Archway Engineering

What Archway Engineering does

Archway Engineering (UK) Ltd is a privately held UK manufacturer founded in 1974 and headquartered in Elland, West Yorkshire, producing drilling equipment and sampling tools for site investigation, mineral exploration, water well construction, and environmental monitoring. Its flagship product is the Competitor (Dart) percussive soil sampling rig, which features a patented 63.5kg drop weight system; the company also supplies a broad catalog of consumables and capital equipment including core barrels (Corientator with a patented core orientation mechanism), friction-welded drill rods, X/W/Metric series casing, diamond and PDC drill bits, SPT equipment, and Kevlar-reinforced pneumatic borehole packers. Archway vertically integrates design, CNC machining, friction welding, fabrication, and fitting at its Ainleys Industrial Estate facility, and supports customers with bespoke equipment design, calibration, training, and a rig hire fleet.

The business operates a direct-to-customer model: experienced sales engineers handle specifications and quotes, with a global distribution footprint served from the single UK factory. Revenue streams include hardware sales (standard catalog and bespoke), rig hire (Competitor Lightweight rigs), repair and refurbishment, Safe Working Load testing and SPT Hammer calibration, and operator training. The customer base is a horizontal mix of civil engineering contractors, mining and mineral exploration firms, water well drillers, geotechnical laboratories, and government departments (including the UK Environmental Agency). Archway is independently owned by its directors, including Executive Chairman Dr. Robin Arak and Managing Director Mr. Ashley Jackson, with the 1993 acquisition of GeoGem Limited as its only disclosed subsidiary. There is no external venture, private equity, or institutional investment, and no revenue is publicly disclosed.

Name

Archway Engineering

Legal name

Archway Engineering (UK) Ltd

Website

https://archway-engineering.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Archway Engineering (UK) Ltd is a privately held West Yorkshire manufacturer of drilling equipment and sampling tools, serving civil engineering, mining, water well, and environmental monitoring customers in the UK and globally via direct sales, hire, and bespoke design.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Drilling Equipment Manufacturing

NAICS

Mining and Oil and Gas Field Machinery Manufacturing (33313), Mining Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333131), Oil and Gas Field Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333132)

SIC

Mining Machinery & Equip (No Oil & Gas Field Mach & Equip) (3532), Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530)

akta.pro primary industry

Drill Tools, Bits & Downhole Equipment (IMAHAMAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Drilling Rigs & Drill Systems (IMAHAMAA), Rock Drilling & Blasthole Drilling Equipment (IMAHAMAC)

Keywords

• Drilling equipment manufacturing
• Soil sampling rigs
• Core drilling tools
• Geotechnical site investigation
• Mineral exploration equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Elland

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Drilling Equipment Manufacturing: Manufacture and sale of drilling equipment and sampling tools including core barrels, diamond core bits, tricone bits, casing tubes, drill rods, and accessories. Products are sold directly to customers in the UK and worldwide.
2. Rig Hire: Short and long-term hire of Lightweight Competitor Rigs at competitive rates. Rigs are fully tested before collection and inspected on return.
3. Rig Repair and Servicing: Full rig repair service for Archway manufactured rigs including final testing. Complete annual service plans with original approved spare parts.
4. Testing and Calibration Services: Safe Working Load testing of lifting equipment with hydraulic test rig, SPT Hammer calibration and certification, equipment assessment and repairs.
5. Training: Training services provided for rig operators.
6. Bespoke Equipment Design: Design and manufacture of special non-standard equipment to customer specifications for particular contracts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Archway Engineering manufactures and sells drilling equipment and sampling tools for site investigation, mineral exploration, water well construction, and environmental monitoring. Core products include the patented Competitor (Dart) soil sampling rig, percussive and rotary drilling tools, SPT equipment, borehole packers, drill rods, casing tubes, and core bits, supported by CNC manufacturing, rig hire, repair, calibration, and bespoke design services.

Product overview

Archway Engineering is a manufacturer of drilling equipment for site investigation, mineral exploration, water well construction, and environmental monitoring. The product portfolio is organized around the Competitor (Dart) Soil Sampling Rig as the core flagship product, supported by extensive ranges of drilling accessories and specialized equipment organized into major categories: Percussive Equipment (casing tubes, shell & auger tools, soil sampling equipment, dynamic probing), Rotary Equipment (core barrels in T2/T6/TT/WF/Wireline series, core bits including diamond and tungsten carbide, drill rods including LPR/HPR/friction-welded/metric series, full-hole drill bits, casing tubes in X/W/Metric series), SPT Equipment, Borehole Packers (impression, mechanical, pneumatic), and general Accessories. The company also offers manufacturing services (CNC machining, fabrication, welding) and rig services (hire, repair, calibration, bespoke design) to support the product portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Competitor: Brand name for the company's soil sampling rig and associated tools system, offering an innovative solution to undisturbed soil core sampling, groundwater sampling and monitoring, contaminant logging, window sampling, standard penetration testing and dynamic probing.

Products and services

• Competitor (Dart) Soil Sampling Rig The Competitor (Dart) sampling rig is a percussive soil sampling system offering undisturbed soil core sampling, groundwater sampling, window sampling, SPT testing, and dynamic probing. Features a patented 63.5kg drop weight system allowing strings of up to 7 metres of rods to be held by the weight. Available in three variants: Standalone Dart Rig (upright unit for vehicle/trailer mounting), Mini-Tracked Lightweight Rig, and Mini-Tracked Heavy-Duty Rig. Designed for civil engineering, environmental monitoring, and site investigation contractors.
• Percussive Drilling Equipment Percussive drilling tools for site investigation including casing tubes, shell and auger tools, soil sampling equipment, sinker bars, sliding hammers, and dynamic probing equipment. Used by civil engineering and site investigation contractors for cable percussion drilling applications.
• Rotary Drilling Equipment Rotary drilling products including core barrels, diamond and tungsten carbide core bits, friction-welded and wireline drill rods, casing tubes, full-hole drill bits (rock bits, tricone rollers, PDC bits), and wireline systems for mineral exploration and geotechnical applications.
• SPT Equipment Standard Penetration Test and Cone Penetration Test equipment for soil testing including split spoon samplers manufactured to BS EN ISO 22476-3, CPT cones, drive rods, automatic trip hammers, and calibration services. Used by geotechnical laboratories and site investigation contractors.
• Borehole Packers Equipment for sealing boreholes including impression packers (pneumatic, for borehole wall discontinuity mapping), mechanical top packers (for grouting or water pressure tests in fissured rocks), and pneumatic packers with Kevlar-reinforced rubber sleeves for testing and grouting applications.
• Drilling Accessories General drilling equipment accessories including adaptors, casing jacks (26-ton extraction system), bowl and slips, casing clamps, fishing taps, water flush pumps, non-return valves, rod spanners, swivel hoists, foot clamps, stabilizers, water swivels, and wrenches for drilling operations.
• Manufacturing Services CNC machining, manual machining, fabrication, welding, and fitting services for manufacturing custom and standard drilling equipment to customer specifications. Includes design and manufacture of special non-standard equipment to particular contract requirements.
• Rig Hire, Repair and Servicing Short and long-term hire of Lightweight Competitor Rigs at competitive rates; full rig repair service for Archway-manufactured rigs including final testing; Safe Working Load testing of lifting equipment with hydraulic test rig; SPT Hammer calibration and certification; equipment assessment and repairs; operator training services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Same day dispatch capability for many customer orders
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• GeoGem LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1993In 1993, the directors of Archway acquired GeoGem Limited, a specialist diamond drilling bit manufacturer based in North Wales. GeoGem manufactures a wide range of complementary diamond drilling products used in civil engineering, mining and oil exploration activities, expanding Archway's product portfolio and manufacturing capabilities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Epiroc (Atlas Copco): Major OEM of rock drilling equipment, drill bits, and exploration tools for mining and infrastructure. Direct overlap with Archway's drill tools and rig portfolio as a much larger incumbent.
• Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions: Global supplier of drilling tools, rigs, and consumables for mining and rock excavation. Competes with Archway in drill bits, rods, and exploration equipment.
• Boart Longyear: Global drilling services and equipment OEM serving mineral exploration, production, and energy. Operates in the same product category as Archway but at materially greater scale.

Direct peers

• Massenza Drilling Rigs: Italian manufacturer of drilling rigs for water well, geotechnical, and mineral exploration. Comparable product range and customer segments, primarily European footprint.
• Crawfords Drilling Tools: UK-based manufacturer of drilling tools, bits, and consumables used in geotechnical, mining, and water well applications. Direct competitor in the same niche drilling tool segments.
• Geoprobe Systems: US-based manufacturer of direct-push drilling rigs and tooling for geotechnical and environmental site investigation. Comparable product category and end markets, focused on soil sampling.
• SIMCO Drilling Equipment: Manufacturer of drilling rigs and tooling for geotechnical, environmental, and water well applications. Directly comparable product portfolio and target customer base.
• Dando Drilling International: UK-based manufacturer of drilling rigs and equipment for mineral exploration, water well, and geotechnical site investigation. Closely comparable to Archway in scale, geography, and product mix.
• Foremost Industries: Manufacturer of drilling rigs and equipment for mineral exploration, water well, and geotechnical applications. Comparable in product offering and target customer profile.
• Drilltech Drilling Tools: UK-based supplier of drilling consumables, tooling, and accessories for the geotechnical and exploration drilling sectors. Direct overlap with Archway's accessory and consumables portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/archway-engineering-u.k.-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Archway Engineering