What API Engineering does

API Engineering Ltd is a UK-headquartered (Norwich) heavy engineering company founded in 2000 that designs, specifies, and supplies bespoke and high-volume components for steel mills, oil & gas operators, industrial and agricultural OEMs, material handling/rail, and power generation customers worldwide. Its product portfolio spans steel mill capital equipment (ductile iron pipe moulds, mandrel bars up to 500mm diameter and 25,000mm length, rolling mill stands, rolls, cooling beds), industrial components (forged vehicle axles, gears, balance weights, pressed steel), power generation parts (forged retaining rings, large shaft forgings up to 18m/150 tonnes, wind turbine components), and OEM electrical safety devices (PP1214 purge system, Rotor Earth Fault Detector). Technical capabilities include FARO 3D scanning and POLYWORKS for reverse engineering and dimensional verification, and ANSYS Workbench 14.5 for electromagnetic, mechanical, fatigue, flow, and thermal FEA.

The company operates a vertically organized business model combining direct field sales with regional support in the UK, continental Europe, the Middle East, Australia, and North America, plus an in-house logistics division that ships consolidated consignments to every continent, including direct delivery to rig floors. It runs its own warehouse facilities in East Anglia (UK) and Texas (USA) and maintains a sourcing/inspection office in China. Revenue is generated through three streams: (1) made-to-spec heavy engineering component sales (project-based, no public pricing), (2) supply chain management as a managed service including procurement, inspection, consolidation, and freight, and (3) engineering services covering design, reverse engineering, consultancy, and training. The firm holds ISO 9001 certification (maintained since 2015, now in its fifth iteration) and is a privately held private limited company within the API Holdings group, with PPI Engineering Ltd operating as a sister company providing electrical and rotating-machine expertise.

Name

API Engineering

Legal name

API Engineering Ltd

Website

https://api-engineering.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

API Engineering Ltd is a UK-based, privately held heavy engineering company that designs, supplies, and manages the procurement of bespoke forged and cast components — including mandrel bars, large shaft forgings, and wind turbine parts — for steel mill, oil & gas, power generation, and industrial customers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heavy Engineering Components and Equipment

NAICS

Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339), All Other Miscellaneous General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (333998), Agriculture, Construction, and Mining Machinery Manufacturing (3331), Rolling Mill and Other Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing (333519), Overhead Traveling Crane, Hoist, and Monorail System Manufacturing (333923)

SIC

General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment, Nec (3569), Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550), Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530)

akta.pro primary industry

Crane & Hoist Components (Wire Rope, Chain, Drums, Sheaves, Motors, Controls) (IMAHAJAK)

Keywords

• Heavy engineering components
• Steel mill equipment
• Oil and gas equipment
• Supply chain management
• Reverse engineering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Norwich

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Heavy Engineering Components and Equipment Sales: Design, specify and supply a range of products for companies in the heavy engineering industries including steel mills, oil & gas, industrial & agricultural, automotive, material handling and power generation sectors. Products made to customer requirements including material specifications, heat treatment requirements, and surface finishes.
2. Engineering and Consultancy Services: Provides consultancy and design services, supply chain management, reverse engineering, and training. Includes engineering design, procurement, project management, inspection, and technical support.
3. Supply Chain Management: Manages procurement requirements including project supply contracts, supplier management, inspection, consolidation, freight and logistics services. Warehouse facilities handle thousands of consignments annually.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

API Engineering designs, specifies and supplies heavy engineering components and equipment — including mandrel bars, ductile iron pipe moulds, rolling mill stands, rolls, cooling beds, vehicle axles, gears, pressed steel components, forged retaining rings, large shaft forgings, wind power components, and OEM electrical safety devices — to manufacturers in the steel mill, oil & gas, industrial & agricultural, automotive, material handling and power generation sectors. The company complements this product portfolio with engineering design, supply chain management, reverse engineering and training services, acting as an outsourced manufacturing supply chain partner for industrial OEMs and operators.

Product overview

API Engineering designs, specifies, and supplies heavy engineering components and equipment for steel mills, oil & gas, industrial & agricultural, automotive, material handling, and power generation sectors. The product portfolio centers on steel mill equipment (ductile iron pipe moulds, mandrel bars, rolling mill stands, rolls, cooling beds), industrial/agricultural components (balance weights, vehicle axles, gears, pressed steel), oil & gas equipment, material handling solutions (rail components, bearing housings), and power generation parts (forged retaining rings, large shaft forgings, wind power components). The company also offers OEM electrical equipment including the PP1214 Purge System and Rotor Earth Fault Detector. Services include engineering design, supply chain management, reverse engineering, and training, all supported by ISO 9001 quality assurance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ductile Iron Pipe Moulds Steel moulds used in centrifugal casting of ductile iron pipes for water and sanitation systems, designed to withstand high temperatures, forces and repeated heating cycles. Supplied to major global ductile iron pipe producers.
• Mandrel Bars Vital tooling equipment for seamless tube production that internally supports the tube shell during elongation and wall thickness reduction. Capacities include diameters up to 500mm and lengths up to 25,000mm; available in MPM, PQF, FQM, Assel and plug/pilger mill types.
• Rolling Mill Stands Custom-built rolling mill stands used to control the outer diameter of products during elongation and diameter finishing processes. Available in 2-roll and 3-roll configurations.
• Rolls Forged and cast rolls in iron and non-ferrous metals for hot and cold rolling applications, including work rolls, backup rolls and transport rolls.
• Cooling Beds Equipment that carefully moves and cools hot steel after rolling. Available in walking beam, disc type and chain type configurations.
• Balance Weights Cast iron balance weights for heavy lifting equipment including tractors, bridges, elevators, forklifts, cranes, marine ballast and rail vehicles. Also includes APIMass modular weights for tractors.
• Vehicle Axles Forged vehicle axles for automotive, commercial and off-road sectors including construction, agriculture, mining, forestry and material handling applications.
• Gears Gear and gear components for industrial and commercial vehicle industries, including parallel shaft gearboxes, planetary gearboxes and worm gearboxes.
• Pressed Steel Components Pressed steel components serving automotive, agricultural machinery, commercial vehicles, mining, quarrying and safety equipment sectors, including welding, forming and cutting capabilities.
• Oil & Gas Equipment Equipment and consumables for both upstream exploration/production and downstream refining sectors, including drilling tools, mud systems, downhole tools, drill string components, instrumentation, valves, pumps, compressors, motors, generators, welding equipment and consumables.
• Rail Based Components Wheels, wheel centres and tyres for heavy industry (diameters 10–38 inches) along with couplers and buffers for railway and mining applications.
• Bearing Housing & Brackets Bearing housings, supports and seals for various applications including cylindrical roller bearings, tapered roller bearings and custom bearings.
• Forged Retaining Rings High-strength non-magnetic forged retaining rings resistant to stress corrosion, primarily used as rotor end caps for turbo-generators, with tensile strength from 830 N/mm² to over 1100 N/mm².
• Large Shaft Forgings Large shaft forgings for motors, generators, wind turbines, gearboxes and diesel engines in sizes up to 18m length and 2m diameter with maximum forging weight of 150 tonnes.
• Wind Power Components Large-scale wind turbine components including hubs, nacelles, base frames, rotor shafts, bearing housings and tower fabrications, supplied to major wind turbine manufacturers in Europe and North America.
• Purge System PP1214 Market-leading purge and pressurisation safety device for safe operation of electrical machines in hazardous areas Zone 1/21 and 2/22, designed to IEC 60079-2:2014 Ed 6 / EN 60079-2:2007 standards.
• Rotor Earth Fault Detector Device designed to detect fault currents between rotor field winding and earth in synchronous machines using infrared communication, rated IP66 for Zone 1 and Zone 2 hazardous areas.
• Consultancy and Design Services Engineering design, consulting and project management services for heavy engineering customers, including design specification, feasibility and project oversight.
• Supply Chain Management Project supply contracts, supplier management, inspection, consolidation, freight and logistics services, with warehouse facilities handling thousands of consignments annually in East Anglia UK and Texas USA.
• Reverse Engineering Reverse engineering, dimensional verification and quality assurance using FARO 3D scanning technology and POLYWORKS point cloud comparison software, used to replicate or replace obsolete parts.
• Training Technical training services for heavy engineering customers, delivered as part of API Engineering's service portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of mandrel bars supplied to steel mills worldwide over 20 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

One partnership is on record.

• PPI Engineering Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company providing comprehensive design, supply, commissioning and maintenance services for large motors and generators (30 kW to 100 MW). Supplies electrical components for wind turbines and provides rotating machine expertise for site commissioning team. Also provides all electrical components for cooling beds and power generation equipment.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SMS group: German plant and machinery manufacturer for the steel and non-ferrous metals industry, producing rolling mills, continuous casters, and tube/pipe manufacturing equipment — directly comparable to API Engineering's steel mill product lines (rolling mill stands, rolls, mandrel bars, cooling beds).
• Danieli: Italian manufacturer of plants and machinery for steelmaking and non-ferrous metals, supplying meltshops, rolling mills, and tube/pipe equipment — closely mirrors API's steel mill equipment portfolio and end customers.
• Sandvik AB: Swedish engineering group providing cutting tools, mining and rock processing equipment, and materials technology — comparable to API in serving mining, materials handling, and industrial OEM customers with engineered components.
• SKF: Swedish manufacturer of bearings, bearing housings, seals, and rotating equipment components — directly comparable to API's bearing housings, brackets, and power generation rotating equipment product lines.

Broad incumbents

• Metso: Finnish industrial machinery company specializing in mining, aggregates, and metals refining equipment — overlaps with API's mining and steel mill end markets and global project-based supply model.
• Andritz: Austrian industrial machinery group serving pulp & paper, hydropower, metal forming, and separation technologies — comparable as a global industrial machinery and components supplier with engineering services.
• Voith: German industrial technology company serving hydropower, paper, drive technology, and digital industrial sectors — comparable to API's power generation, large shaft forgings, and rotating equipment offerings.
• Wärtsilä: Finnish marine and energy technology company providing engine and power generation equipment and services — comparable to API's power generation equipment and oil & gas downstream service offerings.
• Voestalpine: Austrian special steel and industrial components manufacturer — comparable in steel components, automotive/industrial forgings, and heavy engineering material capabilities.
• ABB: Swiss-Swedish industrial automation and electrical equipment major — overlaps with API Engineering's electrical safety products (purge systems, rotor fault detectors) and broader heavy industrial electrification portfolio.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/api-engineering-ltd
• Xx.com/apiengineering_
• Facebookfacebook.com/api.engineering

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 API Engineering