connecTDpeople is the Thomas Dudley mobile app for employees, “a one-stop destination for all your work-related needs.” It gives the people of a century old British manufacturer easy access to company news, payslips, time sheets and policy documents, “all from the convenience of their mobile devices.” It is built with AppPresser.
In this featured app spotlight, we take a closer look at the team behind connecTDpeople, what the app does, who it serves, and why it is such a strong example of what happens when a WordPress site and a mobile app work together.
Who Is Behind Thomas Dudley
Thomas Dudley Ltd has been manufacturing in the UK since 1920. Having helped develop and manage foundries across the country, Mr Thomas Dudley set up his own business in Dudley, in the West Midlands, half a mile from today’s head office. In 1934 the foundry moved to its current site on the Birmingham New Road, and in 1936 Thomas Dudley sailed on the Queen Mary’s maiden voyage to America, visiting foundries there to shape his vision for the company. By the 1950s the foundry was making cast iron WC cisterns, and a move into frost resistant rubber cisterns paved the way for a plastics division.
Over the following decades the company invested heavily, installing seven automated moulding lines between 1966 and 1988, and acquisitions brought Masefield-Beta, McDonald Diecasting, Waterfit and Rugby Plastics into the family. In 2020, the company’s 100th year, its plumbing businesses merged to create Tyde, which supplies more than 6,000 plumbing products. Today Thomas Dudley describes itself as a 100 year old family run company, employing around 500 people in the Black Country with turnover exceeding £50 million. In July 2026, it welcomed HRH The Duke of Gloucester to its offices and Manufacturing Centre in Dudley.
People are at the heart of the business. Thomas Dudley says it is “committed to the improvement of welfare and skills in our community through long-term investment in responsible UK manufacturing,” and its values are partnership, teamwork and family. Through Thomas Dudley Works, it offers careers and apprenticeships and works closely with local schools to inspire young people into manufacturing. The company is online at thomasdudley.co.uk.
What the connecTDpeople App Does
connecTDpeople brings company communication and everyday HR tasks together in one app. Employees sign in to see the latest news from around the group, read announcements, join the conversation and check their pay and hours, whether they are on the factory floor, in the office or at home.
Here are the main areas the app covers:
- Latest news and information from across Thomas Dudley and its businesses.
- Announcements and articles, such as features from Employee Insights Week.
- Comments and messages, so employees can interact with stories and with each other.
- Timesheets, with a detailed view of attendance for each pay period.
- Holidays, so employees can keep track of their time off.
- Payslips, P60s and P11Ds, available to view and download from an employee dashboard.
- Policy documents, including the employee handbook, so staff can stay informed of their rights and responsibilities.
- Useful links, such as the ePay help centre for employees.
What makes connecTDpeople distinctive is that it serves a workforce that does not sit at desks all day. In a manufacturing business, many employees never open a company email inbox, and an app on their own phone is the simplest way to make sure everyone sees the same news and has the same access to their pay and policies.
App Screenshots
Here is a look at the app. Use the arrows or the numbered buttons to move through the screenshots.
Latest news and information.
Announcements and articles.
Interact with comments and messages.
Timesheets and holidays.
Payslips, P60s and P11ds.
Test Drive the App
connecTDpeople is built for Thomas Dudley employees, who can download it on iPhone or Android and sign in to see the latest news, their payslips and their timesheets.
Key Features That Stand Out
Latest News
The home feed brings company news and information together in one scrolling list. In the screenshots, that includes a Hello Friday caption competition, news of a new valve male adapter from TD Plumbing Products and a post about Insights Week. It gives every employee the same window into what is happening across the group.
Announcements and Articles
Longer announcements open as full articles that are easy to read on a phone. One example from the screenshots is an Employee Insights Week feature describing a week of connection and engagement, with sessions and chats with company leaders. It is a simple way for the company to share its story with everyone at once.
Timesheets and Holidays
Employees can open their attendance timesheet for a chosen pay period and see each day’s hours, along with bookings awaiting calculation. Holiday information sits alongside it. Having this in the app helps employees keep an accurate record of the hours they have worked.
Payslips
An employee dashboard brings together payroll details, including payslips, P60s and P11Ds, with useful links like the ePay help centre. Employees can view and download their documents whenever they need them. It saves time for staff and for the payroll team.
At a Glance
- The employee app for Thomas Dudley Ltd, a UK manufacturer founded in 1920.
- Company news, announcements and articles in one feed.
- Comments and messages for interacting with colleagues.
- Timesheets, holidays, payslips, P60s and P11Ds.
- Quick access to policy documents such as the employee handbook.
- Available on iPhone and Android.
- Powered by a WordPress site through AppPresser.
Who connecTDpeople Serves
connecTDpeople is built for the roughly 500 people who work across Thomas Dudley’s businesses in the West Midlands, from foundry and plastics operations to product design and administration. Whatever their role or shift, they can use the app to stay informed about the company they work for.
It is especially useful for employees who work on the shop floor or away from a computer. Instead of waiting for a printed notice or a team briefing, they can read the latest news, check their hours and download a payslip from their own phone, at a time that suits them.
It also serves managers and the HR and payroll teams. Sharing news, policies and pay documents through one app means fewer questions about where to find things, and it helps the company live up to its value of family by keeping everyone connected.
Technology Behind the App
connecTDpeople is powered by Thomas Dudley’s WordPress app site, app.thomasdudley.co.uk, which sits alongside the company website, thomasdudley.co.uk.
The app is built from WordPress, and WordPress drives it. News, documents and employee content live on WordPress, and AppPresser carries that content straight into the app, so updates made on the site show up in the app without a separate system to manage.
Looking at the site itself, these are the platforms behind the experience:
What connecTDpeople Shows About AppPresser
Thomas Dudley runs connecTDpeople on a WordPress site, and the app shows how AppPresser can power an internal employee app as well as a public one. Content is managed in WordPress, and employees sign in to see it on their phones.
It also shows how BuddyPress can support workplace communication. Comments and messages give employees a voice, turning a one way news feed into a place for conversation and recognition.
And it shows how an app can connect a workforce that is not desk based. For manufacturers, logistics companies and other businesses with people on the move, AppPresser offers a practical way to put news, pay and policies in every employee’s pocket.
Congratulations to Thomas Dudley on building an app that keeps its people connected, more than a century after the company was founded. We are proud to have AppPresser behind it.
Do You Want Your Own App?
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If you need help or have any questions, tell us about your organization and what you’d like your app to do, and we’ll get back to you with a clear answer on costs and next steps.