Earlier this year, Blue Ghost became the first commercial lunar lander to touch down on the moon.

Crucial to that mission’s success was its engine – a rocket designed and built in the Buckinghamshire countryside.

Number 38 on our list of the greatest items we make in Britain is The Rocket Engine.

At a former military base, Dr Ian Coxhill, chief engineer at Nammo UK, shows us around the workshops where propulsion systems are made for space agencies and commercial operators.

Ian demonstrates how to recreate the conditions of space at ground level, reflects on the art of engineering, and offers evidence to suggest robots aren’t going to replace humans yet.

Plus, we hear the roar of a rocket engine as one is put through its paces at the test facility.

Say hello on Instagram @thefactorynextdoor

The Factory Next Door is supported by AVEVA, a leader in industrial intelligence.

Sign up to their bi-weekly newsletter about manufacturing here:

www.aveva.com/factory

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We almost lost the art of building homes from oak in Britain. Thankfully, someone in Herefordshire wasn’t going to let that happen.

In today’s show we celebrate a dad who revived the medieval craft and built a business.

Number 37 on our list of the greatest items we make here is The Oak-Framed Home.

Merry Albright is creative director of Border Oak, and daughter of the founder, John David Greene. She shows us around the firm’s workshops in Leominster as we celebrate the skills her dad had to relearn and then teach others.

Also on the show, we consider why we stopped making homes from trees, invite MPs to look through the company’s business accounts, question why the planning system became so combative, and fall in love with a boxed heart.

Say hello on Instagram @thefactorynextdoor

The Factory Next Door is supported by AVEVA, a leader in industrial intelligence.

Sign up to their bi-weekly newsletter about manufacturing here:

www.aveva.com/factory

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The American sneaker market is worth $25bn. It is the biggest in the world – and growing. But it’s a crowded market. You need a stellar USP to stand out.

Sheffield-based trainer-maker Goral has one – and it’s finding success selling to US sneakerheads.

Number 36 on our list of the greatest items we make here is The Resoleable Sneaker.

On this week’s episode of The Factory Next Door, Dom Goral shows us how they’ve designed leather trainers with soles that can be replaced.

We chat about relocating the factory from Poland to a former school in Yorkshire, how influencers have helped build the brand in America, and why it’s good to question every part of the process.

Say hello on Instagram @thefactorynextdoor

Please consider voting for the show at this year’s British Podcast Awards:

www.britishpodcastawards.com/voting

The Factory Next Door is supported by AVEVA, a leader in industrial intelligence.

Sign up to their bi-weekly newsletter about manufacturing here:

www.aveva.com/factory

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.