As manufacturing and engineering in the Sheffield and the South Yorkshire Region has changed over the centuries, so the Company reflects this by highlighting the innovation in the region, as well as upholding its proud heritage. Freemen are drawn from the full range of manufacturing and engineering industries: traditional cutlery companies but also from advanced manufacturing, steel, digital engineers, food producers and construction.
Criteria
The current eligibility criteria to become a Freeman are:
Location: Operate within 1624 geographical area of “Hallamshire and six miles compass”, effectively the “S” Postcode and all South Yorkshire.
Role: Applicants should be a director, executive, or senior manager of a relevant organisation involved in manufacturing and digital manufacturing, including food manufacturing and construction. This may also include individuals who have contributed significantly at the highest level, to the manufacturing, food production, or construction industries, particularly in South Yorkshire, but who have since retired or moved on from that role.
Relevant Organisation: Defined as a business or research establishment engaged in:
The Company takes a broad view of manufacturing and is not limited to traditional industries. Consistent quality is required, and manufacturing is defined in accordance with Section 36 of the Trading Descriptions Act 1968, which states:
“That goods are deemed to have been manufactured or produced in the country [or city] in which they last underwent a treatment or process resulting in a substantial change.”
Applications are welcomed from all areas of manufacturing, including digital engineering, advanced manufacturing, food manufacturing, and construction-related manufacturing activities.
Food Manufacturing
Applicants from the food and drink sector must be from organisations operating at scale, involving strict quality assurance and regulatory controls, and significant use of production machinery, automation, or industrial processing systems.
Construction
Applicants from the construction sector should be from organisations engaged in construction at scale, including off-site manufacturing, modular construction, fabrication, civil engineering, or specialist construction services, where manufacturing principles, technical expertise, quality systems, and structured production processes are integral to delivery.
Research Establishments
In the case of a research establishment, applicants should be of at least the seniority of department head or professor and be business-minded individuals of recognised quality. They should have responsibility for, and qualifications in, metallurgy, materials science, engineering, construction technology, food science, or other appropriate STEM disciplines aligned with the manufacturing, food, or construction sectors.
