More than £1 million is being invested by one of the UK’s oldest family-run companies as part of a programme to set the historic business up for future success.

Pudsey-based wool textile manufacturer Hainsworth, whose cloth covers the Woolsack in the House of Lords, features regularly in films such as Harry Potter and was used to make the uniforms worn by Princes William and Harry at the Royal Wedding in 2011, has also restructured the business and made several key appointments.

New faces also include a member of the eighth generation of the Hainsworth family, which has run the business since 1783.

About £400,000 has been pumped into improving machinery at the 250,000 sq ft mill which employs 164 people, along with improvements to the layout of office space.

Hainsworth has also significantly upgraded its IT to improve the supply chain and provide a platform for developing long-term customer relationships. Three divisions have been created at the 229-year-old business covering design, performance and protection overseen by managing director Tom Hainsworth and sales and marketing director Diane Simpson.

Tom Hainsworth said: “The new- look Hainsworth is the culmination of more than a year’s planning and implementation and creates a business which we believe is well placed to make the most of our opportunities in the UK and globally.

“Each of the new divisions is led by a dedicated business manager supported by specialist teams of sales, marketing and customer service professionals.

“Everyone within the business will be working in the knowledge that we have the best possible production machinery and IT platform to be able to deliver a high quality, super efficient and seamless service to all of our customers, suppliers and other partners.

“We are an incredibly diverse business with our longstanding work in protective wear for the emergency services, uniforms for the military, snooker and pool cloth for the leisure sector complemented by the launch last year of our first ever consumer lifestyle brand Scarlet & Argent and increasing demand for our fabrics within the fashion industry.

“In addition, we are developing and breaking into a number of exciting export markets around the globe including China, Australasia, Europe and the United States.”

Colin Whittaker has been recruited as business manager for performance and protection, while Michael Booth has joined as business manager for design.

Adam Hainsworth takes up a new position as finance director and Rachel Hainsworth becomes quality director.

Graham Hutton remains manufacturing director responsible for leading the production teams.

Rachel’s son Robert Taylor has joined the company for a year-long induction, becoming the eighth generation of the family to work in the business.

Hainsworth, which holds a Royal Warrant, is well known for manufacturing the scarlet cloth worn by the Queen’s Guards outside Buckingham Palace.

The company has been supplying cloth to the UK armed forces since the Duke of Wellington faced Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.