As Makefast celebrates its 50th birthday, Molly Cooper went to visit its site in Newtown, Wales, to find out more about the company, its recent growth and what the next 50 years may hold…
Makefast was founded in Southampton in 1974 by Bill and Brenda Brown, who had a passion for engineering and a desire to create innovative safety solutions for the marine industry. The company was originally focused on producing safety hardware, supplying some of the largest life jacket manufacturers in the UK, including the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).
Soon after, it began expanding its product range to produce higher value items and explored overseas markets as a means to grow the business.
The current CEO is Bill and Brenda’s son Chris. “Following our beginnings in the 1970s, we moved into our current unit here in Newtown in 1989 with support from the Welsh Development Agency. Since then, we have expanded into the factory next door. It’s been a 50-year journey of gradual expansion,” he explained.
Ever since the move to Wales, the Welsh government has continued to support Makefast through grants to purchase new equipment and to assist with export growth.
This was further underlined this summer following a $5m boost in export revenue after the company opened a dedicated international base in Maryland, US.
Exports currently account for two-thirds of Makefast’s trade – equating to £1.2m year-on-year growth – with the company exporting to over 30 countries. “Exporting is a fundamental part of our business and has played a key role in our growth over the years. The global market for luxury yachts and boats is huge and continues to grow, as in the case of the US, offering plenty of opportunities for us,” Chris added.
“Establishing a presence there has helped us to connect with new and existing customers, enabling us to keep up with the growing order books of US boat builders.
“We’ve been working with the Welsh Government for over 18 years now, and its export support has accelerated our international growth. Thanks to its International Trade Opportunities programme, we’ve been able to access on the ground experts in new target markets like Taiwan, Dubai and India who speak the language and understand the business customs and etiquette, making it easier for us to concentrate on providing for our customers.”
Two sides to the sail
There are two sides to the current Makefast business. The company manufactures individual items such as D-rings and buckles that can be used on life jackets, as well as stainless steel deck hardware. It also manufactures marine systems such as sunroofs, awnings, bathing platforms and has begun manufacturing anchor handlers. “We have a very diverse range because we manufacture individual stainless steel components, right through to larger products like mechanical sunroofs that open and retract, which are made up of hundreds of moving parts,” said Chris.
It may seem like a strange mix, all being manufactured at the same site, but it is all for the marine sector, sold directly to the customer – boat builders, including the likes of Princess, Sunseeker and Fairline Yachts. “Sixty-per cent of our business is exported to the EU and predominantly, the US.”
Global marine business
Makefast’s recent US expansion has been hugely successful, as Chris continued: “For a while we had an agreement for distribution in the US, but it came to an end in 2023, so we had the opportunity to open our own operation.”
The company already had a healthy knowledge of the US market as a starting point, but it also established a partnership with its current US-based canvas supplier. This additional local expertise meant that Makefast avoided a lot of the pitfalls that may have befallen a company entering the market blind.
Prior to this expansion, Makefast shipped canvas to the UK to be fitted and then the final product would invariably head back to the US for completion. “We’re now able to ship our assemblies without the canvas which gets fitted in the US using our partner’s factory space. This gives us boots on the ground in the US and allows us to provide better customer service,” Chris added.
However, this is not to say that this expansion hasn’t included a learning curve for Makefast in terms of how to navigate the US system, which works very differently to the UK. This is much the same with EU nations. “Initially we had an office in Italy which was open for around 12 years, as the country is one of the largest boat builders in the world. Now, the EU accounts for just under 20% of our market exports, and we have felt the challenges of Brexit like everyone else,” said Chris. However, the company has set its sights on opening an additional office in the EU to replicate the success of its US base and streamline business for new and existing customers, further growing its international sales.
New technologies
Makefast is continuously looking for new technologies to help increase efficiency and productivity. “We are currently trialing a cobot to attach to one of our robot ready lathes. This will allow us to billet load a lathe without the need of a human operator,” explained Chris.
“We are always looking to improve our current systems and how we can have elements of this displayed on the shop floor.” The team has begun showing live feedback and progress numbers to employees in the factory, which has boosted productivity. “It has also helped show our workforce how they are performing and what’s coming up; this will ultimately improve the business as a whole,” said Chris.
Generating power
As a business Makefast is striving towards increased sustainability. “Admittedly we may be slightly behind the curve as we haven’t formulated our net zero strategy yet, mainly because of time. However, we have made several significant steps,” Chris added.
Like many factories, Makefast has taken advantage of its substantial roof space to install solar panels, has electrified most of its vehicle fleet and is reusing old cardboard packaging boxes for order filling. However, one key initiative has been the use of nitrogen to provide energy on the factory floor.
A nitrogen generator, supplied by Atlas Copco, uses an air compressor with a filter membrane to extract nitrogen which is then stored in bottle tanks. “The nitrogen is used in our TCI machinery laser cutter.
Originally, the laser cutter was run off a tank which was topped up every week. However, the laser proved so much more efficient than our presses that we started using it more and more.” This meant the nitrogen tank got emptied far more often which prompted Makefast’s investment in the nitrogen generator. Another added benefit is that the on-site generation of nitrogen is negating the need for regular deliveries which is helping to lower emissions. Not only that but Makefast can also use its solar power to help generate the nitrogen.
Challenges in the field
Chris explained that the marine sector, the vast majority of Makefast’s market, is currently quite flat. “In the US, due to the upcoming election, no one wants to make a big purchase such as a yacht. However, that should ease as we approach the end of the year and we expect orders for products to come through,” he added.
He is also hopeful with the new UK government, the current relationship with the EU will improve and might mitigate some of the challenges Makefast is currently facing.
Like many manufacturers, particularly SMEs, skills are an issue for Makefast. “Being based in mid-Wales, it can be tricky to find the skilled people we need, but it’s a challenge we are tackling head on,” Chris added. He explained that the company has always had apprentices but is trying to up its game by promoting itself locally to schools and colleges.
“We’ve recently engaged with a company that produces career cards. They have interviewed some of our staff and will produce a card that we can take in to schools with a QR code. Students can scan the code and look at that individual employee’s journey. This will help them to understand what we do and if it is a path they wish to take,” explained Chris.
One of the company’s current directors was an apprentice himself and has worked his way through the business, and this is something that Chris hopes the young people currently embedded within the organisation will continue to do. “Six new apprentices started with us last September and not only have we had great feedback from them, our current staff have also been really pleased to have them on-site. It has been a great experience,” said Chris.
Another challenge is supply chain. Makefast tries to manufacture as much as it can in-house, but there’s certain components, such as castings, that it has to outsource. “We are unable to manufacture these ourselves so need to buy them in from China. However, we have experienced some issues with delivery which can then cause issues with orders,” he said. However, the business is looking to diversify its suppliers, even looking for some in the UK to make supply chain resilience more robust.
The next 50 years
“We are a business that grows, and we’ve done that consistently over the last 50 years. And that’s what we want to keep doing,” said Chris. Makefast is targeting further expansion in mid-Wales and further afield through increased sustainability, efficiency and getting closer to customers to offer the best service. “There’s a lot of potential in the business – we’ve come a long way, but we can go further.”
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