Every letting brings a steel list
Hemel Today describes the town as a mix of logistics, technology and regeneration, with Smiths Detection and Kodak Alaris both running significant operations that employ engineers and technicians. The industrial estates behind that story are busy with lettings: refurbished units at McDonald Business Park, new space at Prologis Park, multi-let warehouses on Maylands Avenue. A town in that state of constant turnover generates a steady flow of fit-out steel that landlords and tenants rarely want to make themselves.
Every letting tends to bring a fit-out, and every fit-out has a steel list. We make that list to your drawing, with coded welders and BS EN 1090 control on structural items. A written, itemised quote comes back within 24 hours in the working week, the lead time is confirmed in writing, and invoices run against your PO. Commercial and trade buyers only, and your own installer fits the steel.
Hemel Hempstead occupiers and what they order
- Incoming warehouse tenants Occupiers taking refurbished units with 7m eaves and loading doors, as at McDonald Business Park, add stairs, platforms and handrails as supply-only steel for their own fitters.
- Technical manufacturers Technical manufacturers such as Smiths Detection and Kodak Alaris, both with significant operations in the town, buy in test rigs, equipment frames, guards and enclosures, some TIG welded in stainless or aluminium.
- Prologis Park logistics occupiers Operators moving into units of 9,138 to 23,518 sq ft take plant enclosures, yard cabins and walkway steel, alongside modified containers for stores.
- Regeneration contractors Contractors working on Hemel's regeneration programme order temporary welfare units from modified containers, plus steel for site access, gates and temporary walkways.
Typical bigger fabrication orders for Hemel sites
Fit-outs on the Hemel estates call for steel in sets. Examples are a staircase and landing to a first-floor office or mezzanine, handrails and kick plates along a platform edge, a fire escape on the outside of a unit, plant enclosures and skids for the yard, and equipment frames for a technical manufacturer's test area. Dimensions are taken from the tenant's drawing and agreed in writing before cutting. Steel goes out primed, wet sprayed to a RAL colour, powder coated or hot-dip galvanised, with galvanising arranged by us.
Containers for Hemel contractors and operators
Contractors and operators around Hemel use modified containers as site offices, stores and plant rooms. We frame structural openings into the rails, fit doors, windows and roller shutters, and link or stack units, with cut-downs, repairs and repaints on request. The customer supplies the unit or we source one. Capacity is about eight units a week. Recent units were around £3,400 to £6,800 each net of VAT. See container modifications.
Stairs, enclosures and frames for the Maylands estates
Larger Hemel Hempstead jobs usually involve stairs, fire escapes, walkways and handrails, enclosures for generators and switchgear, skids, machine bases and lifting frames. Coded MIG, TIG and MMA welders do the work. Plasma cutting and bending are in-house, structural pieces can be supplied UKCA or CE marked under our BS EN 1090 control, and finishes include RAL spray, powder coat and galvanising arranged by us. See stairs and fire escapes.
Maylands, Prologis Park and the Hemel business parks
Maylands Business Park, with its banks, hotels and gym nearby, is the largest employment area. On Maylands Avenue you find Spring Park's multi-let warehouses, and Prologis Park has units from 9,138 to 23,518 sq ft. McDonald Business Park, Hemel Business Park on Appspond Lane and the campus-style Grovelands Business Park complete the list. We deliver from our yard and head south on the M1.
Why a Bedford workshop can cost Hemel Hempstead 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 Hemel Hempstead 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 Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead is 28 road miles from Marston Moretaine, about 36 minutes by car on the M1, and a loaded lorry takes longer. We organise delivery through our logistics partners. Lead time is confirmed in writing, so delivery can be timed to your tenant handover date. Making the steel in-house often brings our price in under local fabricators.
Our engineers visit the unit to see the job and measure up. Refurbished units with full-height loading doors make offloading simpler, but tell us the yard depth and turning space, and agree a slot with the landlord on multi-let sites such as Spring Park. Long stair flights need lifting, so say what is on site and we agree the drop with you. Your installer fits them.
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 supply fit-out steel before a Maylands tenant moves in?
Yes, provided the drawing is agreed. Lead time is confirmed in writing with the quote, so delivery can be timed around your handover date and your installer can be booked for the day the steel arrives.
What does an itemised Hemel quote look like?
It lists material, fabrication, finish and any container work as separate lines, and arrives in writing within 24 hours in the working week. Staged payments apply to multi-unit orders.
Do you install in Hemel Hempstead?
No. We make and finish in the workshop and organise delivery to your unit through our logistics partners, with our engineers visiting first to measure up. Your own installer fits the work once it has arrived.
Can you make an enclosure for a generator on a Hemel unit?
Yes. Send the generator dimensions, the airflow and exhaust arrangement and any noise target. We build the steel enclosure to that drawing, finish it, and your contractor places it. We do not size or commission the generator.
Do you deliver to Hemel Hempstead, and how long does it take?
Yes. The lead time depends on the job and is confirmed in writing before you order. We organise delivery on the run from Marston Moretaine, 28 road miles and about 36 minutes by car, with loading time on top.
Nearby areas
We also quote for firms in St Albans, Watford, Luton, Dunstable, Aylesbury, High Wycombe and Slough. See every town on the areas we serve page.