JS Burgess is widely recognised as a leading manufacturer of material handling solutions, waste management and specialist containers. We also handle custom metal fabrication projects from clients ranging from prototypes and bespoke one-offs through to large volume production. With decades of expertise and a commitment to quality, we pride ourselves on delivering innovative, reliable solutions tailored to meet the unique needs of our customers.
Thanks to its versatility and broad range of applications, the UK metal fabrication industry is projected to amount to £8.4bn in 2024. Some of the most popular sectors include oil and gas, construction, automotive and agriculture. We take raw metal and put it through a series of processes including cutting, bending, welding, finishing and assembly to create a bespoke structure. This could be anything from steel barriers to tipping hoppers and WIP cages to plant flats.
Our Manufacturing Capabilities
At JS Burgess, we offer a full service that covers every stage of metal production, from initial design to final assembly. Not only do we have all the equipment to ensure that we can provide you with the highest quality sheet metal fabrication service but all our staff are experts in their field.
We provide a comprehensive concept to completion service, making us a ‘one-stop-shop’. We can take your design concepts and requirements and ensure a quality build that will meet applicable regulatory and safety requirements. We invest heavily in our facilities, and our dedicated workshop lets us deliver quality bespoke projects quickly and cost-effectively. Our experienced team can work with sheet metal in various ways, from laser cutting, bending, and forming to welding and assembly. We also offer several finishing services.
Success in Stillages
Our expertise in bespoke steel manufacturing is showcased through our extensive stillage range. Whether you need standard designs or custom solutions, our manufacturing capabilities allow us to deliver high-quality stillages tailored to your exact requirements.
By leveraging our comprehensive in-house manufacturing and design services, including 3D CAD modelling, CNC forming and laser cutting, we can work closely with our customers to develop stillages that are optimised for their unique operations.
We pride ourselves on offering versatile, cost-effective material handling solutions that maximise efficiency while maintaining compliance with all safety and regulatory standards. Whether you’re looking for stackable stillages, collapsible designs, heavy-duty builds, mesh cages or trollies, our team is committed to creating products that meet your needs while ensuring strength, reliability, and longevity.
Shape Up and Ship Out
Metal fabrication can be broadly divided into five main stages: design, cutting, forming, assembly and finishing; these are the tools of our trade:
Design
The in-house design team uses CAD software to either create plans from concept or integrate existing customer drawings into the final design. CAD lets us build a 2D or 3D image that maps out the shape and dimensions of your bespoke project. This allows us to quickly transform new ideas into great products. Creating 3D CAD models ensures that costs and implementation time are kept to a minimum.
CNC Punch Press
Using a programmed set of instructions, a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) punch press creates holes, notches, or complex shapes into metal by applying force through a variety of tooling options. This CNC technology automates the punching process and significantly reduces manual effort, ensuring consistency and minimising errors, even in large production runs.
Guillotine
Sometimes referred to as a power or squaring shear, a hydraulic shear allows for the precise and efficient cutting of metal sheets. Using hydraulic power, these guillotines deliver high force to a cutting blade, allowing them to slice through a variety of metals effortlessly. The machine’s adjustable settings enable customisation for different material thicknesses and lengths, ensuring consistent performance in high-volume production environments.
Laser Cutting
We also offer laser cutting to deliver a fast, versatile, and economical means of precision sheet metal cutting and plate profiling. Laser cutting offers extensive flexibility, handling profiles from simple components to more intricate shapes. It doesn’t require a clamping strip or part nesting, minimising waste.
CNC Bending and Forming
We offer a range of precision metal bending and forming services to meet our customer’s needs and project specifications. Metal forming is a process whereby metal objects and parts are created through mechanical deformation. The mass of the original material remains unchanged; only the dimensions and shape are manipulated as the steel is bent or rolled. Our factory is equipped with powerful press brakes and rollers. Presses apply a high tensile force to produce angles in sheet metal, whereas rolling reduces the thickness of a metal sheet whilst maintaining overall uniformity.
Assembly
The final phase of metal fabrication is assembly; this is the stage where the formed pieces of metal are joined together to make the finished product. Welding is the most common method of fusing metal, using intense heat and pressure. The various metal welding methods for manufacturing metal products include gas flame, electric arc, laser, electron beam, and ultrasound. JS Burgess specialises in metal inert gas (MIG) welding; this technique is very effective on heavy and light steels and aluminium.
Galvanising
Galvanising is a process where we coat the steel with a protective layer of zinc to prevent rust and corrosion. This process is highly effective for large metal structures like skips and materials handling equipment, which are exposed to harsh environments, moisture, and heavy use.
Powder Coating
Powder coating is a durable finishing process in which dry powder, made of pigment and resin, is electrostatically applied to metal surfaces and cured under heat. This creates a tough, smooth, and uniform protective layer. It also provides a customisable, attractive finish that can be matched to a RAL colour chart.
Why JS Burgess?
JS Burgess has nearly four decades of experience in bespoke steel manufacture. We’ve partnered with hundreds of customers, supplying bespoke metal solutions for diverse applications. All our projects are backed by ISO 9001 quality assurance, giving you peace of mind through every step of the process. We support 3D CAD design but are happy to work with simple sketches.
We can handle the entire fabrication process, from design to final fit and finish, saving customers the inconvenience and expense of working with multiple providers.