What Clarke Chapman does

Clarke Chapman Ltd is a UK-based specialist in bespoke materials handling and heavy engineering equipment, headquartered in Gateshead and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the privately held Langley Holdings plc. Founded in 1864 and structured as a portfolio of heritage brands (Wellman Booth, Cowans Sheldon, Stothert & Pitt, Butterley Engineering, Mackley Pumps, JND Technologies, and Clayton Locomotives following a January 2026 asset acquisition), the company designs and manufactures mission-critical lifting, handling, pumping, and locomotive systems for the nuclear, defence, rail, and heavy industrial sectors. Notable technical capabilities include 120+ nuclear handling cranes installed at Sellafield, transfer car systems used in Astute Class nuclear submarine launches, and a line of low- and zero-emission locomotives (battery, hybrid, trolley-powered) supplied to over 60 countries.

Revenue is generated primarily through direct enterprise sales of custom-engineered equipment, supplemented by OEM spare parts supply under Clarke Chapman Services (leveraging retained design drawings for legacy brands) and long-tail facilities management contracts covering installation, refurbishment, upgrade, and maintenance. The go-to-market is direct field sales to large industrial buyers, with multi-year sales cycles and bespoke engineering per project. Customer concentration is high, anchored by Sellafield Ltd, the UK Ministry of Defence, BAE Systems, and the UK rail network, with no public pricing transparency. The company is privately held under family-owned Langley Holdings (approximately €1.5B group revenue, 90+ subsidiaries), operates from six UK sites, and reports a headcount in the 11-50 range at the Clarke Chapman legal entity.

Name

Clarke Chapman

Legal name

Clarke Chapman Ltd

Website

https://clarkechapman.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1864

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Clarke Chapman Ltd is a UK-based specialist manufacturer of bespoke materials handling equipment — nuclear cranes, defence transfer systems, locomotives, and pumps — serving government and enterprise customers in the nuclear, defence, rail, and heavy industrial sectors through a portfolio of heritage engineering brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Materials Handling Equipment

NAICS

Overhead Traveling Crane, Hoist, and Monorail System Manufacturing (333923), Industrial Truck, Tractor, Trailer, and Stacker Machinery Manufacturing (333924), Construction Machinery Manufacturing (33312)

SIC

Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530), Construction Machinery & Equip (3531), Railroad Equipment (3743)

akta.pro primary industry

Cranes, Hoists & Overhead Material Handling (Industrial) (IMAHABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Overhead (Bridge) Cranes (IMAHAJAC), Site Delivery, Installation Support & On-Site Supervision (Door-to-Site) (TLACAIAM), Cargo Handling & Lifting Equipment (Cranes, Derricks, Hoists) (IMAJAIAB), Energy & Power Projects (Oil & Gas, Renewables, Power Generation) (TLACAIAB)

Keywords

• Materials handling equipment
• Overhead travelling cranes
• Nuclear handling cranes
• Industrial railway locomotives
• Heavy engineering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Gateshead

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Equipment Manufacturing: Design, manufacture, and supply of bespoke heavy engineering equipment including overhead travelling cranes, nuclear handling cranes, locomotives, transfer cars, and fluid handling pumps. Equipment is custom-engineered for mission-critical applications in nuclear, defence, and rail sectors.
2. Spare Parts Supply: Supply of OEM replacement parts and worn parts for equipment manufactured by Clarke Chapman and predecessor companies. Offers customized spare parts contracts for maintenance forecasting.
3. Facilities Management Services: Operation and engineering maintenance services for materials handling equipment. Includes installation, refurbishment, upgrade, relocation, accident salvage and repair services for rail, power, steel and defence sectors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Clarke Chapman designs, manufactures and supplies bespoke heavy engineering materials handling and lifting equipment — including overhead travelling cranes, nuclear handling cranes, transfer cars, locomotives, and fluid handling pumps — for mission-critical applications in the nuclear, defence, rail and heavy industrial sectors. The company also delivers spare parts supply, refurbishment, repair and facilities management services for its own and legacy OEM equipment installed at customer sites.

Product overview

Clarke Chapman is a British heavy engineering firm that operates as a portfolio of specialist brands rather than a single unified product. The company specialises in bespoke materials handling and lifting solutions for mission-critical sectors including nuclear, defence, and rail. The portfolio includes: Clayton Locomotives (rail locomotives for mining, tunnelling, metro and mainline); Wellman Booth (overhead travelling cranes for hostile environments); Cowans Sheldon (multi-tasking cranes and rail equipment); Stothert & Pitt (dockside and offshore cranes); Butterley Engineering (fabrication and engineering); Mackley Pumps (positive displacement and centrifugal pumps); and JND Technologies. Supporting these brands, Clarke Chapman Services provides spare parts and repair, while Facilities Management offers operation and maintenance services. The company also manufactures nuclear handling cranes, having installed 120+ at Sellafield, and transfer car systems for submarine launches.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Overhead Travelling and Severe Process Cranes (Wellman Booth) High-integrity overhead travelling cranes for hostile and exacting industrial environments, including nuclear power, reprocessing and waste handling applications. Sold to nuclear operators, defence agencies, ports, steel and power customers.
• Dockside and Offshore Cranes (Stothert & Pitt) Dockside and offshore cranes and related engineering services for port and marine operators globally.
• Multi-Tasking Cranes and Long Rail Delivery Systems (Cowans Sheldon) Multi-tasking cranes, related rail equipment and Long Rail Delivery Systems (LRDS) for railway and industrial customers.
• Transfer Car Systems Custom-engineered transfer car systems for submarine launch operations and other naval handling applications, designed to maintain interchangeability of critical components within naval fleets.
• In-Cell Handlers and Nuclear Cell Cranes In-cell handlers and cranes designed for nuclear waste treatment and encapsulation cells, including 60t Package Handling Cranes, 10t Box Operation Cell Handler Cranes and waste treatment cell handlers. Sold to nuclear site operators such as Sellafield Ltd.
• Clayton Locomotives (Bespoke Rail Locomotives) Bespoke battery, diesel, hybrid and trolley-powered locomotives for mining, tunnelling, metro and mainline railway operators worldwide. Focus on low- and zero-emission technologies with a heritage dating back to 1931.
• Mackley Pumps (Positive Displacement and Centrifugal Pumps) Engineered positive displacement and centrifugal pumps for fluid handling, de-watering and a range of industrial applications globally.
• Butterley Engineering Steelwork and Fabrication Industrial engineering and steelwork fabrication services for landmark structures and industrial customers.
• Clarke Chapman Services (Spare Parts, Refurbishment and Repair) Supply of OEM replacement parts, refurbishment and repair services for Clarke Chapman and legacy brand equipment (Wellman Booth, Stothert & Pitt, Cowans Sheldon, etc.), with customised spare parts contracts for maintenance forecasting.
• Clarke Chapman Facilities Management Operation and engineering maintenance services for materials handling equipment, including installation, refurbishment, upgrade, relocation, accident salvage and repair. Delivered to rail, power, steel and defence sector customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 120+ nuclear handling cranes installed at Sellafield, Europe's largest nuclear site
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Clayton Equipment LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2026Clarke Chapman acquired the assets of Clayton Equipment Ltd on January 8, 2026. Clayton has been building locomotives in Burton-on-Trent since 1931 and has supplied locomotives to over 60 countries. The acquisition reunites two former Rolls-Royce companies under Langley ownership. Clayton will continue as Clayton Locomotives Ltd.
• PaR Systems LtdminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 June 2012Wellman Booth and PaR Systems Ltd signed a collaboration agreement for joint product development in materials handling solutions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Konecranes: Global leader in industrial overhead cranes and lifting equipment (including nuclear-grade and process cranes), serving heavy industrial end markets with both equipment and service. Directly comparable to Clarke Chapman's Wellman Booth process-crane franchise.
• Mammoet: World-leading heavy lifting and transport specialist serving energy, petrochemical, and civil infrastructure markets. Comparable to Clarke Chapman's project-cargo lifting capability in hostile environments and nuclear/decommissioning work.
• Progress Rail (Caterpillar): Major global supplier of locomotives (EMD) and rail infrastructure products, including shunting and freight locomotives. Closely comparable to Clayton Locomotives' mining, tunnelling, metro, and mainline rail offering with similar customer segments.
• Kito Group: Specialist manufacturer of hoists, chain blocks, and overhead material handling equipment. Directly comparable to Clarke Chapman's process crane and hoist business in heavy industrial end-markets.
• Stadler Rail: Swiss manufacturer of rolling stock including locomotives (diesel, electric, hybrid) for mainline, shunting, and industrial rail. Direct comparable to Clayton Locomotives' battery/hybrid/diesel shunting and mining locomotives business.
• Sarens: Global heavy lifting and engineered transport provider with crane rental and engineered heavy-lift projects. Comparable to Clarke Chapman's bespoke engineered lifting and transport solutions across nuclear, energy, and civil end markets.

Broad incumbents

• Cargotec: Parent of Kalmar (port/terminal solutions), MacGregor (marine cargo handling), and Hiab (loading cranes). Direct competitor to Stothert & Pitt dockside cranes and adjacent to Clarke Chapman's heavy industrial material handling portfolio.
• Terex Corporation: Diversified industrial equipment manufacturer including material handling and port solutions. Compares to Clarke Chapman's cranes, dockside (Stothert & Pitt), and rail-adjacent product breadth, though at vastly larger scale and with broader end-markets.
• Liebherr: Family-owned diversified heavy equipment manufacturer with a deep cranes, maritime, and material-handling portfolio. Comparable to Clarke Chapman's nuclear and dockside crane offering through shared engineering heritage and bespoke high-duty crane delivery.
• Alstom: Global rail and signalling player producing locomotives, trains, and services. Broad comparable to the combined Clarke Chapman/Clayton locomotive and rail equipment portfolio, with much larger scale and a broader signalling/services franchise.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-clarke-chapman-group-limited

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries10 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 Clarke Chapman