What Barum & Dewar does

Barum & Dewar is a UK-based specialist manufacturer of bespoke protective packaging, founded in 1998 and headquartered in Barnstaple, North Devon, with a dedicated CNC foam manufacturing facility in Southampton and a Scottish office in Dollar. The company designs, develops and manufactures custom transit and storage containers, fabricated enclosures, CNC-routed foam inserts, and 19-inch rack cases for clients in the space, defence, aerospace, subsea and industrial sectors. Its signature offering is the DELTA® modular container system — a reconfigurable aluminium-extrusion and honeycomb-panel design with patented corner and bracing technology — complemented by in-house shock and vibration analysis tooling and 3D CAD design on PTC Creo. Project scope typically covers payloads from 5 kg to over 5,000 kg and includes cleanroom-compatible, IP-rated and ruggedised variants.

The company operates a project-based, quotation-driven revenue model with bespoke pricing established per contract. The end-to-end service spans brief through delivery — technical design, materials selection, manufacturing, and through-life support including repair, recertification and reconfiguration — and a meaningful share of revenue comes from long-duration, repeat-order relationships. Named anchors include Thales UK (six-figure MSET contract plus a 20+ year periscope and mast container recertification programme for the Royal Navy), Airbus (20+ years), SEA (11+ years), Smiths Detection (monthly recurring deliveries), and Chivas Brothers (since 2014). The firm is registered in Scotland (SC168649), employs 11–50 people, and holds ISO 9001:2015 certification (20+ years), JOSCAR registration and Cyber Essentials certification.

Following its October 2023 acquisition by Macfarlane Group, Barum & Dewar operates within the Macfarlane Packaging division, retaining its brand and trade marks (including DELTA®) while gaining broader UK, Irish and Continental European distribution reach. Notable space-sector customers include Planet Labs, Astroscale, Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, NanoAvionics, Thales Alenia, Turion Space, and university-led programmes for ESA/CAS and SuperNEMO. In June 2026, Managing Director David Frame — who led the company for over 25 years — passed away, and the business appointed Julie Checkley as Business Development Manager in July 2025 as part of its ongoing commercial build-out.

Name

Barum & Dewar

Legal name

Barum and Dewar Limited

Website

http://www.barumanddewar.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Barum & Dewa is the design, manufacture and supply of protective cases.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Protective packaging manufacturing

SIC

Plastics Foam Products (3086)

akta.pro primary industry

Inflatable & Air Cushion Packaging (Air Pillows, Bubble Wrap Systems) (IMALAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Radomes & Composite/Aero Protective Structures (IMABAEAG)

Keywords

• Protective packaging solutions
• Bespoke transit cases
• Custom foam inserts
• 19-inch rack enclosures
• Flight cases

Headquarters

HQ city

Barnstaple

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Bespoke Packaging Design and Manufacture: End-to-end design, development and manufacture of bespoke protective packaging solutions including flight cases, fabricated containers, foam inserts, and 19-inch rack cases. Project-based revenue with significant repeat business from long-term clients. Revenue derived from both new project contracts and follow-on/repeat orders.
2. Through-Life Support, Repair and Recertification: Ongoing repair, recertification and reconfiguration services for existing containers. Includes safe working load testing, structural inspections, and modification for new payloads. Generates recurring revenue from established client base.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Barum & Dewar provides an end-to-end service for the design, development and manufacture of bespoke protective packaging solutions for high-value and mission-critical equipment. Core products include the proprietary DELTA® modular honeycomb-panel container system, customised flight cases, 19-inch rack enclosures built on partner chassis (Zarges, SKB, Thermodyne), and CNC-routed closed-cell polyethylene foam inserts, supplied primarily to defence primes, aerospace OEMs and the global space sector.

Product overview

Barum & Dewar is a full-service packaging solutions partner providing end-to-end service for the design, development, and manufacture of bespoke protective packaging solutions. Their product portfolio includes two main categories: (1) Standard case brands they supply and customize including Peli, SKB, Zarges, Thermodyne, B&W, Explorer, and bwh plastic and aluminium cases; and (2) Their own engineered offerings including Foam Engineering (custom CNC-routed foam inserts using closed cell polyethylene), 19" Racks (including Zarges Mitraset, SKB, and custom DELTA racks), Flight Cases (customizable to any size with various panel options), and Bespoke Fabrication (custom metal fabricated containers including their proprietary DELTA container line with modular honeycomb panels). The company also offers Sewn Products (bags, pouches, covers) and Timber & Corrugate solutions. Their DELTA containers represent their signature sub-brand featuring modular aluminium-extruded frames with honeycomb panels that can be scaled from small cases to over 4 metres high.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DELTA®: A range of modular fabricated containers with honeycomb panels secured into aluminium extruded frames, offering lightweight strength and reconfigurable design for satellite and sensitive equipment transit.

Products and services

• Sewn Products Bespoke bags, rolls, pouches and covers offered as practical alternatives to rigid containers, available as stand-alone items or for use within larger cases with optional foam inserts.
• Bespoke Fabrication Complete design and manufacturing service for bespoke metal fabricated transit and storage containers, handling frames, and trolleys, including satellite containers, DELTA containers, and small to medium scale containers built to customer specifications for space, defence and aerospace programmes.
• Flight Cases Custom flight cases in virtually any size with plywood, plastic, or aluminium honeycomb panels, including traditional and DELTA constructions with multiple colour options and tailored interior and exterior fittings for transport of sensitive equipment.
• Foam Engineering Engineered custom foam cushions manufactured at a dedicated UK facility using CNC routing from 3D CAD models, using closed cell polyethylene Zotefoams in LD15 to LD70 grades, including conductive, flame retardant, low smoke and high durability variants.
• 19" Rack Cases High quality 19-inch rack cases built on Zarges Mitraset, SKB, DELTA and Thermodyne platforms with shock, vibration and electromagnetic interference protection, custom internal metalwork, and fully customised rack flight cases for defence, aerospace and industrial electronics.
• Plastic Cases Waterproof rugged plastic cases from leading brands including Peli, Storm, Thermodyne, SKB, B&W, Explorer and bwh, supplied with IP ratings and combined with custom internal foam cushioning for sensitive equipment.
• Aluminium Cases Rugged aluminium waterproof cases providing protection for equipment operating in extreme conditions, sourced and configured for commercial and military use.
• Timber and Corrugate Timber crates and heavy duty corrugated cartons with internal foam or anti-vibration mounts, ISPM15 compliant and sustainably sourced for domestic and export shipments of larger or heavier equipment.
• DELTA® Modular Container System Proprietary modular container line of honeycomb panels secured into aluminium extruded frames with patented corners and bracing, scalable from small cases to over 4.5 metres high and reusable across repeat missions including satellite transit and storage for programmes such as Astroscale ELSA-M, Thales Alenia EPPM and UCL SuperNEMO.
• Through-Life Support, Repair and Recertification Ongoing repair, structural inspection, safe working load testing, reconfiguration for new payloads and recertification services for deployed containers, delivered under multi-year contracts (for example, the 20+ year Thales UK submarine periscope and mast container programme) and generating recurring revenue from established clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Containers designed for payloads ranging from 5kg to 5000kg
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers26 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pelican Products: Pelican (Peli) is the global leader in high-performance protective cases, offering injection-moulded copolymer cases that Barum & Dewar both distributes and competes with in customisation. Both companies serve defence, aerospace, and industrial customers with rugged protective case solutions.
• SKB Cases: SKB manufactures waterproof, MIL-spec rugged transport cases including the 3i series and shock rack variants. Barum & Dewar partners with SKB to customise cases for UK MoD and other defence customers with bespoke foam interiors.
• Zarges: Zarges produces precision-welded aluminium cases and 19-inch rack systems including the Mitraset line. Barum & Dewar distributes and customises Zarges products for defence and aerospace clients across the UK.
• Calzone Case Company: Calzone is a US-based custom protective case manufacturer serving defence, aerospace, and industrial customers with engineered shipping cases, rack cases, and fabricated containers. A direct competitor in bespoke defence and aerospace case manufacturing.
• Thermodyne: Thermodyne manufactures lightweight heavy-duty racks constructed from aerospace materials with high shock protection. Barum & Dewar partners with Thermodyne for 19-inch rack solutions in defence and aerospace applications.
• B&W International: B&W International manufactures rugged outdoor and protective cases used by military, photographers, and industrial customers. Barum & Dewar partners with B&W for case supply and customisation across defence and industrial segments.

Regional players

• GWP Group: GWP Group is a UK-based protective packaging manufacturer offering custom cases, foam inserts, and transit packaging. Both companies serve UK industrial and defence customers with bespoke protective packaging solutions, though GWP operates at greater scale and broader market focus.

Broad incumbents

• Macfarlane Packaging: Macfarlane Packaging is the parent company of Barum & Dewar following the October 2023 acquisition. Macfarlane Group is a leading protective packaging distributor in the UK, Ireland and Continental Europe, providing both complementary product lines and distribution scale to B&D.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/barum-and-dewar---complete-packaging-solutions
• Xx.com/barumanddewar

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Barum & Dewar