Drawings first: how Luton suppliers buy steel
The Luton Airport Enterprise Zone is set aside for aerospace and advanced engineering, and the town's wider employer list takes in easyJet, TUI, Wizz Air, Leonardo and AstraZeneca. Suppliers around names like those buy fabricated steel to a drawing, and they expect the quote to break down line by line before an order is placed. The same goes for the estates away from the airport, where operators order frames, platforms and enclosures for their own plant.
That is how we price. Every Luton quote is itemised, written and back within 24 hours in the working week, with the lead time confirmed in writing and an invoice raised against your PO. Welding is by coded MIG, TIG and MMA welders, including TIG on stainless and aluminium in a separate area, and structural pieces fall under BS EN 1090 control. We supply commercial and trade buyers only.
Luton buyers who order fabricated steel
- Aerospace and advanced engineering Firms in the Enterprise Zone order rigs, fixtures, frames and enclosures, some in stainless or aluminium, built from a customer drawing by coded welders.
- Airline and airport support With easyJet, TUI and Wizz Air all named among Luton's major employers, there is steady demand around the airport for steel stairs, platforms, handrails and equipment frames, supplied for the buyer's own installer.
- Pharmaceutical and science sites Operators with plant such as AstraZeneca's presence in the town need skids, equipment frames, plant enclosures and walkway steel for their own maintenance contractors to fit.
- Green logistics and transport Invest in Luton lists green logistics and transport among its sectors. Depots in that field order plant enclosures, canopy frames and modified containers for stores and equipment.
Larger fabricated work for Luton plant and airport sites
Luton's mix of aviation, science and logistics suits batch and assembly work. Examples are test rigs and fixtures welded from stainless or aluminium, generator and switchgear enclosures for airport-side plant, machine bases and lifting frames for production lines, and stairs and platforms for a mezzanine or equipment room. Parts are supplied raw, primed, wet sprayed in a RAL colour, powder coated or hot-dip galvanised. Where tolerances are tight, the drawing is checked line by line at quote stage and queries come back in writing.
Modified containers for Luton yards and depots
Depots and yards on Luton's estates use modified containers for stores, plant rooms and site offices. 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 around eight units a week. Recent units were about £3,400 to £6,800 each net of VAT. See container modifications.
Enclosures, skids and lifting frames from Marston Moretaine
The larger Luton jobs we suit are enclosures for generator, acoustic, battery and switchgear plant, skids, machine bases, lifting frames and batch brackets. Plasma cutting and bending are in-house, laser-cut parts come through suppliers, and galvanising is arranged by us. Structural items can be supplied UKCA or CE marked under our BS EN 1090 factory production control, and coded TIG welders handle stainless and aluminium. See steel enclosures.
From Capability Green to Stadium Industrial Estate
Capability Green Business Park lies just over a mile from the M1 and Luton Airport. Elsewhere you find Stadium Industrial Estate, with secure yards and roller shutter access, Park Avenue Industrial Estate on Sundon Park Road, and Bramingham Business Park beside the A6 Barton Road, about three miles north of the town centre. Sundon Business Park, Langley Terrace Industrial Park and Cotswold Business Park complete the list. We deliver south on the M1 from our Bedford yard.
Why a Bedford workshop can cost Luton 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 Luton 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 Luton
We organise delivery to Luton through our logistics partners from Marston Moretaine, 18 road miles and about 26 minutes by car, mostly on the M1. A loaded lorry takes longer, and the delivery time is agreed with you when the lead time is confirmed. For anything going airside or onto a secured site, tell us early so the vehicle registration and access paperwork are sorted. Fabrication is all in-house, which often makes the price lower than local fabricators.
For a Luton job our engineers visit the site to see the work, measure up and check the approach. Secured sites around the airport and the larger estates often need vehicle registration and a booked slot before a lorry can enter, and some have a height limit. Tell us the turning space and what lifting there is for offloading, and we agree the drop with you. Your own installer fits the steel.
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 a drawing from a Luton aerospace supplier?
Yes. We fabricate to a supplied drawing with coded MIG, TIG or MMA welders, and TIG on stainless or aluminium is done in its own area, kept apart from carbon steel.
What are the finish options for Luton jobs?
Raw, primed, RAL wet spray, powder coat or hot-dip galvanised. We arrange galvanising and list it as its own line in the itemised quote, so you can see what each finish adds.
Do you deliver to Luton sites?
Yes. We organise delivery to your Luton site from Bedford through our logistics partners, and our engineers visit beforehand to measure up. You can collect from the yard if you prefer. Your own installer fits the steel on arrival, as we do not install.
Do you hold a quality standard that a Luton prime contractor will accept?
Our factory production control is certified to BS EN 1090, so structural steelwork can be supplied UKCA or CE marked. Send your specification with the enquiry and we will say which clauses apply.
Can a Luton firm order a repeat batch after a first-off?
Yes. A first piece can be approved against the drawing, then the batch is built to the same pattern. The lead time is confirmed in writing and multi-unit orders can be paid in stages.
Nearby areas
We also quote for firms in Dunstable, Hitchin, Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, Leighton Buzzard, Welwyn Garden City and St Albans. See every town on the areas we serve page.