What Rocksteady Group Limited does

Rocksteady Group Limited is a UK-based specialist workholding solutions provider headquartered at Atlas Iron Works in Brighouse, West Yorkshire. The company supplies standard and bespoke clamping, chucking, fixturing, and workholding products to CNC machining centres, CNC lathes, and conventional machine tools, serving aerospace, defence, automotive, and general manufacturing customers across the UK. Its product portfolio spans 12 categories including manual and power chucks, collet chucks, facedrivers, manual and hydraulic steady rests, prismatic fixtures, machine vices, chuck jaws, CNC rotary tables, zero point clamping systems, and machine tending automation. In-house manufacturing capability includes 12 CNC machines plus conventional equipment, enabling both proprietary products (the Rocksteady Manual Steadyrest family) and bespoke jig, fixture, and special tooling manufacture using 2D/3D CAD design.

The company's commercial position rests on a portfolio of UK representation and exclusive technical partnership agreements with global workholding leaders, including ZeroClamp GmbH (exclusive UK Technical Partner and exclusive UK distributor of the ZeroCob automation package), Universal Robots (authorised integrator), Forkardt, FRB, Atling, Northfield, OMAP, ZEATS, Mack Werkzeuge, and Stermann. Revenue is generated through one-off equipment sales, bespoke engineering and manufacturing services, installation and preventative maintenance contracts, and automation integration projects. Pricing is quote-based with multi-year service contracts; no public pricing exists. The business is privately held and founder-controlled by Director Mark Young, operating with a lean team of approximately 6 employees against an installed base of relationships and partnership inventory built up over decades of individual industry experience. The company is ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 accredited.

Name

Rocksteady Group Limited

Legal name

Rocksteady Group Limited

Website

https://rocksteadygroup.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rocksteady Group Limited is a UK specialist workholding solutions provider based in Brighouse, West Yorkshire, supplying standard and bespoke clamping, fixturing, and machine tending automation products to aerospace, defence, automotive, and general manufacturing customers via exclusive partnerships with global workholding leaders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Workholding Equipment

SIC

General Industrial Machinery & Equipment, Nec (3569)

akta.pro primary industry

Metal Cutting Tools, Tooling & Workholding (Cutters, Inserts, Chucks, Fixtures) (IMAHADAB)

Keywords

• Workholding solutions
• CNC machining equipment
• Clamping systems
• Machine tool accessories
• Industrial fixturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Brighouse

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Workholding equipment and components sales: Sale of standard and bespoke workholding products including chucks, steady rests, collet chucks, jaws, vices, rotary tables, zero point clamping systems, and automation equipment. Both off-the-shelf products from brand partners and custom-designed in-house manufactured solutions.
2. Engineering, design, and manufacturing services: In-house design using 2D & 3D CAD software and manufacturing of bespoke jigs, fixtures, special tooling, chuck jaws, adaptation parts, and special-purpose clamping systems. Includes reverse engineering of obsolete spare parts.
3. Installation, repair, and maintenance services: On-site installation of workholding systems, full repair services on chucks and cylinders, preventative maintenance programmes (PMP), and return-to-works service for complex repairs on rotary tables and CNC-driven tooling. Also supplies specialist lubricants, greases, and assembly pastes.
4. Automation and robotics integration: Universal Robots cobot integration services for machine tending applications. Complete turnkey solutions combining workholding expertise with collaborative robotics for UK manufacturing sector.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Rocksteady Group Limited designs, manufactures, and distributes specialist workholding solutions for CNC machining centres, CNC lathes, and conventional machine tools. The company supplies standard products from global partner brands (ZeroClamp, Forkardt, FRB, Northfield, OMAP, ZEATS, Atling, Stermann) alongside its own Rocksteady-branded manual steadyrests and bespoke in-house manufactured jigs, fixtures, chuck jaws, and special-purpose clamping systems. It also provides engineering design (2D/3D CAD), installation, repair, preventative maintenance, and cobot/automation integration services.

Product overview

Rocksteady Group Limited is a specialist workholding solutions provider based in Brighouse, West Yorkshire, UK, offering both standard and bespoke products backed by global workholding technology leaders. The company operates as a manufacturer and distributor with nearly 50 years of industry experience. Their product portfolio encompasses 12 core product categories: Manual Chucks (from Forkardt, Omap, Pratt Burnerd, Rocksteady), Power Chucks (Forkardt FNC+, Northfield), Collet Chucks and Collets (Forkardt Flex-C, Crawford Multibore), Facedrivers and Centers (FRB), Rocksteady Manual Steadyrests (SC, SCC, FF, XHD, Mini variants), Prismatic Workholding Fixtures, Machine Vices (ZeroClamp ZeroVise, modular rail systems), Chuck Jaws (standard and custom), CNC Rotary Tables (ZEATZ), Automation Systems (ZeroClamp Zerocob/Zerobot, Universal Robots cobots), Zero Point Clamping Systems (ZeroClamp), and Special Purpose Clamping (Sterman). The company also provides complementary services including installation, repair, in-house design (2D/3D CAD), and CNC machining capabilities with 12 CNC machines on site. They are ISO9001/14001 accredited and serve aerospace, defence, automotive, and general manufacturing sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Manual Chucks

Quantifiable outcome

• Setup time reduction of up to 90% with ZeroClamp zero point clamping system
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship / exclusive, core and supporting.

• ZeroClamp GmbHflagship / exclusiveTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Rocksteady Group is the exclusive UK Technical Partner for ZeroClamp GmbH, a German manufacturer of premium clamping technology products. The partnership includes exclusive UK distribution of the ZeroCob machine tending automation package — the first complete automation package including everything required for simple and cost-effective automation. Rocksteady provides installation, demonstration, and support for all ZeroClamp products in the UK.
• Universal RobotscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Rocksteady Group is an authorised integrator for Universal Robots collaborative robots (cobots) in the UK manufacturing sector. Rocksteady provides complete turnkey solutions combining UR cobots (UR20, UR30) with ZeroClamp workholding and automation systems for machine tending applications. The partnership leverages Rocksteady's machining process and workholding knowledge with UR's cobot platform.
• Forkardt Deutschland GmbHcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Rocksteady Group represents Forkardt, described as 'the world's leading brand in high quality Chucking Technology'. Forkardt products include power chucks, manual chucks, collet chucks (including FlexC quick-change system), diaphragm chucks, and ball lok chucks. Rocksteady supplies Forkardt products to UK manufacturers and provides application engineering support.
• Tecnologie FRB SRL (FRB)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Rocksteady Group has established a new partnership with FRB of Italy for the expert application and supply of facedrivers and centres. FRB is based in Sasso Marconi (Bologna) and collaborates with engineering departments of major machine tool manufacturers. Rocksteady provides local application support and supply of FRB products in the UK.
• Atling Maskinfabrik ABcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Rocksteady Group represents Atling, a Swedish manufacturer of hydraulic steady rests and machine tool accessories. Atling products are showcased at Rocksteady's MACH Exhibition presence and included in their product portfolio for UK manufacturing customers.
• Northfield Precision InstrumentscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Rocksteady Group supplies Northfield Precision products, described as 'the leading manufacturer of precision collet, diaphragm and air chucks' with over 53 years of experience. Northfield chucks are known for the highest accuracy in the industry, supported by engineering expertise and technical support for OEMs and end users.
• O.M.A.P. Officine Meccaniche Alta PrecisionecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Rocksteady Group is the UK Technical Partner for OMAP, Italy — manufacturer of fine lathe chucks and accessories founded in 1963 in Ponte nelle Alpi. OMAP specialises in self-centering tribloc chucks for lathes, grinding machines, and milling machines. Rocksteady provides application support and supply for OMAP products in the UK market.
• ZEATScoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Rocksteady Group represents ZEATS, a Spanish manufacturer with 60 years of experience producing high quality rotary tables. ZEATS operates from Istar, Spain, covering 1,653 m² of production facilities. Rocksteady supplies ZEATS rotary tables to UK aerospace, defence, and automotive customers, with projects handled in excess of £100k.
• Mack WerkzeugesupportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Mack Werkzeuge is listed as a brand backed by Rocksteady Group alongside other global workholding technology leaders. Mack is a German manufacturer featured in the 'Backed by the Global Leaders in Workholding Technology' section of the Rocksteady website.
• Stermann (Johannes & Peter Sterman)supportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Rocksteady Group has partnered with Stermann, a family-owned German company based in the Black Forest, to serve the UK market with highly precise clamping systems and special-purpose mechanical engineering solutions. Stermann specialises in clamping systems with precision under 0.01mm, using μ-THINKING methodology. Rocksteady works alongside Stermann and UK customers to deliver optimal solutions for highly precise machining requirements.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gressel AG: Gressel is a Swiss specialist in clamping systems and automation-ready workholding for 5-axis machining; competes in the same premium niche as Rocksteady's special-purpose and ZeroClamp-based automation offerings.
• Hainbuch UK: Hainbuch is a German workholding specialist (chucks, mandrels, clamping systems) with a UK subsidiary directly competing with Rocksteady in the premium CNC workholding segment for the same aerospace, automotive, and general manufacturing customers.
• Kitagawa Europe: Kitagawa is a Japanese chuck and workholding manufacturer with a UK/European subsidiary directly selling power chucks, manual chucks, and steady rests to the same manufacturing customers that Rocksteady serves.
• Allmatic-Jakob Spannsysteme: Allmatic (now part of Jakob Spannsysteme) is a German manufacturer of zero-point clamping and workholding systems with European distribution; competes directly with Rocksteady's ZeroClamp zero point clamping range in UK CNC machine shops.
• Schunk UK: Schunk is a leading global manufacturer of clamping technology and gripping systems with direct UK sales; offers overlapping power chucks, stationary workholding, and automation gripping products targeting the same CNC machine shop buyers as Rocksteady.
• Pratt Burnerd International: Pratt Burnerd is a UK-based manufacturer of chucks and workholding equipment (also referenced as a Rocksteady supplier); competes directly in the UK market for manual and power chuck business.
• Röhm UK: Röhm is a major German power chuck and workholding manufacturer with UK distribution; competes head-on with Rocksteady's Forkardt, ZeroClamp, and Northfield lines in the same CNC turning and machining centre market.
• Lang Technik UK: Lang Technik is a German manufacturer of 5-axis workholding, machine vises, and zero-point clamping systems, with UK sales channels that compete directly with Rocksteady's ZeroClamp and prismatic workholding offerings.

Broad incumbents

• MSC Industrial UK: MSC Industrial is a large broad-line industrial distributor (cutting tools, MRO, workholding accessories) selling to UK manufacturers; competes on breadth and price rather than specialist workholding engineering, but overlaps in catalogue workholding items.

Emerging players

• Bison-Bial (UK distribution): Bison-Bial is a Polish workholding tooling manufacturer expanding its UK presence; offers chucks, face drivers, and clamping tools that overlap with Rocksteady's FRB-facedriver and chuck jaw portfolio for CNC turning applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RocksteadyWH
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@RocksteadyGroupLimited
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rocksteady-group-limited
• Instagraminstagram.com/rocksteadymark

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Rocksteady Group Limited