An insight into DMM: World-class height safety gear

At DMM we manufacture gear that climbers, arborists, and rescue professionals around the world trust with their lives. As Technical Director, I’m responsible for the technical teams, manufacturing equipment, and processes that turn product ideas into highperformance gear trusted in extreme environments – from initial design through prototyping, tooling, manufacture, and certification to internationally recognised standards.

By Stuart Sissins, Technical Director, DMM

DMM began in 1981, cold forging carabiners in a converted art room in Bethesda. Back then, production was manual and small-scale. In 1986 we moved into our Llanberis site and started our own forging lines. Today, we employ over 200 people and export to more than 50 countries, serving professional and recreational users across climbing, arboriculture, rescue, and industrial height safety.

DMM has long been recognised as a benchmark for innovative forged metal goods, and we now complement that with a state-of-the-art CNC machining line and a growing textile department –furthering our manufacturing capabilities, which in turn has allowed us to significantly expand our product range.

Supporting both our own products and subcontract manufacturing requires a skilled, multidisciplinary team: designers, machinists, toolmakers, and production staff – all collaborating to sustain the quality and innovation we’re known for.

A clear example of that innovation is the Cortex – our newest technical ice axe. It follows the legacy of the DMM Rebel, a hot-forged ice axe that was ahead of its time and even featured in the Tomb Raider game and movie franchise. The Cortex represents a modern response to current needs, developed alongside elite athletes for exceptional performance in demanding environments: lighter, more precise, and crafted on advanced CNC milling machines. It recently won the UK Outdoor Industry Award 2025 in the Climbing category and helps keep DMM relevant in the global winter climbing community.

Innovation at DMM isn’t limited to climbing gear. Another part of my role has been helping expand our textile capability in North Wales. A standout success is the Kinisi harness – a modular harness used in arboriculture – launched last year and now supporting five full-time roles. Designed, stitched, and assembled in Wales, it combines durability, comfort, and patented metal components from our forging and CNC departments, showing how we’re building on our heritage to meet the needs of today’s users and markets.

For DMM and for me personally, keeping manufacturing in Wales is strategic. It gives us control, resilience, and identity. We’ve demonstrated it's possible to create world-class equipment and a globally competitive business from rural North Wales – not by outsourcing, but by investing in skills, capability, and our long-term vision. The goal is not just to maintain that capability, but to evolve it and stay at the forefront of modern manufacturing.

For DMM and for me personally, keeping manufacturing in Wales is strategic. It gives us control, resilience, and identity. We’ve demonstrated it's possible to create world-class equipment and a globally competitive business from rural North Wales.