Why luxury car component maker Calder Metal Solutions is driving new acquisitions

The owner of a metal spinning business that makes parts for private aeroplanes and luxury cars is blazing the acquisition trail after buying five companies over the last 18 months and is in advanced talks with a further two firms.
Stephen Lawler, managing director of Calder Metal SolutionsStephen Lawler, managing director of Calder Metal Solutions
Stephen Lawler, managing director of Calder Metal Solutions

Calder Metal Spinning Company, based in Brighouse, was bought by Stephen Lawler, owner of Leeds Metal Spinning, three years ago with help from the Business Enterprise Fund.

The manufacturer makes components for a diverse range of industries, including heating, lighting and ventilation as well as transport.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mr Lawler is now on a mission to create a group of about 10 companies that cover a wide range of engineering processes.

They will retain their own names under the group name of Calder Metal Solutions.

“Each company has its own history and customer base. It’s a group of companies but they’re all autonomous. We want to be a one-stop shop for manufacturers,” he told The Yorkshire Post.

Calder Metal Spinning, which was founded in 1947, was turning over £500,000 when he bought the company

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The enlarged group, which employs 68 people, is expected to achieve a £5m turnover by the end of the year, reaching up to £15m once all the acquisitions have been made.

Mr Lawler said: “I grew Calder as much as I could when I bought it but there’s only so much you can do with a steady business like that. That’s when I started to add on other businesses.”

He added: “My aim is to build a group of strong manufacturing companies in the UK and add to our services. So we’re not just a metal spinning company, we can do welding, fabrication, machining, and CNC punching and pressing.”

Three of the companies in the group are in Yorkshire, two are in London and one is in Ireland.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

All the companies kept operating during the national lockdown.

The metal spinning company in London, Metal Spinners Group, formerly known as AG Major, became part of the Government’s ventilator challenge, making components for manufacturers.

At the same time, it was also making parts for submarines to fulfil an order from the Ministry of Defence.

The group put a handful of employees on the furlough scheme over the summer but all staff are now back at work. It has also taken on five more staff in recent weeks and plans to employ at least three apprentices over the next month.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I was a bit unsure about what the future held but over the last four or five weeks everywhere has got really busy. Manufacturing is just smashing it at the moment,” Mr Lawler said.

In Yorkshire, lighting, heating and ventilation industries are keeping the group busy. In London, it’s the building industry that is boosting business at the moment.

Mr Lawler has invested £100,000 in a new laser cutting machine to keep up with demand.

In some ways the industry has come full circle. In recent years a lot of large volume metal spinning work has gone to China where costs were lower. However, it looks like there might be a sea change happening.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Even before Covid happened, there were signs that things were turning,” Mr Lawler said. “We started to get a lot of the work coming back to the UK. I think it’s a mixture of not being able to get the parts from China at the beginning of the pandemic and also the ability to buy lower volumes at a lower cost from a local supplier.”

He added: “I’m hoping when things settle down a bit, we’ll be in a very good position to make the most of this going forward.”