50 years of Trojan Baths – MD David Mosley on building a leading family-run brand

As Trojan Baths celebrates 50 years in business, MD David Mosley looks back on the events that have contributed to half a century of success, and discusses growth, legacy and innovation.

Q: Trojan is celebrating its 50^th anniversary – in what key ways has the business evolved over the years?
A: Our 50^th anniversary represents a remarkable milestone in Trojan’s history. Since my dad Maurice Mosley started the business in 1975, Trojan has grown from humble beginnings into one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of acrylic baths, with a workforce of 180 and a turnover of £30million today.

I took over the family business as MD in 2012, and my brother Adam also a company director. Since then, we have grown Trojan’s offering through product development, strategic acquisitions and investment in manufacturing capabilities and new products.

This includes the acquisitions of 3 iconic bathroom names; Thomas Crapper & Co in 2016, Mantaleda Bathroom & Co in 2019, and Traymate Products in 2021. Each of these milestones have seen Trojan evolve as a business, with the latest enabling us to expand into the minimalist shower tray market.

Q: Do you think the bathroom industry itself has changed?
A: Yes, and in nearly all areas but to keep focused on products there have been significant changes. Firstly, the Group One colours of the late 70’s and 80’s has been consigned to history! In terms of acrylic baths, moulding advancements have allowed manufacturers more design freedom and thin edge baths along with shaped baths such as the P, L, J & D have been made possible. Similarly, twin skin modern freestanding baths have seen a surge in their popularity. Likewise with shower trays there is a definite pull towards gel coat trays as we begin to follow the European trend for natural materials and minimalist aesthetics.

Sustainability is now high on the agenda, and manufacturers must be conscious about reducing waste and being accountable, not only at a national level through legislation, but also in the community where they operate from.

Q: What would you say are the biggest challenges the business has had to overcome?
A: Trojan has weathered numerous challenges over the last 50 years, including an arson attack in 1977 and significant financial setbacks in 1991. However, away from the day-to-day hurdles there are a number of constant challenges that have not significantly changed in the last 5 decades:

Rising raw material costs have been a constant challenge since day one. MMA (used to make acrylic) has become more widely used in items such as paint, flat screen TVs and mobile phone screens, driving up competition for supply. Fiberglass has become increasingly expensive as it relies on huge amounts of energy to produce. Anti-dumping legislation means imports from the Far East offer no cost relief. Resin, steel and timber – all used in bath construction – coupled with rises in energy costs, labour rates, increased business rates and insurance costs, have consistently squeezed margins across the industry.

Low-cost imports, particularly from China in the late 1990s and Egypt, Turkey and Eastern Europe in the 2000s, created intense price pressures on domestic manufacturers. In 2004 there were 8 UK bath manufacturers, but a lack of investment to combat cheap imports saw 5 close at the cost of hundreds of jobs, fundamentally reshaping the domestic industry landscape.

Increasingly strict environmental standards around manufacturing processes, waste disposal, and product materials have required significant capital investments in cleaner production methods and compliance systems, adding operational complexity and costs.

The cyclical nature of construction and renovation markets, punctuated by major downturns like 2008-2012, has created unpredictable demand swings that are difficult to manage from capacity and workforce planning perspectives, requiring manufacturers to build greater operational flexibility.

These challenges have highlighted the critical need to build lasting relationships with both suppliers and customers. As a family business, we remain committed to long-term success rather than short-term gains, prioritising employee well-being, conducting business with transparency, and continuously striving for innovation. This approach has proven its worth – some of our key partners have remained with us since our founding, and over 50 employees have stayed for more than 20 years, providing the stability and expertise essential for navigating industry volatility.

Q: What have been the high points?
A: Over the years, we’ve achieved significant milestones. Securing Birmingham Corporation in 1976 as our first contract. Casting our own acrylic in the 1980s allowed us match Group One colours quicker than our competitors. Securing a national DIY outlet in 1998 that increased volume significantly. Successfully defending our product design in 2006 to more recently in 2024, opening a new 46,000sq ft shower tray manufacturing facility in Huddersfield. A move that involved major process upgrades such as a new casting machine and semi-automated packing systems and created 26 new jobs over a variety of skill sets.

The launch of our Bathe Easy range in 2015 addressed the need to remove bathing barriers and restore confidence in personal care needs. 

Our diversification has fuelled growth into new markets, such as the Middle East, supporting the construction boom in Abu Dhabi. We’ve also strengthened our commitment to sustainability through establishing a patented recycling method to remove chemically bonded reinforcements from bath off-cuts.

Reaching our 50^th anniversary is a major milestone and marks our success in a highly competitive industry, which has seen much of British manufacturing outsourced abroad.

Q: Tell us about your plans to develop the shower tray and accessible bathing ranges?
A: This year, our Bathe Easy product range – which delivers accessible bathing solutions – will expand with 4 new power lift baths, in response to the growing ageing population and demand for more assisted living bathing solutions. We are collaborating with a third-party partner on Living Showers and a Bath Out Shower In (BOSI®) solution specifically designed for the less-abled market, which is easy to install.

We are also introducing a new shower tray range for the European and UK markets later this year, with innovative waste design elements and unique, simple installation and maintenance features.

To continue to stay ahead of bathroom design trends, we are investing £180,000 in a digital transformation programme which includes integrating RFID technology for intelligent mould identification, and advanced automation systems to enhance critical production line processes. These improvements will increase production efficiency and capacity and improve traceability and quality control.

Q: What are you doing to celebrate the major milestone?
A: We celebrated our 50^th anniversary in June in a way that reflects our Yorkshire heritage and values. We hosted a special evening celebration bringing together our employees and loyal suppliers who have been integral to our journey at The John Smiths Stadium (now Accu Stadium) in Huddersfield, with a meal, comedy entertainment and photo opportunities.

I was immensely proud to celebrate this huge milestone in our journey with everyone who has made it possible. Here’s to many more years of bath manufacturing excellence!