A short run from the MK grid roads
Milton Keynes has a long run of logistics sheds, engineering firms and plant operators, and much of what they need built is simple to describe and awkward to place with a workshop. A generator housing, a set of access steps, a container cut for roller shutters and doors, a batch of base frames. That is the sort of order a fabricator at Marston Moretaine can take from the MK estates, and it is why the town has a page of its own here.
A quote request from Milton Keynes gets an itemised written price within 24 hours in the working week, with the lead time confirmed in writing. We invoice against your purchase order, and multi-unit orders can be paid in stages. Daniel Thomas deals with quotes personally. We supply commercial and trade buyers only, with no domestic work, and the customer's own installer fits whatever leaves the yard.
Who in MK buys from a workshop like ours
- Logistics and distribution operators Magna Park and the other big sheds create demand for yard cabins, plant enclosures, access platforms and handrails, supplied to drawing for the operator's own contractor to install.
- Energy storage developers Gore Street's 80 MW Stony battery sits beside the Stony Stratford substation. Battery and grid projects need housings, skids and modified containers, and MK already has sites of that kind.
- Motorsport and advanced engineering Red Bull Racing has its headquarters in Milton Keynes. Firms in a supply chain like that order fixtures, frames and test rigs, sometimes in stainless or aluminium welded by a coded TIG welder.
- Manufacturers around Buckinghamshire Employers such as Hovis, McCormick, Martin-Baker and Bosch are named among the county's manufacturers. Plants of that size order machine bases, guards, walkways and platforms in repeat batches.
- Trade contractors and plant hirers Contractors working across the new-town grid need stores, site offices and welfare units cut from containers, with doors, windows and structural openings framed into the rails.
Larger orders that suit an MK buyer
Milton Keynes projects often want volume: several matching pieces supplied in one run. Examples are acoustic and generator enclosures for plant yards, battery and switchgear housings with cable entries cut to drawing, skids and machine bases for production lines, and lifting frames for warehouse equipment. Steel is normally supplied primed or powder coated, and hot-dip galvanising is arranged for anything that lives outdoors. Where several units share one specification, the first is approved before the rest are built, and staged payments cover the run.
Containers modified for Milton Keynes projects
Multi-unit container orders are the part of the business built for this kind of buyer. Capacity is around eight units a week, and 12 went through in one week. About 50 units were built for one repeat energy-sector contractor. Recent units cost about £3,400 to £6,800 each net of VAT depending on scope. Openings are framed into the rails, and doors, windows and roller shutters fitted. Details on structural modifications.
A container fitted out as a store or plant room on an MK business site may need planning permission, depending on its use, size, position and how long it stays. Milton Keynes City Council has dealt with a container on a pub site as development needing consent, so ask the council first. Its planning and building control pages are at milton-keynes.gov.uk. The site owner or tenant makes the application, not us.
Steel enclosures and frames for MK plant
The larger fabrication work we take for MK buyers includes acoustic and generator enclosures, battery and switchgear housings, skids, machine bases and lifting frames. Structural steelwork is covered by our BS EN 1090 factory production control, so it can carry UKCA or CE marking. Coded welders work in MIG, TIG and MMA, plasma cutting and bending are done in-house, and galvanising is arranged by us. See steel enclosures.
MK industrial estates and parks near the M1
Magna Park Milton Keynes sits near M1 Junction 13. The older estates are spread around the grid: Mount Farm in the south west, Tongwell, Wymbush, Kiln Farm to the north west and Blakelands. Regents Business Park on the western edge has self-contained industrial warehouses, and Caldecotte Lake and Linford Wood add business park space. Whichever estate the unit is on, we deliver to it from Bedford.
Why a Bedford workshop can cost Milton Keynes 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 Milton Keynes 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 Milton Keynes
We organise delivery to Milton Keynes from our Bedford yard through our logistics partners. It is 12 road miles and about 16 minutes by car on the M1, and a loaded lorry takes longer. The day is agreed with you when the lead time is confirmed in writing. Everything is made in-house, so the price often works out below local fabricators. Give us the unit count and weights with the quote request. You can collect from the yard if you would rather.
Our engineers visit the unit to see the job and measure up before the drawing is signed off. On MK estates the common snags are narrow service roads, shared yards and tight turning at the unit. Tell us what access and lifting there is on site, and we agree the drop with you so the units come off the lorry where you want them. Your own installer fits the steelwork once it has arrived.
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 make several identical units for an MK project?
Yes. Multi-unit orders are what the container side is built around, at about eight units a week. We confirm the lead time in writing and offer staged payments on larger orders.
Will your engineers visit our Milton Keynes site?
Yes. We are 12 road miles and about 16 minutes away by car, so engineers visit to see the job and measure up, and we organise delivery of the finished units to your site. You are also welcome at the workshop: ring Daniel Thomas on 07365 129991 to arrange a time.
Do you supply stairs and walkways for MK warehouses?
We supply stairs, fire escapes, walkways and handrails as supply-only. Your installer fits them. We do not install on site, so have your contractor booked for when the steel arrives.
Do I need planning permission for a modified container in Milton Keynes?
It depends on the use, size, siting and how long it stays. The council has treated a container on a pub site as development needing permission. Ask Milton Keynes City Council before ordering, as the application is the site owner's to make.
Can you cut openings in a container for an MK battery or plant room?
Yes. Openings are framed back into the rails so the box keeps its strength, and doors, vents and roller shutters are fitted to your drawing. Send the drawing with cable and vent positions marked.
Nearby areas
We also quote for firms in Leighton Buzzard, Bedford, Dunstable, Northampton and Bicester. See every town on the areas we serve page.