highly specialised, Broadwater provides extensive in-house training and development to help employees build expertise that cannot easily be learnt elsewhere.

Alongside manufacturing roles, the business also relies on engineers, team leaders, quality specialists, administrators and managers, all contributing to the delivery of complex products for customers around the world.

Another of Broadwater’s greatest strengths is its commitment to quality. Supplying products to the medical sector means meeting exceptionally demanding standards, and that focus on quality influences everything the company does.

“We have a really high level of quality. Because we provide parts to the medical industry, the standards of acceptance are incredibly high. I think that filters through to everything we do. When we supply other customers, whose standards may not be quite so demanding, the quality we produce is often in excess of what they would normally expect.”

The company also maintains an active research and development programme, adapting materials and production methods as regulations, technologies and customer requirements evolve. One recent development has been the expansion into vacuum forming, a process that offers greater efficiency for some products while also improving recyclability.

The move provides customers with a quicker and more cost-effective solution where appropriate, while helping reduce material waste and increase opportunities for recycling at end of life.

Broadwater’s achievements have not gone unnoticed. In 2024, the company received one of the UK’s highest business honours: the King’s Award for Enterprise for growth in international trade.

For the team, it represented recognition of decades of hard work and commitment.

“For me, our biggest achievement was in 2024, when we won the King’s Award for Enterprise for our growth in international trade. It was a real pinch-me moment because it is almost as though everything we had done was suddenly being recognised. It was somebody saying, ‘Yes, we recognise you. You’ve done well.’ That was really lovely.”

The company also went on to receive two East Suffolk business awards in the same year, further acknowledging its achievements and impact.

Alongside her role at Broadwater, Mags Humphrey is also part of the Suffolk Ambassadors programme, which brings together business leaders to champion the county and support its economic future.

For her, one of Suffolk’s greatest strengths is also one of its biggest challenges.

“In the East of England, in Suffolk and Norfolk, we tend to quietly get on with things. We do the best job we can, but we don’t necessarily shout about our achievements. I think that means we sometimes get overlooked.”

She believes programmes such as Suffolk Ambassadors help bring businesses together, share success stories and create a stronger collective voice for the region.

“Bringing groups of people together to share those stories of achievement, struggle and stress actually makes us stronger. When we go to central government and say, ‘This is what we need to carry on doing what we have been doing,’ we are stronger when we come together and ask for those things collectively.”

For a company that has spent more than half a century quietly building world-class manufacturing expertise in Suffolk, that message feels particularly fitting. Broadwater’s success demonstrates that some of the county’s most important businesses may not always be the most visible, but their impact can be felt far beyond Suffolk’s borders.