P.P. Group

What P.P. Group does

P.P. Group is a UK-based, family-owned metal profiling and processing company founded in 1976 and headquartered in a 110,000 sq ft facility in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The company operates across two integrated service lines — profiling (laser cutting up to 20kW, twin-head water jet, multi-head flame, HD plasma, and saw cutting) and processing (CNC press braking up to 6000mm / 500 tonnes, plate rolling, edge prepping, heat treatment up to 1000°C, Lumsden grinding, PMI testing, deburring/finishing, and CAD/nesting) — handling an inventory of stainless, carbon, aluminium, nickel alloys, duplex, yellow metals, and armour plate. The technical base is supported by in-house ERP and production-management systems developed through its wholly-owned subsidiary Steel Software Solutions Ltd, providing material traceability from mill to delivery and an advertised 24-hour production cadence on a footprint capable of up to 1,500 tonnes per month. The value proposition is full-service, single-vendor delivery of complex, tight-tolerance components to customers holding demanding certification regimes.

P.P. Group sells to enterprise industrial buyers on a quote-based, multi-year project basis, with revenue generated from per-project metal profiling work (one-time cut/process licence equivalent), value-added processing services, CAD/nesting engineering, and sale of profiled and processed metal stock. The go-to-market is consultative enterprise field sales with technical pre-sales and site visits, supported by a website, published case studies, and direct phone/email enquiry — there is no self-serve, transactional, or SaaS channel. Distribution is direct from the Oldham facility using an owned fleet of four 12-tonne flat-back wagons plus same-day courier partnerships, covering the UK and Ireland.

The customer base spans nuclear, defence and security, oil and gas, construction and engineering, rail, aerospace and marine, water and wastewater, and mining and bulk handling. Named enterprise customers include Network Rail (75 tonnes in 5 working days for tunnelling infrastructure), Heathrow Airport (76-tonne TBM baggage shield), AMT Systems Ltd (£1.7m wastewater filter project), and various vessel manufacturers. Certifications include ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, OHSAS 18001, and BS EN 1090, qualifying the company for regulated supply chains. Leadership transitioned in September 2023 with Pete McCabe moving to Group Chairman and the Morley family taking executive control under Group CEO Dianne Morley and Managing Director Designate Daniel Morley.

Name

P.P. Group

Legal name

The P.P. Group Of Companies Limited

Website

https://ppgroupltd.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

P.P. Group is a UK-based, family-owned metal profiling and processing company (founded 1976, Oldham) that delivers laser, water jet, flame, plasma, and saw cutting plus press braking, plate rolling, heat treatment, and CAD services to enterprise customers in nuclear, defence, oil and gas, rail, and aerospace sectors across the UK and Ireland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Metal Profiling and Processing Services

NAICS

Metal Coating, Engraving (except Jewelry and Silverware), and Allied Services to Manufacturers (332812)

SIC

Metalworkg Machinery & Equipment (3540), Miscellaneous Fabricated Metal Products (3490)

akta.pro primary industry

Sheet Metal Machinery (Laser/Plasma/Waterjet Cutting, Punching) (IMAHADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Surface Treatment & Finishing Equipment (Coating, Plating, Deburring, Shot Blasting) (IMAHADAJ)

Keywords

• Metal profiling services
• Metal cutting services
• Steel processing services
• Industrial metal fabrication
• Steel material supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Metal Profiling Services: Metal cutting services including laser cutting, water jet cutting, flame cutting, plasma cutting, and saw cutting. Pricing based on material type, thickness, dimensions, and complexity. Revenue from per-project fabrication and processing work.
2. Metal Processing Services: Secondary operations including press braking, plate rolling, edge prepping, heat treatment, grinding, deburring, and finishing. Value-added services completing the manufacturing process.
3. CAD and Engineering Services: Technical CAD services including drawing creation, nesting, 3D development, and material optimisation using software such as SigmaNEST, Autodesk Inventor, SolidWorks, and Bysoft CAD/CAM.
4. Material Sales: Sale of profiled and processed metal materials including stainless steel, carbon steel, aluminium, nickel alloys, duplex, and yellow metals. Extensive inventory with supply chain developed over 50 years.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

P.P. Group provides metal profiling and processing services to UK industrial customers from a 110,000 sq ft facility in Oldham. Its profiling division covers laser, water jet, flame, plasma, and saw cutting; its processing division covers press braking, plate rolling, edge prepping, heat treatment, grinding, PMI testing, CAD/CAM development, and deburring/finishing. The company also holds an extensive inventory of carbon steel, stainless steel, duplex/super duplex, aluminium, nickel alloys, yellow metals, and armour plate, supplying profiled and processed metal components and materials to nuclear, defence, oil and gas, construction, rail, aerospace/marine, water, and mining customers.

Product overview

P.P. Group is a UK-based metal profiling and processing company operating since 1976, offering a comprehensive suite of services through two core divisions: profiling (laser, water jet, flame, plasma, and saw cutting) and processing (press braking, plate rolling, edge prepping, heat treatment, grinding, PMI testing, deburring, and CAD services). The company works with an extensive range of materials including stainless steel, carbon steel, aluminium, nickel alloys, yellow metals, duplex/super duplex, and armour plate. Their integrated approach combines multiple cutting technologies under one roof, supported by in-house CAD capabilities and Steel Software Solutions Ltd for ERP systems, delivering complete solutions from design through to finished components for industries including nuclear, defence, construction, rail, oil and gas, and aerospace.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Laser Cutting Service Advanced fibre laser cutting capable of handling intricate shapes and smaller apertures up to 50mm thickness, with laser etching for hole positions and bend lines; materials up to 8150mm x 2600mm.
• Water Jet Cutting Service Cold-cutting process delivering cleanest, most accurate finishes up to 150mm thickness with no heat affected zones; materials up to 7000mm x 3000mm.
• Flame Cutting Service Multi-head flame cutting for thick carbon steel cuts up to 300mm thickness, beyond plasma and laser capabilities; capacity up to 22000mm x 3500mm x 300mm.
• HD Plasma Cutting Service High-definition plasma cutting for thicker profiles up to 40mm carbon steel and 150mm stainless steel, with weld prepping capabilities and automatic taper compensation.
• Saw Cutting Service Clean, square edge cutting for non-standard sizes up to 150mm thickness, more economical than water jet for appropriate applications.
• Press Braking Service CNC press brake bending up to 6000mm x 500 tonnes, capable of complex shapes including cones, transitions, and non-standard angles, equipped with the LAMS (Laser Angle Measurement System) for real-time accuracy.
• Plate Rolling Service Cylindrical product creation from materials up to 3000mm wide by 20mm thick, with stitch cutting and edge prepping for welding preparation.
• Edge Prepping Service Weld preparation with bevel angles from 22.5 to 55 degrees and plate thickness up to 50mm.
• Heat Treatment Service Stress relieving and normalising at up to 1000°C with capacity of 3800mm x 3700mm x 2070mm and up to 10 tonnes.
• Grinding Service Lumsden surface grinding to custom thickness between 6mm and 200mm with tolerances down to 0.1mm thickness tolerance and 0.5mm flatness.
• PMI Testing Service Positive Material Identification testing to verify metal chemical composition, with partnerships for additional testing including Charpy impact and ultrasonic testing.
• CAD Service CAD development and 3D modelling using SigmaNEST, Autodesk Inventor, Bysoft CAD/CAM, and SolidWorks for complex fabricated assemblies, including nesting and material optimisation.
• Deburring and Finishing Service Edge cleaning and surface finishing using widebelt machines for uniform and decorative finishes.
• Stainless Steel (Material Supply) Extensive stainless steel stock range including stocks up to 150mm thick for various industrial applications; described as the most extensive stainless steel stock range available in Europe.
• Carbon Steel (Material Supply) Versatile structural carbon steel material for construction, bridges, machinery, oil and gas, transport, shipbuilding and rail industries.
• Aluminium (Material Supply) Lightweight, corrosion-resistant aluminium with high strength-to-weight ratio for aerospace, automotive, and structural applications.
• Nickel Alloy (Material Supply) High-performance nickel alloys including Inconel, Monel, and Hastelloy for aerospace, chemical processing, marine, and power generation applications.
• Yellow Metals (Material Supply) Copper, brass, and bronze yellow metals with excellent conductivity and corrosion resistance for automotive, chemical, and architectural applications.
• Duplex and Super Duplex (Material Supply) High strength and corrosion resistance duplex and super duplex steels for petrochemical, marine, offshore, and oil and gas industries.
• Armour Plate (Material Supply) High-hardness ballistic steels including Armox, Mars, MIL-DTL-12560 and DEF STAN 95-24 for defence and security applications from 6mm to 300mm+ thickness.

Quantifiable outcome

• Can deliver up to 1,500 tonnes of steel per month without compromising on quality
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Steel Software Solutions LtdcoreTechnology or IntegrationInternal software development subsidiary that supports the in-house ERP system and provides bespoke software solutions. Development team enables full traceability and process integration across production operations.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• SSAB: SSAB is a Nordic steel manufacturer that owns the Armox armour plate brand referenced by P.P. Group. It is a key upstream supplier to P.P. Group's defence and security vertical rather than a competitor, but shapes the specialised steel grades P.P. Group can profile.

Broad incumbents

• Reliance Steel & Aluminum: Reliance Steel & Aluminum is the largest US metals service centre operator, with global processing and distribution of carbon, stainless, aluminium and alloy products. Comparable as a scaled-up analogue of P.P. Group's stock-and-process service bureau model.
• Trumpf: Trumpf is the global market leader in sheet metal machine tools (laser cutting, punching, bending). It does not operate as a service bureau but its installed base defines the technology benchmarks (e.g. 20kW laser) that P.P. Group must match to remain competitive.
• Bystronic: Bystronic is a Swiss-listed global supplier of laser cutting, bending and automation systems for sheet metal. Sets the technology benchmark for the profiling equipment P.P. Group operates and for competing service bureaus.
• Olympic Steel: Olympic Steel is a US public metal service centre group offering processing, distribution and fabrication of carbon, stainless and aluminium flat-rolled products. Comparable business model to P.P. Group at much larger scale and geographic spread.

Direct peers

• Rowecord Engineering: Rowecord is a Welsh structural steel fabricator serving infrastructure, stadia and high-rise construction. Overlaps with P.P. Group on profiling and processing of structural steel for large-scale UK construction projects.
• WEC Group: WEC Group is the UK's largest steel fabrication group, operating laser/plasma/waterjet profiling and structural steel fabrication across multiple UK sites. Directly comparable to P.P. Group as a UK metal profiling and processing service bureau serving construction, rail, defence and infrastructure customers.
• Pro-Fabrication Ltd: Pro-Fabrication is a UK metal profiling and fabrication service bureau offering laser, plasma and waterjet cutting plus folding and welding. Closely overlaps with P.P. Group's core profiling and processing offering for industrial B2B customers.
• Barnshaws Section Benders: Barnshaws is a UK-based specialist metal bending and section bending company with press brake and plate rolling capacity. Comparable to P.P. Group's press braking and plate rolling processing services for structural, architectural and infrastructure customers.
• Metalite Steel Services: Metalite is a UK steel service centre providing profiling, drilling, shot blasting and processing of structural steel sections. Comparable to P.P. Group's integrated cut-and-process model serving construction and engineering buyers.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ppgroupltd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/p-p--group-of-companies

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 P.P. Group