About WEC Group
Operating from 10 sites across Lancashire, Merseyside, Yorkshire, Dorset, and the West Midlands, WEC Group is one of the UK’s leading engineering and manufacturing businesses. With over 1,100 employees and 760,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space, the Group delivers subcontract engineering and metal fabrication services to customers across a range of industries.
Made up of 15 specialist companies, WEC Group supports sectors including Aerospace, Defence, Oil & Gas, Nuclear, Mining, and Automotive with high-quality, precision-engineered solutions.
History
Founded in 1979 as a small two-person workshop in Darwen, Lancashire, WEC Group has grown into one of Europe’s leading contract manufacturing specialists. More than four decades of investment in advanced technology, skilled people, and engineering excellence have supported the Group’s continued growth and success.
Our Values
Our core values underpin everything we do at WEC Group. We are committed to integrity, excellence, positivity, teamwork, and safety, which shape our culture and drive continuous improvement. These values also support innovation and help develop the next generation of engineers through our apprenticeship programmes.
Why WEC?
We offer a fully in-house service, from concept and design through to fabrication and installation. Our experienced team works closely with customers to ensure every product is delivered to exact requirements.
Our Growth Over the Years
Since our beginnings in 1979, WEC Group has grown through strategic acquisitions and the development of specialist divisions, becoming one of the UK’s leading engineering and fabrication groups.
Our Nationwide Presence
With 12 sites across England, WEC Group has a strong regional footprint, allowing us to support customers nationwide with efficient and responsive engineering and fabrication services.
Steve Hartley - Founder & Managing Director of WEC Group
Steve Hartley is the founder and Managing Director of WEC Group. He co-founded the business in 1979 after being made redundant, starting from a 1,000 sq ft shed in Darwen, Lancashire, and building it into a multi-site engineering group employing over 1,100 people across the UK.
Having begun his career as an apprentice, Steve has consistently championed skills development. In 2006, he established the WEC Group Engineering Academy, which provides high-quality apprenticeship training in welding, fabrication, CNC machining, mechanical engineering, and other disciplines.
Under his leadership, the Group has also supported a variety of community and heritage projects, with apprentices contributing to local memorials, restoration work, and public installations, reflecting a long-standing commitment to engineering excellence and developing the next generation of skilled engineers.
Our Facilities
WEC Group operates 760,000 sq. ft. of advanced manufacturing space across 10 UK sites, supported by 15 specialist divisions. This extensive capacity allows us to deliver a wide range of complex projects, providing customers with a complete service from design through to finished product. Our facilities are located across Lancashire, Yorkshire, Merseyside, Dorset, the West Midlands and the East Midlands, enabling nationwide coverage.
This scale and geographic reach, combined with strong technical expertise, allows us to deliver high-quality engineering and fabrication services across multiple industries while maintaining high standards of safety, quality, and performance.
Shaping Tomorrow’s Engineering & Fabrication Experts
WEC Divisions
WEC Fabrication provides comprehensive metal fabrication services from a modern 60,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Darwen, Lancashire.
Equipped with advanced laser cutting, CNC punching, forming, welding, and assembly capabilities, we deliver high-quality fabrications for a wide range of industries. Our skilled team manages projects of all sizes, ensuring precision, efficiency, and exceptional workmanship throughout every stage of production.
With decades of manufacturing experience, WEC Fabrication supports customers across the UK, delivering reliable solutions tailored to individual project requirements.
WEC Heavy Machining Services provides precision post-fabrication machining services for a wide range of industries, including Nuclear, Aerospace, Oil & Gas, and Marine.
Based in Darwen, Lancashire, our advanced large-scale machining facilities allow us to manage projects fully in-house, from initial consultation through to machining and final inspection. We specialise in producing high-accuracy, complex components, delivering reliable solutions tailored to the needs of specialist engineering sectors.
WEC Laser, formerly Laser Engineering, was established in 1998 when WEC Group invested in its first laser cutting machine to strengthen its fabrication capabilities. As demand for precision laser cutting services increased, a second machine was introduced to expand subcontract offerings.
Since 2015, WEC Group has invested over £11 million in advanced automated laser cutting technology and facilities, enabling us to deliver efficient, high-quality laser fabrication solutions that meet the changing needs of industry.
WECJet provides advanced waterjet cutting services using state-of-the-art technology that meets the UK’s highest standards.
With the capability to cut materials up to 300mm thick, it expands WEC Group’s fabrication offering for materials and thicknesses that are not suitable for laser cutting. This allows us to deliver accurate, clean cuts across a wide range of materials, supporting high-quality, versatile solutions for a variety of industries and applications.
WEC Nuclear provides nationwide fabrication and contract manufacturing services for the nuclear industry from a large in-house facility supported by a highly skilled workforce.
Our capabilities include stainless, duplex and carbon steel fabrication for containment vessels, pressure vessels, hoppers, chutes, structural steelwork, and waste-handling equipment, all manufactured to the strict standards required by the nuclear sector.
Using advanced processes such as robotic welding, coded TIG, MIG and arc welding, precision machining, and full project management, we deliver high-integrity components efficiently and reliably. We are accredited to recognised industry standards and support both decommissioning and new-build nuclear projects across the UK.
WEC Plasma provides precision plasma cutting services for stainless steel, mild steel, carbon steel, and aluminium, handling components up to 10m x 2.5m x 50mm.
Using the latest multi-bevel high definition plasma cutting technology, we produce clean, accurate cuts to support a wide range of fabrication requirements. As part of WEC Group’s wider subcontract engineering offering, WEC Plasma strengthens our ability to deliver efficient, high-quality cutting solutions for a variety of industries and applications.
WEC Special Projects delivers nationwide stainless steel fabrication from a modern in-house facility. We handle both high-volume production and bespoke architectural metalwork, providing precise, engineered solutions for complex requirements.
With advanced equipment including pyramid rolls, sub-arc welding systems, and multi-tonne craneage, we produce durable, consistent fabrications for demanding structures. Our work in the architectural sector ranges from bridges and water features to street furniture and decorative installations, combining quality finishes with structural strength to meet the needs of designers, contractors, and public projects.
WEC CCTV is a manufacturer of high-quality CCTV poles, towers, columns, and accessories, specialising in robust camera mounting solutions.
With growing export demand, we supply our precision-engineered products to customers worldwide. Our CCTV structures are designed for security, surveillance, and industrial applications, providing tailored solutions that combine durability, reliability, and quality engineering to meet a wide range of project requirements.
WEC Rail specialises in the design and fabrication of rail infrastructure and structural components, including signal gantries, OLE main steel, small part steel, and trackside camera mounting systems.
We also provide EN 15085-accredited rolling stock metalwork, delivering high-quality rail components and sub-assemblies (Class 1–4). With increasing demand, WEC Rail supplies key rail structures across England and Wales, trusted for precision, compliance, and specialist engineering expertise.
WEC Powder Coating delivers nationwide powder coating services from a modern in-house facility.
Our advanced Gema powder coating system includes two automatic reciprocators and a 90% powder recovery system, supported by a 5-stage in-line pre-treatment plant. This allows us to produce durable, consistent finishes that meet the demanding standards of a wide range of industries, improving both the performance and lifespan of fabricated metal components.