What Stainless Metalcraft Chatteris Ltd. does

Stainless Metalcraft Chatteris Ltd. is a UK-based precision engineering firm that designs, manufactures, inspects and tests high-integrity pressure vessels, vacuum vessels, cryostats and cryogenic vessels for hazardous and demanding environments. Founded in 1864 and operating from a 13-acre site with 150,000 sq ft of dedicated workshop space in Chatteris, Cambridgeshire, the company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Avingtrans PLC (LSE: AVG) and employs over 130 people, including 19 apprentices. Manufacturing capabilities span manual and robotic TIG and plasma-arc welding, CNC machining, specialist concrete pouring, fabrication, laser inspection and non-destructive testing, delivered to PD5500, ASME, EN13445, AD Merkblatt, CODAP, BS EN ISO 3834, BS EN ISO 1090, and ISO 9001/14001/45001 standards, with Rolls-Royce 0007 Nuclear Sector Civil Supplier accreditation.

The company's core products are organised around regulated, mission-critical applications: ILW 3m3 stainless-steel duplex intermediate level waste containers and Vitrification Plant Melter Crucibles for Sellafield (the latter as the only UK-approved supplier); AWE High Integrity Vacuum Chambers for the Helen Laser Facility; cryostat vessel sets and magnet formers for global MRI manufacturers, representing over 50% of worldwide whole-body MRI cryostat supply; pressure vessels, vacuum vessels and cryostats for proton therapy machines; vacuum vessels and cryostats for CERN's Large Hadron Collider; loaded pressure vessel hulls for submarine rescue and decompression applications; and ultra-high vacuum chambers for data storage and computing customers.

Revenue is generated through bespoke design-and-build contracts and volume supply agreements sold via direct enterprise field sales to a concentrated set of long-tenured customers in nuclear, defense, big science, medical, power generation, submersibles and data centres. Pricing is custom, project-based and negotiated per contract, with multi-year terms (e.g. the £70m Sellafield ILW 3m3 box contract across ~6 years and a 1,000+ unit volume). The business operates as a single unified precision-engineering platform whose services range from Design-for-Manufacture and build-to-print to full turnkey packages using APQP and PPAP processes, with no standardised pricing and no external investors beyond parent Avingtrans PLC.

Name

Stainless Metalcraft Chatteris Ltd.

Legal name

Stainless Metalcraft

Website

https://metalcraft.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1864

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Stainless Metalcraft Chatteris Ltd. is a UK precision engineering firm (founded 1864) that designs and manufactures high-integrity pressure vessels, vacuum vessels, cryostats and cryogenic vessels for nuclear, medical, big science, defense, power generation, submersible and data-centre customers worldwide, as a subsidiary of Avingtrans PLC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision engineering and pressure vessel manufacturing

NAICS

Other Metal Container Manufacturing (332439)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559), Sheet Metal Work (3444), Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550)

akta.pro primary industry

Pressure Vessels, Columns & Storage Tanks (ASME/Process Vessels) (IMAHAEAF)

Keywords

• Precision engineering
• Pressure vessel manufacturing
• Nuclear containment
• Cryogenic vessels
• Specialist metal fabrication

Headquarters

HQ city

Chatteris

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Bespoke Manufacturing Contracts: Custom design and manufacturing services from build-to-print projects to full turnkey packages, typically project-based with long sales cycles in regulated industries.
2. Volume Manufacturing Contracts: High-volume production contracts for components like ILW containers, MRI parts, and pressure vessels, applying APQP and PPAP techniques for prototype development and production introduction.
3. Nuclear Decommissioning Equipment: Supply of high-value, safety-related equipment for nuclear waste decommissioning including containers, vessels, and turnkey packages. The 3m3 box contract with Sellafield is worth up to £70m.
4. Professional Services: Design for Manufacture (DfM), engineering services, commissioning support, and project management services bundled with manufacturing contracts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Stainless Metalcraft Chatteris Ltd. designs, manufactures, inspects, and tests high-integrity pressure vessels, vacuum vessels, cryostats, and cryogenic vessels for nuclear decommissioning, medical imaging (MRI and proton therapy), big science research (CERN), defense (AWE), submersibles, power generation, and data centre applications. The company delivers both bespoke build-to-print and turnkey packages as well as volume production runs to standards including PD5500, ASME, EN13445, and ISO 3834.

Product overview

Stainless Metalcraft is a precision engineering and manufacturing company producing high-integrity, mission-critical products for hazardous environments. The company operates as a single unified offering with bespoke and volume manufacturing services spanning multiple specialized product lines: nuclear waste containment products (ILW 3m3 boxes, vitrification melter crucibles), vacuum and pressure vessels (for MRI, proton therapy, Big Science applications including CERN), submersible pressure hulls, and power generation equipment. Services include bespoke manufacturing (build-to-print to turnkey packages) and volume supply with full lifecycle support. The company has delivered world-first products including the first clinical MRI systems, world's largest particle accelerator components, and deepest diving rescue submarine.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ILW 3m3 Boxes (Intermediate Level Waste Containers) Stainless steel duplex intermediate level waste (ILW) storage boxes for nuclear decommissioning programmes. The phase 2 contract involves volume production of over 1,000 containers over 6 years.
• Vitrification Plant Melter Crucibles Melter crucibles for the Sellafield Vitrification (VIT) Plant used in long-term storage of Highly Active Liquor (HAL). Metalcraft is the only UK approved supplier of these crucibles.
• SIXEP Remote Maintenance Pumps Remote maintenance pumps manufactured for Sellafield's SIXEP Continuity Plant (SCP) as part of the effluent treatment process for filtering radioactive material.
• AWE Vacuum Chambers High integrity vacuum chambers manufactured and tested for AWE (Atomic Weapons Establishment), designed in partnership with Cambridge Vacuum Engineering for the Helen Laser Facility.
• MRI Cryostats and Vessel Sets Vacuum and helium containment vessel sets for MRI scanners. Metalcraft supplies over 50% of worldwide whole body MRI cryostat vessel parts and magnet formers.
• Proton Therapy Equipment Components Pressure vessels for helium containment, vacuum vessels and cryostats for proton therapy equipment manufacturers.
• CERN Large Hadron Collider Components Vacuum vessels and cryostats for the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, Switzerland.
• Bespoke Manufacturing Services Custom design and manufacturing services ranging from build-to-print projects through to full turnkey packages, applying APQP and PPAP processes for development and introduction of new products.
• Volume Supply Services Volume manufacturing capabilities including full product lifecycle support, APQP and PPAP techniques for prototype development and introduction, and supply chain development.

Quantifiable outcome

• Workforce average age reduced from 54 to 41 years since apprenticeship program re-energized in 2013
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Altrad BabcockcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 July 2025Three Avingtrans companies including Metalcraft were appointed by Altrad Babcock to design and manufacture Remote Maintenance Pumps for the SIXEP Continuity Plant (SCP) at Sellafield. Metalcraft manufactured pump casings and provided quality and project management services.
• Hayward Tyler and Hayward Tyler Fluid HandlingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 July 2025Three manufacturing companies within Avingtrans PLC's Advanced Engineering Systems division came together for the SIXEP Continuity Plant project. Hayward Tyler Fluid Handling updated designs and manufactured pump internals; Hayward Tyler performed functional and performance testing developing a new custom test rig.
• Eastern Education GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 November 2023Eastern Education Group runs the North Cambridgeshire Training Centre (NCTC) that was officially opened by HRH Princess Anne. Metalcraft owns the land and was instrumental in creating the vision and facility, securing funding from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.
• West Suffolk CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 February 2022Partnership to manage and operate the North Cambridgeshire Training Centre (NCTC) on land owned by Metalcraft. West Suffolk College, one of the country's top apprenticeship providers, is responsible for management and providing technical, virtual and hands-on training for 80-130 students annually. The partnership is for an initial period of five years and aims to address vocational training gaps in North Cambridgeshire Fens.
• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined AuthoritycoreOthersThe Combined Authority Business Board provided £3.16m to fund the North Cambs Training Centre through the Local Growth Fund. Metalcraft secured this funding partnership for the training facility on their land.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Chart Industries: Global leader in cryogenic equipment and high-integrity pressure vessels for industrial gas, energy, and biomedical markets. Comparable on cryostat vessel manufacturing and large-scale pressure vessel production, though much larger and broader in scope than Metalcraft.
• CIMC ENRIC: Chinese-listed manufacturer of pressure vessels, cryogenic tanks, and LNG transport equipment. Comparable in industrial pressure vessel manufacturing and cryogenic storage, though serving different geographies and at much larger scale.
• Flowserve Corporation: Global flow control and pump manufacturer serving nuclear, oil and gas, power, and chemical markets. Comparable on high-integrity pumps and pressure-containing equipment for nuclear customers, though at far greater scale and with broader product portfolio.
• Senior plc: UK-listed precision engineering group serving aerospace, defense, and energy with high-integrity fabrications and fluid conveyance. Comparable as a UK-listed mid-cap precision engineer with similar certifications (ASME, EN standards) and nuclear/defense exposure.
• Vesuvius plc: UK-listed engineered ceramics and flow control specialist serving steel, foundry, and industrial markets. Comparable as a UK-listed specialty industrial manufacturer with similar scale, certifications, and B2B customer mix in heavy industry.
• Holtec International: US-headquartered supplier of nuclear fuel cycle and decommissioning equipment including spent fuel storage and transport containers. Closest large-scale peer to Metalcraft on the Sellafield ILW box programme, though operating at much greater scale across the US and globally.
• Babcock International (Babcock Mission Systems): Major UK nuclear, defense and submarine engineering incumbent operating at Sellafield and AWE-adjacent sites. Overlaps with Metalcraft on vacuum chambers, pressure vessels, and submarine rescue pressure hulls but as part of a much broader services and support portfolio.

Direct peers

• Hayward Tyler: Sister company within Avingtrans PLC's Advanced Engineering Systems division, specialising in pumps and fluid handling for nuclear and power. Directly comparable as a UK precision engineering firm serving Sellafield and similar regulated customers, with recent co-bid activity on the SIXEP Continuity Plant.
• Cambridge Vacuum Engineering: Long-standing Metalcraft partner on the AWE vacuum chamber project. UK specialist in vacuum and high-integrity fabrication with comparable precision welding and vacuum engineering capabilities, particularly for nuclear and scientific research customers.
• Altrad Babcock: Current customer and partner on the SIXEP Continuity Plant pumps. Comparable UK-based precision engineering firm operating in nuclear decommissioning, with overlapping capability in pressure vessels, pump casings, and high-integrity fabrications for Sellafield.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/stainlessmetalcraftchatteris
• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/metalcraft_2
• Xx.com/MetalcraftChat

Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stainless Metalcraft Chatteris Ltd.