Castings

What Castings does

Castings P.L.C. is a UK-based public limited company (London Stock Exchange listed, registered number 00091580) founded in 1835 that operates as a market-leading iron casting and machining group supplying commercial vehicle original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in Europe and export markets. The group comprises three iron foundries—Castings P.L.C. in Brownhills (West Midlands), William Lee Limited in Dronfield (Derbyshire), and Castings Ductile in Scunthorpe—together with one CNC machining operation (CNC Speedwell Limited, Brownhills), employing over 1,000 people in the UK. For the 2026 financial year, the group generated £173m in revenue, sold 41,500 tonnes of castings against a nameplate foundry capacity of 70,000 tonnes per annum, and reported profit before tax of £10.3m.

The company's core technology centres on iron casting and CNC machining. It produces five primary material grades—Spheroidal Graphite Iron (SG Iron), Ductile SiMo Iron, Ni-Resist Iron, Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI), and Grey Iron—across a part weight range from 0.15 kg up to 7 tonnes. Production assets include four Disamatic moulding machines, three horizontal green sand moulding machines, and an extensive CNC machining fleet (over 100 machines across vertical twin/single spindle, horizontal FMS, five-axis, and turning configurations), supplemented by an in-house £15m logistics centre, heat treatment, surface treatment, assembly, and warehousing capabilities. Engineering services include ESI ProCast simulation, 3D light scanning, topological optimisation, prototyping, and casting design assistance. The group is certified to IATF 16949:2016, ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, and TISAX.

Castings operates a B2B custom manufacturing business model with quote-based pricing and direct enterprise sales to commercial vehicle OEMs. Revenue derives from hardware sales of iron castings plus professional and managed services covering CNC machining, assembly, heat treatment, surface treatment, warehousing, and logistics. The share register is dispersed, with major institutional shareholders Threadneedle Asset Management (17.05%) and Aberforth Partners (15.32%) holding the largest positions. FY2026 capital expenditure of £20.5m (up 55% year-on-year) and operating cash flow of £25.1m indicate an ongoing reinvestment cycle funded entirely from internal cash generation.

Name

Castings

Legal name

Castings P.L.C.

Website

https://castings.plc.uk

Company type

Public

Founded year

1835

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Castings P.L.C. is a UK-based iron casting and machining group supplying commercial vehicle OEMs in Europe. It operates three foundries and one CNC machining operation, producing five iron grades with vertical integration from design through casting, machining, assembly, and logistics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Iron Castings and Machining

NAICS

Iron Foundries (331511)

SIC

Iron & Steel Foundries (3320)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAKABAD

Steel Casting (Continuous Casting, Ingots, Semi-Finished Slabs/Billets/Blooms)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Metals & Mining/Steel Production & Processing

Keywords

• Iron casting manufacturing
• CNC machining services
• Automotive component supply
• Foundry production services
• Machined castings

Headquarters

HQ city

Brownhills

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Iron Casting Production: Manufacture and sale of iron castings including Ductile iron, SG iron, Austempered ductile iron (ADI), SiMo and Ni-resist castings up to 45kg in weight. Foundry capacity of 70,000 tonnes per annum.
2. Machining Services: CNC machining of castings supporting foundry customer base and expanding general machining in alternative materials
3. Warehousing and Logistics: Logistics center investment of £15 million storing finished products with bar-coding, FIFO, weigh checking and load preparation techniques
4. Assembly Services: Vertical integration of assembly processes from gears to gaskets and bushes to bolts
5. Heat Treatment and Austempering: In-house and validated sub-contract heat treatment including Fertiling Solution Annealing, Pearlitic Quench and Temper, Temper Softening, and Austempering
6. Surface Treatment: Sub-contract surface treatment including Automotive Standard E-Coat, Powder Coating, Galvanising, Plating, Gas-based surface treatments, and Plastic/Metal Spray coating

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Castings P.L.C. manufactures and sells iron castings (Ductile iron, SG iron, Austempered ductile iron, SiMo, Ni-resist, and Grey iron) ranging from 0.15kg to 45kg, with foundry capacity of 70,000 tonnes per annum. The company also provides CNC machining services through its CNC Speedwell subsidiary, along with value-added services including heat treatment, surface treatment, assembly, warehousing, and design assistance to commercial vehicle OEMs primarily in Europe.

Product overview

Castings P.L.C. is a market leading iron casting and machining group comprising three iron foundries (Castings PLC in Brownhills, Wm Lee Limited in Dronfield, and Castings Ductile in Scunthorpe) supplying parts from 0.15kg up to 7 tonnes, together with CNC Speedwell Limited machining operation. The group produces five main iron casting material types: Spheroidal Graphite Iron (SG Iron), Ductile SiMo Iron, Ni-Resist Iron, Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI), and Grey Iron. Castings range from 0.15kg to 45kg at Brownhills and Dronfield, with Scunthorpe supplying larger parts up to 7 tonnes. Production facilities include four Disamatic moulding machines and three horizontal green sand moulding machines providing 70,000 tonnes per annum foundry capacity. CNC Speedwell provides comprehensive CNC machining (vertical/horizontal machines, turning, inspection), plus value-added services including heat treatment, surface treatment, assembly, insulation, and warehousing. Casting development services include design assistance, prototyping, ESI ProCast simulation, topological optimisation, and 3D light scanning. Certified to IATF16949, ISO9001, and ISO14001.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WM Lee: Iron foundry operation based in Dronfield, Derbyshire - part of the Castings PLC group
• CNC Speedwell
• Ductile Castings

Products and services

• Iron Casting Production Manufacture of iron castings including Ductile iron, SG iron, Austempered ductile iron (ADI), SiMo and Ni-resist castings up to 45kg in weight. Foundry capacity of 70,000 tonnes per annum using Disamatic moulding machines and horizontal green sand moulding machines. Targets commercial vehicle OEMs in Europe.
• CNC Machining Services Full CNC machining services through CNC Speedwell Limited, including Vertical Machines (14 twin spindle, 3 single spindle, 2 five-axis), Horizontal Machines (3 single spindle, 4 FMS, 70 twin spindle, 4 pallet pool, 7 five-axis), Inspection (8 CNC CMMs), and Turning capabilities. Supports foundry customer base and expanding general machining in alternative materials.
• Spheroidal Graphite Iron (SG Iron)
• Ductile SiMo Iron
• Ni-Resist Iron
• Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI)
• Grey Iron
• Prototype Casting Services
• Casting Simulation (ESI ProCast)
• 3D Light Scanning
• Topological Optimisation
• Casting Design Assistance
• Heat Treatment and Austempering
• Surface Treatment
• Assembly Services
• Insulation Services
• Warehousing and Logistics

Quantifiable outcome

• 70,000 tonnes per annum foundry capacity
• +3 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• East Jordan Iron Works: East Jordan Iron Works is a US iron foundry producing a wide range of ductile and grey iron castings for commercial vehicles, infrastructure and industrial markets. Comparable to Castings PLC in iron-casting process technology and medium-batch commercial-vehicle component supply.
• Bradken: Bradken is a global manufacturer of large, complex iron and steel castings for mining, infrastructure, rail and heavy-industrial markets. Comparable to Castings PLC in core foundry technology and engineered castings capability, though Bradken is more diversified across heavy-industrial end markets.
• Doncasters Group: Doncasters is a UK-based precision castings and machining group serving aerospace, industrial gas turbines and commercial-vehicle markets. It is directly comparable to Castings PLC as a UK-headquartered, vertically integrated casting-and-machining business competing for similar high-specification OEM work.
• Waupaca Foundry: Waupaca Foundry is one of the largest iron foundries in North America, producing ductile, grey and compacted graphite iron castings for automotive, commercial vehicle and industrial markets. It is the closest international comparability peer to Castings PLC in terms of product mix (iron castings supplied to commercial-vehicle OEMs) and vertical integration into machining.
• Charlotte Pipe and Foundry: Charlotte Pipe and Foundry is a US iron foundry with significant foundry capacity and integrated casting operations serving plumbing, infrastructure and industrial markets. Comparable to Castings PLC in iron-casting process know-how and vertical integration, although more skewed toward pipe and infrastructure end uses.
• CIREX Foundry: CIREX is a Dutch iron foundry producing complex ductile and ADI castings primarily for commercial-vehicle and industrial OEMs. It is a direct European competitor to Castings PLC, with similar material expertise (including ADI) and shared exposure to European commercial-vehicle customers.
• Halberg Guss: Halberg Guss is a leading German iron foundry producing ductile and grey iron castings for commercial-vehicle, rail and industrial OEMs. It competes with Castings PLC in the European commercial-vehicle OEM supply base and operates a similar mix of high-volume moulding and downstream machining.

Broad incumbents

• McWane: McWane is a US privately-held group of iron foundries producing ductile iron pipe, fittings and castings for water infrastructure and industrial markets. Comparable to Castings PLC in iron-casting technology and vertical integration, but materially larger and more infrastructure-focused rather than commercial-vehicle focused.
• Georg Fischer: Georg Fischer (now GF) is a Swiss-listed industrial group with a long history in iron and steel casting alongside its larger piping systems business. It is comparable to Castings PLC on the casting side but operates as a much larger, more diversified industrial incumbent rather than a focused iron foundry.

Regional players

• Bibby Ste-Croix: Bibby Ste-Croix is a Canadian iron foundry producing ductile iron castings for water, infrastructure and industrial markets. Comparable in iron-casting process and material expertise to Castings PLC, but operates primarily in North America rather than competing directly in Castings' European OEM base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/castings-p-l-c-

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Castings