Reading's steel needs sit behind the offices
Visit Reading lists Microsoft, Oracle, Huawei, SSE, PepsiCo, PwC, EY and Bayer among the town's major businesses. Most of those are office and technology employers, and we would rather say so than pretend otherwise. What they and the buildings around them do need is plant: standby generators, rooftop platforms, switchgear housings, access stairs and screening. All of it is made from steel by somebody. The industrial estates around the edges of town are where that steel gets ordered.
That is the opening for a fabricator outside town. Contractors, facilities teams and industrial occupiers send us drawings and we price them in an itemised written quote within 24 hours in the working week. Welding is by coded welders, structural items are made under BS EN 1090 control, and lead time is confirmed in writing before you order. Commercial and trade only. Invoices go against your PO, and staged payments are available on multi-unit orders.
Who buys steel for Reading projects
- Technology and telecoms campuses Large occupiers run standby generators, battery rooms and plant decks. They order enclosures, skids, access stairs and rooftop walkways, usually through a mechanical contractor, to the contractor's drawing.
- Mechanical and electrical contractors Contractors working on Reading offices and labs order brackets, plant frames, platforms and handrailing made to site dimensions, supplied for their own team to fit.
- Trade and logistics occupiers Tenants of units at Portman Road and Calcot order yard stores, canopy frames, racking supports and modified containers for stores or plant, sized to their unit and yard.
- Utility and energy sites SSE is among Reading's named businesses. Utility and energy plant of this kind uses switchgear housings and equipment frames, which we build to drawing for the buyer's own installer.
Jobs that justify the road miles
Delivery from Bedford suits work that has some weight in it. A standby generator set needing an acoustic enclosure with its own lifting points and louvres is one example. A plant deck with stairs, guarding and handrail sections for a rooftop is another, as is a batch of switchgear housings or equipment frames in one RAL colour. Smaller one-off brackets are possible but not the focus. Plasma cutting and bending are in-house, laser-cut parts come from suppliers, and we arrange galvanising, powder coat or wet spray.
Containers for Reading building and utility sites
Contractors on Reading projects use containers for site stores, tool storage and temporary plant rooms. We 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 containers or we source them. Capacity is around 8 units a week, and a multi-unit order can be paid in stages. See container repairs for refurbishment work.
Plant enclosures and structural steel for Reading
Enclosures are the product that fits Reading best: generator, acoustic, plant, battery and switchgear housings made to your drawing. Structural steelwork is built under BS EN 1090 factory production control and can be UKCA or CE marked. We also make skids, machine bases, lifting frames and supply-only stairs, fire escapes, walkways and handrails. Stainless and aluminium parts are welded by coded welders in their own area. See steel enclosures.
Portman Road, Calcot and the M4 parks
Portman Road is described as an established industrial area, bounded to the north by the main railway line west, with Stadium Trade and Business Park on Loverock Road within the Battle Farm area. Pincents Kiln Industrial Park at Calcot has units to let, and the Smallmead site is allocated for industrial and warehouse floorspace. Reading International Logistics Park is described as moments from M4 junction 11, and Green Park is the larger business park on the south side.
Why a Bedford workshop can cost Reading 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 Reading 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 Reading
Reading is 72 road miles from our yard at Marston Moretaine, about 85 minutes by car via the M1, M25 and M4. Our logistics partners deliver there on a date we confirm in writing with the lead time. A loaded lorry takes longer than the car time, particularly on the slow M25 section. In-house manufacture means our price often works out lower than a Reading fabricator's. You can collect from the yard if that suits.
Reading sites range from open trade-park yards to town-centre plant decks with limited crane access. Our engineers visit to measure up, so tell them about gate widths, height restrictions, permitted delivery hours and the lifting available for offloading. We agree the drop with you before the steel leaves. Your installer fits the steel. 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
Will you send engineers to our site in Reading?
Yes. Engineers visit Reading sites to see the job and measure up, then we organise delivery of the finished work to you. At 72 road miles and about 85 minutes by car it suits larger or batch orders best, and we say so plainly if a small one-off is better sourced nearer.
Can you make enclosures for rooftop or yard plant in Reading?
Yes. We build generator, acoustic, plant and switchgear enclosures and the platforms and stairs that serve them. Give us dimensions, ventilation needs and lifting details, and each item appears on the itemised quote.
Which roads does delivery to Reading use?
The main roads are the M1, M25 and M4. Our logistics partners deliver from the yard to your site, and we agree the arrival window with you, allowing for M25 delays, because a loaded lorry takes longer than the car time.
Do you supply steel for M&E contractors who fit it themselves?
Yes. Most Reading orders are supply-only, with the contractor's own team fitting. We can send fixing details and drawings with the order, and invoices go against the customer's PO.
Can the steelwork be galvanised for outdoor plant?
Yes. Hot-dip galvanising is arranged by us as a finish option, alongside primed, RAL wet spray and powder coat. Name the finish and the coating specification in the enquiry.
Nearby areas
We also quote for firms in High Wycombe, Slough, Oxford, Aylesbury, Swindon and Southampton. See every town on the areas we serve page.