Steelways was founded by Graham Whiting MBA and Jane Hilton BSc., in 1997.
Bob Halsey FCA joined as Finance Director and became a shareholder, in 1998.

Concept

Steelways was founded to offer one service and one product range.

The service was that of precision sheet metal production, including design, metal part production, painting, assembly and packaging. The “one stop shop” concept was built into the investment package and the business planning.

The product range was that of Cable Management for all types of industrial applications. The service and the Product were produced from one range of CAD/CAM and finishing equipment. The business plan was developed to harmonise with the skills and knowledge of the Founders.

Development In the UK

Over the following five years this process was actualised and the lessons learnt and experience gained were incorporated in the second strategic plan.

It was found that the  “one stop shop” concept was well accepted by our OEM customers. New investments allowed more possibilities of form, type and finish to be incorporated. Strong partnerships were built up with customers, including some who have now purchased their sheet metal and finishing requirements from Steelways for over eight years – almost the lifetime of the Company.

While designing and sometimes installing Cable Management in a wide range of Industrial and Sports and Healthcare facilities, Steelways discovered new product potential and market opportunities.
As a result of this, the second product range was developed and continues to be enhanced.

This second product range was Site Equipment. Sales of the first types of this Product commenced in 2003 and have grown tenfold over the succeeding three years. Growth continues apace in this range, both in new product variants and in sales volume.

Development In Europe

The companies sales profile was international from the beginning, with some customers requiring deliveries to mainland European locations. As the volume of European sales grew in the Cable Management ranges, a sales centre and warehouse was established near Cologne in 2000.

As sales volume developed, it became necessary to produce within the main German market, in order to reduce lead times and enhance customer confidence. The Steelways Production GmbH facility was established in 2003, near Dresden, with the same machinery and CAD systems as UK manufacturing.

German sales growth, as reflects the relative market sizes, has been more rapid than UK, particularly in support activities for the OEM market for precision machine tools and production systems. As international investment in the Saxony region, which is the Steelways Production base has continued, so the Company has benefited from finding local customers and staff expertise.

Cooperation between the UK and German facilities has developed well, based on their respective expertise and capacity. Germany began in 2006 to supply UK with finished Site Equipment Products and UK continues to service certain German Cable management requirements.