Our History – Over 40 Years of Excellence in UK Metal Fabrication
The Fabric of Success: Grenville Engineering’s Storied Evolution Since 1984
Grenville Engineering – Our History
Over 40 years of sheet metal fabrication and engineering expertise
Grenville Engineering was established in Stoke-on-Trent in 1984 by John, Helen and Mark Barratt, with five dedicated shop floor employees.
Operating from a Portakabin and a small workshop, the business began with a manual punch and a Strippit machine. From these modest beginnings, Grenville Engineering has developed into a 58,500 sq ft sheet-metal fabrication and precision-engineering company supporting customers across the UK.
Building the foundations
Grenville Engineering was founded during a challenging period for British manufacturing. The early team relied on practical engineering knowledge, flexibility and shared determination to build a dependable fabrication business.
John Barratt brought valuable experience from the defence and automotive industries, along with a strong belief in investing in manufacturing technology.
In 1985, Grenville Engineering formed an important partnership with a leading company in the earth-moving industry. This relationship established the business within the fabrication sector and continues today.
The company also began supplying customers in the automotive industry, producing large-volume batches and developing experience in repeat manufacturing.
Investing in quality and capacity
As the customer base grew, Grenville Engineering invested in machinery, employees and transportation.
During the early 1990s, the company purchased a 7.5-tonne lorry, enabling larger production batches to be delivered to customers across the UK.
In 1997, Grenville Engineering achieved recognised quality accreditation following a rigorous implementation process. This marked an important step in the company’s development, and it subsequently moved to ISO 9001, which it continues to operate today.
Further investment included a plasma cutting machine with a high-definition cutting head. This introduced new manufacturing opportunities and allowed Grenville Engineering to support a wider range of customer requirements.
Introducing laser cutting
In 2000, Grenville Engineering invested in its first laser cutting machine, a TRUMPF L2530 1.8kW laser. This was a significant milestone in the company’s development.
This provided greater cutting accuracy, repeatability and production speed, strengthening the company’s sheet metal fabrication capabilities.
Laser cutting capacity continued to grow. A second machine was negotiated during the difficult economic conditions of 2009, positioning the business for the market recovery. By 2012, Grenville Engineering had installed a third laser, supporting sustained growth.
Modernising design and production
Between 2005 and 2007, Grenville Engineering worked with Staffordshire University through a Knowledge Transfer Partnership led by Dali Dong.
The project modernised the company’s IT infrastructure and production systems, improving planning, communication and manufacturing efficiency. Dali later joined the Grenville Engineering board of directors.
In 2007, SOLIDWORKS 3D was introduced in the planning office. This strengthened the company’s design-for-manufacturing capabilities and enabled the team to work more effectively with complex customer drawings and models.
Today, Grenville Engineering’s in-house design team supports customers with CAD, reverse engineering, prototyping and design for manufacture.
Building the foundations
Grenville Engineering was founded during a challenging period for British manufacturing. The early team relied on practical engineering knowledge, flexibility and shared determination to build a dependable fabrication business.
John Barratt brought valuable experience from the defence and automotive industries, along with a strong belief in investing in manufacturing technology.
In 1985, Grenville Engineering formed an important partnership with a leading company in the earth-moving industry. This relationship established the business within the fabrication sector and continues today.
The company also began supplying customers in the automotive industry, producing large-volume batches and developing experience in repeat manufacturing.
Grenville Engineering was established in Stoke-on-Trent in 1984 by John, Helen and Mark Barratt, with five dedicated shop floor employees.
Operating from a Portakabin and a small workshop, the business began with a manual punch and a Strippit machine. From these modest beginnings, Grenville Engineering has developed into a 58,500 sq ft sheet-metal fabrication and precision-engineering company supporting customers across the UK.
Building the foundations
Grenville Engineering was founded during a challenging period for British manufacturing. The early team relied on practical engineering knowledge, flexibility and shared determination to build a dependable fabrication business.
John Barratt brought valuable experience from the defence and automotive industries, along with a strong belief in investing in manufacturing technology.
In 1985, Grenville Engineering formed an important partnership with a leading company in the earth-moving industry. This relationship established the business within the fabrication sector and continues today.
The company also began supplying customers in the automotive industry, producing large-volume batches and developing experience in repeat manufacturing.
With four decades of experience
Grenville is committed to providing outstanding customer service and technical expertise to its diverse range of customers from concept to delivery.
Offering a wealth of experience and dedication in producing the highest quality products from Carbon Steel, Stainless Steel and Aluminium to all specifications, using the latest Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. As a result, Grenville continues to maintain its position as the leading sheet metal fabrication company.
Find out how we can help today
Call Grenville Engineering on 01782 577 929
or email us at sales@grenville-engineering.co.uk