A railway city that still makes things
Peterborough's business history runs through railways, brickmaking and Perkins engineering, and the city still lists food manufacturing, process equipment and engines among its employers. McCormick runs a UK manufacturing and logistics operation here, and recruiters name Baker Perkins, McCain Foods and Flo-Mech as local engineering names. Plants like these keep generating plain steel orders. That is the market we serve from Bedford, close enough up the A421 and A1 to send engineers to a site and deliver larger orders to it.
Our part is the steelwork around the plant: frames, skids, enclosures, stairs and walkways, plus modified shipping containers. We build to your drawing in a 12,000 sq ft covered workshop at Marston Moretaine, with coded welders and BS EN 1090 control on structural items. You get an itemised written quote within 24 hours in the working week. Commercial and trade only. Lead time is confirmed in writing before you order, and invoices go against your PO.
Who in Peterborough buys this kind of steel
- Food and drink manufacturers Production sites use stainless and carbon steel platforms, equipment frames, guarding and handrailing. Coded TIG on stainless is done in its own area, kept apart from carbon steel.
- Engine and engineering firms Fengate has long had engine and machinery occupiers. They order machine bases, lifting frames, test-cell enclosures and batch brackets to drawing, in repeat quantities if needed.
- Warehouse and logistics operators The city's warehouse parks bring operators who need yard stores, plant rooms, cable and battery enclosures, and stairs or walkways supplied to fit a unit.
- Contractors on new industrial schemes Contractors fitting out new industrial units order steel stairs, fire escapes, canopy frames and balustrades as supply-only items, made to fit and handed over for their own installers.
The bigger jobs Peterborough firms commission
Larger orders from a city like this tend to be plant-side. A food site might need a run of walkway and stair sections, 20 to 40 metres of handrail and a set of equipment frames in one finish. An engine or machinery firm might want a dozen machine bases or lifting frames as a batch. A warehouse operator might order a block of site stores or battery enclosures. We plasma cut and bend in-house, buy laser-cut parts from suppliers, and finish raw, primed, RAL wet spray, powder coated or hot-dip galvanised, which we arrange.
Containers for Peterborough yards and depots
Warehouse and haulage yards in Peterborough run on containers: site stores, welfare cabins, tool stores and plant rooms. We cut and frame structural openings into the rails, fit doors, windows and roller shutters, link or stack units, and handle cut-downs, repairs and repaints. You can supply the units or we source them. Capacity is around 8 units a week. See container modifications for the range.
A container used as a store or plant room on a business site can count as a change of use, and Peterborough City Council says planning permission is needed in most cases where land or buildings change use. If you are unsure, the council takes a Proposed Certificate of Lawfulness application to settle it. Start at the council's planning permission page before the unit is ordered.
Structural steel and enclosures for city sites
For Peterborough's industrial sites we make structural steelwork under BS EN 1090 factory production control, supplied UKCA or CE marked. We also build generator, acoustic, plant and switchgear enclosures, skids and frames. Stairs, fire escapes, walkways and handrails are supply only, made to fit and ready for your installer. Stainless and aluminium work is welded by coded welders in a separate area. See steel enclosures.
Fengate, Bretton and the A1 parks
Fengate, known as Eastern Industry, is the city's long-standing industrial area, with Flagship Park and Rex Perkins Court among its listings. Coningsby Business Park sits in the Bretton Industrial Area with 36 units from 3,070 to 37,657 sq ft in steel portal frame buildings. Axis Park is close to the A1(M), Parigan Business Park is adding light industrial and warehouse space, and Workplace Property runs estates around Peterborough and Stamford.
Why a Bedford workshop can cost Peterborough 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 Peterborough 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 Peterborough
We organise delivery to Peterborough through our logistics partners, from our yard at Marston Moretaine: 53 road miles, about 70 minutes by car via the A421, A603 and A1. A loaded lorry takes longer, so timing is agreed with you when the quote is accepted. Everything is made in-house, which means the total often comes out cheaper than a local fabricator's. Collecting from the yard is optional.
Before we quote, our engineers visit your Peterborough site to see the job and measure up. Tell us about gate widths, overhead cables and turning room, and what lifting is on site for offloading. We agree the drop with you, and the steelwork or containers are set down on level ground or packers. Your installer fits and fixes. 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 quote for a Peterborough food site with stainless parts?
Yes. Coded TIG welding on stainless steel is done in its own area, away from carbon steel. Send the grade, finish and drawing, and each line is priced in the itemised written quote within 24 hours in the working week.
Do you deliver to Peterborough?
Yes. We are based in Bedford and organise delivery of finished steelwork and converted containers to your site through our logistics partners, 53 miles along the A421, A603 and A1. Engineers visit first to measure up, and we agree the drop with you, including what access and lifting there is on site.
Do I need planning permission for a modified container at Fengate?
It depends on how the unit is used and how long it stays. Peterborough City Council decides, and it offers a Proposed Certificate of Lawfulness to confirm. Ask before you order, since we cannot give planning advice.
Can you make repeat batches for a Peterborough engineering firm?
Yes. Brackets, frames and machine bases can run as batches against a PO, with staged payments on multi-unit orders. Lead time is confirmed in writing with the quote before you commit.
Do you fit what you make once it reaches the site?
No. DRST supplies the steelwork and converted containers, and your installer or contractor fits them. We can supply drawings and fixing details with the order so the fitter knows what is arriving.
Nearby areas
We also quote for firms in Huntingdon, Corby, Kettering, St Neots and King's Lynn. See every town on the areas we serve page.