Plain structural steel behind aerospace and science
MBDA, GSK and Airbus between them employ over 5,000 people in Stevenage, and the town's business site lists BMW, Fujitsu, Costco and Tesco as other major employers. Aerospace, advanced manufacturing and life sciences all sit in the mix. None of those plants runs without plain structural steel: stairs, access platforms, equipment frames, plant housings. Stevenage is further from our workshop than most towns we serve, so the paperwork has to be clear from the first email.
We work to your drawing, with coded welders and BS EN 1090 control on structural items, and send an itemised written quote within 24 hours in the working week. Lead times are confirmed in writing, invoices go against your PO, and multi-unit jobs can be paid in stages. Commercial and trade only. Your own installer fits what we make, and we organise its delivery from Marston Moretaine.
Stevenage buyers who send drawings to a fabricator
- Aerospace and defence suppliers Supply chains around MBDA and Airbus order rigs, fixtures, frames and enclosures to drawing, some in stainless or aluminium, welded by coded welders in a separate area.
- Life sciences and pharmaceutical sites Plant at sites such as GSK's needs skids, equipment frames, walkways and handrail steelwork. We supply it made to drawing, for the site's contractor to install.
- Gunnels Wood occupiers Tenants across the 41 units at Gunnels Wood Park take access stairs, platforms, canopy frames and plant screens as supply-only steel for their own installers.
- Logistics and parcel depots New distribution units such as G-Park, with 206,280 sq ft across three buildings, bring in operators who order yard stores, cabins and plant enclosures.
Larger jobs that suit a Stevenage plant or unit
Science and aerospace sites tend to order small runs of precise pieces, while new distribution units order access steel in sets. Examples are skids and frames for process equipment, walkways and handrails round plant, test rigs and fixtures welded from stainless or aluminium, and several matching staircases for a block of units. Drawings are priced line by line and queries come back in writing before cutting starts. Finishes include primer, RAL wet spray, powder coat and hot-dip galvanising, which we arrange.
Containers for Stevenage construction and logistics sites
Stevenage's logistics and construction sites use modified containers for stores, welfare and plant rooms. We frame structural openings into the rails, fit doors, windows and roller shutters, link or stack units, and carry out cut-downs, repairs and repaints. The customer supplies the unit or we source one, and several identical units can be run through together. Recent units were about £3,400 to £6,800 each net of VAT. See structural modifications.
Enclosures, skids and frames to a Stevenage drawing
The larger Stevenage jobs we suit are enclosures for generator, acoustic, plant and switchgear equipment, skids, machine bases, lifting frames and batch brackets. Plasma cutting and bending are in-house, laser-cut parts come from suppliers, and finishes run from raw and primed to RAL spray, powder coat or galvanised. Structural items are made under BS EN 1090 control, so they can be UKCA or CE marked. See steel enclosures.
Gunnels Wood, G-Park, Centric and the older Stevenage estates
Gunnels Wood Park is a 16.9-acre scheme of 41 units from 2,229 to 31,928 sq ft. G-Park Stevenage on North Road offers three logistics units, Centric has two units of about 25,000 sq ft with 9m clear height, and the Motorway Industrial Estate runs along Babbage Road. Pin Green, Arlington Business Park, Hyatt Trading Estate, Bowman Trading Estate and Meadway Technology Park complete the picture.
Why a Bedford workshop can cost Stevenage 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 Stevenage 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 Stevenage
Stevenage is 32 road miles from Marston Moretaine, about 45 minutes by car, using the A421, A6, A507 and A1(M). A loaded lorry takes longer. We organise delivery through our logistics partners, and at this distance we agree the delivery date in writing so the load goes in one run. Because the work is made in-house, the price often works out cheaper than local fabricators.
Our engineers visit the Stevenage site to see the job and measure up. Secure sites often need driver details in advance, and logistics parks such as G-Park work to delivery slots, so confirm both with the site contact. Tell us what forklift or 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
Do you deliver to Stevenage?
Yes. We organise delivery to your site through our logistics partners, 32 road miles and about 45 minutes by car via the A421, A6, A507 and A1(M). Allow longer for a loaded lorry. Engineers can visit first to measure up.
Can you weld stainless for a Stevenage science site?
Yes. Coded TIG welding on stainless steel and aluminium is done in its own area, apart from carbon steel. Give us the grade and finish in the enquiry and each will appear in the itemised quote.
Will you quote on a drawing with a revision history?
Send the latest revision and we price from it. The quote is itemised and written, back within 24 hours in the working week, and the lead time is confirmed in writing before any order.
Will your engineers visit a Stevenage site?
Yes, for larger work. Engineers come to see the job and take measurements, and the quote shows each line separately, so you can compare it with nearer firms.
Do you supply steelwork for Gunnels Wood units without fitting it?
Yes. We supply stairs, walkways, handrails and frames made to drawing and your installer fits them. We do not install on site, so book your contractor for the day the steel arrives.
Nearby areas
We also quote for firms in Hitchin, Welwyn Garden City, Luton, St Albans, Cambridge and Harlow. See every town on the areas we serve page.