Business Spotlight: Qualitek Engineering

Qualitek Engineering is a leading precision engineering, welding, fabrication, and powder coating company based in south Wales. With roots dating back to 1968, the company is preparing to move into a much larger facility in Neath - a reflection of its significant growth over the past four years.

In 2024, Qualitek joined the GlobalWelsh Business Membership Programme to build new business connections, explore investment opportunities, and attract top talent to support its continued growth. We caught up with Managing Director, Andrew Beer, to talk about the company’s recent expansion and how Qualitek is gearing up for the future...

Tell us about Qualitek Engineering…

The company began as a small, family-run engineering firm, primarily offering fabrication services to local manufacturers. In 2010, it evolved into Qualitek Engineering Limited, expanding its capabilities to include precision engineering and powder coating, while still operating as a small business.

Today, Qualitek has grown into a dynamic, hybrid organisation delivering high-quality fabricated structures, precision-machined components, and professional powder coating services.

We serve a wide range of sectors, including renewable energy, construction, utilities, automotive, flood defence, security, and infrastructure. In particular, we’re placing strong emphasis on expanding our presence within the renewable energy space.

Qualitek holds accreditations for ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001, and EN 1090 EXC 2, demonstrating our commitment to quality and environmental standards. Our client base is highly diverse and includes a growing number of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) whose products are distributed globally.

As of July 2025, we’re relocating to a new, larger facility, doubling our current factory capacity and gaining extensive outdoor storage and assembly areas to support continued growth.

What are the core services that you offer, and what kinds of products do you manufacture?

Our core services span design for manufacturing, fabrication, precision machining, and in-house powder coating. We can deliver everything from small parts to complex, large-scale assemblies. Whilst we originally served the local south Wales manufacturing base, we've since expanded to work with clients across the UK, from established OEMs to innovative new start-ups.

We don’t produce end-user products ourselves; instead, we play a vital role in our clients’ supply chains. To give you a few examples, we manufacture components for flood defence systems, security infrastructure, and modular bridge parts, particularly for military and temporary bridges used in conflict zones or developing regions. Our work may be behind the scenes, but it’s essential to the performance and reliability of the final solutions being manufactured by our loyal clients.

What sets Qualitek apart from other engineering companies?

What really sets us apart is our unique hybrid capability. We can manage both large-scale fabrications and precision machining under one roof, along with in-house powder coating that gives clients a streamlined process.

We also pride ourselves on our deep customer focus and our proactive involvement in design-for-manufacture. Our ambition sets us apart as well; we’re not passive. We ‘punch’ above our weight, and our drive to grow in a traditionally unglamorous industry helps us stand out from the crowd.

We’re also heavily involved in skills and education development. Through the Regional Learning and Skills Partnership, we’re consistently communicating with schools and continually endeavour to engage with young people so they are aware of the exciting opportunities within engineering and manufacturing. It’s about helping the industry long-term, but also showing that companies like ours (supply chain) are an integral part of the industrial ecosystem and investing in the next generation.

Are there any recent projects or achievements you're particularly proud of?

We’re especially proud of our recent collaboration within the Maritime Industries challenges towards net-zero targets. We extensively supported the design-for-manufacture of a wind propulsion system for maritime decarbonisation. It’s a great example of how we’re contributing to innovative, sustainable solutions with real-world impact.

At the same time, we’re marking a major milestone with our move to a new, larger facility. This isn’t just a change of address, it’s a step forward in scaling our capabilities, enabling us to undertake more ambitious projects and continue growing as a business. We are also collaborating with wind generation refurbishment companies, providing bespoke equipment and ‘reverse engineering’ difficult-to-obtain spare and replacement components. 

In addition, we’re proud to be part of the Fit for Offshore Renewables programme. It’s a business transformation effort that will help us meet offshore sector standards in safety, quality, and operations, basically certifying us as a reliable offshore supplier.

Why did you join GlobalWelsh and how can we help you on your journey?

We are a proud Welsh company with many Welsh speakers. Previously, I had been a Pioneer member for many years. Prior to joining Qualitek, I was a consultant for small businesses. Once I joined the business, it made so much more sense to engage through the company and explore the opportunities that it brings. Members share the same values with our affiliation to Wales. The idea of being part of this global network that is helping grow the Welsh economy by supporting each other is a very powerful and important one to me.

What are your aspirations and goals for the next few years?

We’re aiming to grow to 50 employees and double our turnover. A big part of that will be through recruiting and training apprentices. We believe in growing our own talent rather than just hiring in. A strategic plan for recruitment and existing staff up-skilling is an essential aspect of achieving our growth goals.

We’re also working on more projects that tie into global supply chains. Our components and sub-assemblies are now exported globally. While oil and gas are still relevant, we're increasingly involved in renewable sectors. We're aiming for more collaborations in onshore and offshore wind, throughout the UK, which could shape our business for the next twenty to thirty years.

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