Trains, jet engines and a rail cluster of 100 firms
A train factory, a jet engine maker and a car plant all sit within a few miles of each other around Derby. Alstom's Litchurch Lane works is described as the UK's only end-to-end train manufacturing site, and a contract to build 29 battery-electric trains there is expected to start production in 2028. Yellow Rail is relocating onto the site. The wider rail cluster is put at about 100 companies employing 25,000 people.
Cluster firms buy steel in a particular way: fixed drawings, controlled finishes, batches and a firm date. Our workshop is 12,000 sq ft under cover across two buildings, structural work runs under BS EN 1090 factory production control, and welders are coded in MIG, TIG and MMA. The itemised quote arrives within 24 hours in the working week and the lead time is confirmed in writing.
Derby buyers who commission fabrication
- Rail manufacturing and maintenance Suppliers in the Litchurch Lane cluster order jigs, handling frames, access platforms, walkway steelwork and welded brackets, normally to drawing and in repeat batches.
- Aerospace and engine suppliers Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace is based at Derby Commercial Park, Raynesway, and is the city's largest private employer. Supply firms order rigs, stainless and aluminium TIG parts, and enclosures.
- Automotive and heavy equipment Toyota employs about 2,500 at Burnaston, two miles outside the city boundary, and JCB Power Systems is in the county. Suppliers order machine bases, guarding, bins and welded fixtures.
- Construction contractors Bowmer + Kirkland ranks among Derbyshire's largest companies. Contractors in the county order supply-only stairs, fire escapes, handrails and structural steel under EN 1090, for their own erectors to fit.
The larger jobs behind a Derby enquiry
A Derby enquiry is often a batch: forty identical welded brackets with a paint spec, a set of access platforms and ladders for a maintenance shed, or galvanised walkway sections for a depot. Aerospace work leans to small stainless or aluminium fabrications, and plant contractors ask for skids and lifting frames. Finishes run from raw to RAL wet spray, powder coat and hot-dip galvanising, which we arrange. Quantity, finish and lead time sit on separate quote lines.
Containers for Derby yards and depots
Depots and plant yards use modified containers as tool stores, parts stores and plant rooms. We frame openings into the rails, fit doors, windows and roller shutters, and do linking, stacking, cut-downs, repairs and repaints. You supply the units or we source them. Around eight units a week is our capacity, so a depot that wants four or five identical stores can have them in one run. See container modifications.
Fabrication for rail depots and production floors
Rail and plant buyers ask for walkways, handrails, access platforms and equipment frames, plus enclosures for generators, batteries and switchgear. Structural pieces are BS EN 1090 controlled and can be UKCA or CE marked. Coded TIG welders handle stainless and aluminium in their own area, apart from carbon steel. Hot-dip galvanising is arranged by us, and stairs and walkways are supplied to fit. See walkways and railings.
Derby industrial estates south and east of the ring road
Raynesway Park Industrial Estate and Derby Commercial Park lie on the Raynesway side of the city. Wyvern Business Park, Pentagon Trade Park and Sir Francis Ley Industrial Park are other named sites, and City Road Industrial Park, Racecourse Industrial Park and Crompton Road Industrial Estate give more small and mid-size units. Indurent Park Derby on the DE21 side offers modern units on flexible leases. Many have yards that suit a flatbed delivery.
Why a Bedford workshop can cost Derby 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 Derby 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 Derby
Derby is 86 road miles from Marston Moretaine, about 98 minutes by car, using the M1 and the A50. Our logistics partners deliver to your site, and we plan the day with you around the M1 near Junction 24, since a loaded lorry takes longer. Because everything is made in-house, the price often lands below that of local fabricators. Collection from the yard is available if you prefer.
Rail depots and production sites often have controlled gates. Our engineers visit to measure up, so tell them the induction rules, the maximum vehicle height and weight, and where the offload will take place. Say what lifting is on site and we agree the drop with you. Fitting is carried out by your own installer; we supply steelwork finished and ready to place.
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
Do you make parts for rail suppliers around Derby?
We make welded frames, platforms, walkways and brackets to drawing, in batches. We cannot claim approvals your client holds, so send the specification with the enquiry and the quote will list what applies.
Do you deliver to Derby?
Yes. We organise delivery from Marston Moretaine over the M1 and A50, 86 road miles and about 98 minutes by car. Engineers can visit your depot or works first, and the arrival day and offloading are agreed with you.
Can you galvanise Derby orders after fabrication?
Yes. Hot-dip galvanising is arranged by us and shown on the quote. Tell us about size limits and any drain holes your drawing needs, and we confirm the lead time in writing.
Do you fit walkways and handrails at a Derby depot?
No. We supply them finished and ready to fit, and your installer fits them on site. We can advise on bolt positions and lifting points when you send the drawing.
Nearby areas
We also quote for firms in Nottingham, Loughborough, Leicester and Hinckley. See every town on the areas we serve page.