Where Coventry's car and aerospace work meets steel
Coventry City Council's key sectors page names Jaguar Land Rover, Aston Martin, MIRA Technology Park, Unipart, Ricardo and Warwick Manufacturing Group, with NP Aerospace adding vehicle armour and advanced engineering. Rolls-Royce has three local aerospace sites, including Ansty, and local aerospace firms such as Nasmyth, Arrowsmith, JJ Churchill and Sigma sit in the supply chain. Those firms between them put a lot of fabricated steel into plant, tooling and test facilities.
Supply chains in automotive and aerospace work to documented drawings and revision control, and we are used to that. Send a drawing and you get an itemised written quote within 24 hours in the working week, with lead time confirmed in writing. Welding is by coded welders, structural items run under BS EN 1090 factory production control, and invoices go against your PO. Commercial and trade only.
Coventry buyers and the steel they order
- Automotive suppliers and test sites Plants and test facilities order line-side frames, tooling stands, guarding, mezzanine steel and handrails to drawing, often as repeat batches against a PO.
- Aerospace and defence supply chain Machine-shop and assembly firms around Ansty and the city order fixtures, rigs and enclosures. Stainless and aluminium parts are coded-welded in a separate area from carbon steel.
- Technology park occupiers Ansty Park, MIRA and university-linked sites need plant platforms, equipment frames, enclosures and access stairs, supplied for the site contractor to fit and sign off.
- Logistics and trade units Operators in Binley, Foleshill and the city's trade units order yard stores, canopy frames and modified containers for stores, welfare or plant.
Larger orders from a car and aerospace city
Typical orders we deliver to Coventry include a batch of test-rig frames or tooling stands for a vehicle programme, enclosures for plant at a technology park, and a run of access stairs and platforms for an assembly hall. A supplier's new line might need a dozen machine bases in a single finish. Plasma cutting and bending are in-house, laser-cut parts come from suppliers, and we arrange powder coat, RAL wet spray or galvanising. Smaller brackets and one-offs are possible but rarely worth a delivery on their own.
Containers for Coventry sites
Contractors on Coventry projects, and logistics operators in its trade parks, use containers as stores, welfare units, site offices and plant rooms. We frame structural openings into the rails, fit doors, windows and roller shutters, link or stack units, and carry out cut-downs, repairs and repaints. You supply the units, or we source them. See structural container modifications for openings. Capacity is around 8 units a week, and multi-unit orders can be paid in stages.
Precision frames and enclosures for Coventry plants
Structural items are fabricated under BS EN 1090 factory production control and can be supplied UKCA or CE marked. For plant, we build generator, acoustic, switchgear and battery enclosures, skids, machine bases and lifting frames. Supply-only stairs, fire escapes, walkways and handrails go to the contractor to fit. Coded TIG welding on stainless steel and aluminium is done in its own area, apart from carbon steel. See commercial steel fabrication.
Binley, Foleshill, Ansty and the trade parks
Binley Business Park is managed for Coventry City Council, and Albion Industrial Estate lies about 1.5 miles north of the centre. Triumph Trade Park is on the western side, Earlplace Business Park has four buildings totalling 127,747 sq ft, and Challenge Business Park, Hales Industrial Park and Abbey Industrial Estate complete the city list. Ansty Park is the technology park, and Warwickshire Connect Endemere is adding 20 units from 1,000 to 3,000 sq ft.
Why a Bedford workshop can cost Coventry less
Cutting, welding, finishing and checking all happen in our own 12,000 sq ft workshop, so no stage is passed to a subcontractor with its own margin. Delivery to Coventry goes through our logistics partners and shows as its own line on the quote. Put the two together and the total often comes in below a local fabricator, which is easy to check: send us the same drawing you've sent them.
Delivery and site visits in Coventry
Coventry is 54 road miles from Marston Moretaine, about 67 minutes by car via the M1, M45 and A45. Our logistics partners take the finished work from the yard to your gate, and we organise the booking with you. Allow longer than the car time for a loaded lorry. With fabrication, finishing and conversion all in-house, our price often comes out under that of local fabricators.
Automotive and aerospace campuses often control entry with gate booking, escorted delivery and set unloading areas, while older city units can be tight. Our engineers visit to measure up and note the rules, so share the gate dimensions and what lifting there is for offloading. We agree the drop with you. Your installer fits the steel. We do not install on site.
How a job runs
- 01.Send the drawing
PDF or CAD, a dimensioned sketch, or a photo of the old part. Quantities and the site postcode help.
- 02.Itemised quote in 24 hours
Material, fabrication, finish and haulage broken out line by line, with the lead time confirmed in writing.
- 03.Agree spec and finish
Sections, tolerances, weld spec and finish confirmed before anything is cut.
- 04.Fabricated inside our unit
Cut, welded and assembled by coded welders in our 12,000 sq ft Marston Moretaine workshop.
- 05.Check and paperwork
Dimensionally checked before dispatch; welder qualification and mill certificates on request.
- 06.Delivered to site
We organise delivery to your site through our logistics partners, or you can collect from the yard if that suits. One-offs and batches both welcome.
Work we take on
- Container modifications: conversions and modifications to drawing, single units or batches
- Structural openings: side openings, doors, roller shutters, linking and cut-downs
- Container repairs: panel, door and rail repairs and repaints for depots and fleets
- Steel enclosures: generator, acoustic, plant and battery housings
- Skids and frames: skids, machine bases, lifting frames and supports
- Commercial fabrication: fabrication to drawing, structural steelwork, one-offs and batches
- Stairs and fire escapes: supplied ready for your installer to fit
- Walkways and railings: handrails, platforms and ladders, supplied to fit
Frequently asked questions
Can you work to controlled drawings for a Coventry automotive project?
Yes. Send the current revision and we price from it, returning an itemised written quote within 24 hours in the working week. The lead time is confirmed in writing before an order.
Will you send engineers to our Coventry site?
Yes. They visit to see the job and measure up, and we then organise delivery of the finished steel or container to your gate. Coventry is 54 road miles and about 67 minutes by car, mainly the M1, M45 and A45, with the drop agreed with you beforehand.
Can you supply stainless or aluminium parts for an aerospace supplier?
Yes. Coded TIG welding on stainless steel and aluminium is done in a separate area, kept away from carbon steel. Give the grade and finish in the enquiry so each line is priced.
Do you supply structural steel with EN 1090 marking in Coventry?
Yes. Our BS EN 1090 factory production control covers structural steelwork supplied UKCA or CE marked. Tell us the execution class from your engineer when you send the drawing.
Do you fit the work on a Coventry site?
No. DRST makes and finishes the steel or container, and your installer or contractor fits it. Drawings and fixing details can go with the order.
Nearby areas
We also quote for firms in Nuneaton, Rugby, Hinckley, Lutterworth and Birmingham. See every town on the areas we serve page.