Dunsinane Industrial Estate lies to south of the Kingsway, 2 miles (3 km) northwest of the centre of Dundee. Dunsinane Avenue runs through the centre of the estate, and the roads all take their names from summits in the Sidlaw Hills.
The first factory here was for Valentine and Sons Ltd., which was founded in Dundee in 1825, initially making wooden blocks for linen printing but growing to become an international greetings card manufacturer, producing 100 million cards per year. Originally based in Westfield Works on the Perth Road, the company built a new factory here in 1937, although this was never as extensive as intended due to the intervention of the Second World War. They were bought by board-games manufacturer Waddingtons in 1963 and then taken over by American giant Hallmark Cards in 1980. The plant closed in 1994 and, having lain empty for many years, was demolished.
The US-based jeans manufacturer Levi Strauss came here in 1972 and rapidly expanded, operating from a 5110 sq. m (55,000 sq. foot) factory on Kilspindie Road. At its height, nearly 700 people worked there, and a million pairs of jeans were made every week. It closed in 2002.
The principal manufactory here now is Dovetail Enterprises, which makes furniture, beds and doors. This is a charity formed in 1993 as the merger of the Royal Dundee Blindcraft Products and Lord Roberts Workshop for the provision of employment for disabled ex-servicemen.
