Two major Midland manufacturers, Fastline Steel Services UK and Zaun, have cemented a new collaboration which has been described as creating ‘a new powerhouse’ in the industry.
Owners Mike Fellows of Fastline and Alastair Henman of Zaun have been in extensive negotiations. Fastline are now a shareholder of Zaun with Fellows taking up a directorship on the Zaun board with immediate effect.
“There are tremendous synergies between the two businesses, the combined resources and specialities would be without comparison in the UK,” said Henman.
“We see this as only the start of the creation of a combined powerhouse in the UK and international fencing market through extremely close collaboration including combined sales effort, combined procurement and stocking, maximising the use of space, significantly increased equipment utilisation, improved productivity through the use of technology and scale plus sharing of specialist skills. We see this very much as the whole being greater than a sum of the parts.”
Fastline Steel Services UK Ltd are a fencing manufacturer and steel fabricator based in Strawberry Lane, Willenhall. Founded and owned by Mike Fellows, they have continuously grown to become a leading UK supplier, developing a particular strength in palisade, railings, gates with increasing penetration into welded mesh systems too.
In 2016 Fastline invested significantly in plant to roll their own palisade system and now have probably the most efficient line in the UK. They have a strong and dedicated team with regional offices in Liverpool, Bristol and the West Midlands; the head office and factory alone consisting of over 30,000 feet of factory and office space.
Zaun Ltd is based in Wolverhampton, less than 15 minutes from Fastline. Founded in 1996, Zaun specialises in woven and welded mesh fencing. Zaun manufactures both welded and woven mesh on site and benefits from other modern production facilities including robot welding, tube laser cutting and plasma cutting. Zaun has an extensive catalogue of security rated and crash rated fencing products and extensive export experience. Zaun operates from approximately 80,000 square feet.
“The coming months and years will involve further investment and growth for both Fastline and Zaun, working side by side with a view to establishing both companies as the leaders in their field both nationally and internationally,” said Henman.
