Operating across oil and gas, defense, aerospace and nuclear, Abbey Forged Products (Abbey) stands as one of the UK’s most modern forging facilities. Through continuous investment in its capabilities, the company now manufactures high-quality forgings for some of the most demanding and critical environments, from deep-water subsea components to nuclear and aerospace applications. Jackie Neal, Managing Director, retraces the company’s early days and evolution to its current form.
Jackie Neal, MD, receiving her MBE
“When I started the business in 1982, I was working from home, coordinating manufacturing around the capability that existed in Sheffield at the time, which encompassed different small businesses that could handle treatment, forging, testing and everything in between. I would arrange products to move around those businesses and deliver them, and the operation grew from there. Eventually I reached the stage where I was accumulating enough stock that I needed proper premises and an office. Those early operations were predominantly stockholding, buying and selling material, whereas today we tend to focus far more on processing. All our forgings, including rings, boss forgings, blocks, bar, and any other shape required, are hand-forged to order and entirely bespoke. Going back to those early days, we rented premises on the site of a forge, which I used daily before sending material out for further processing elsewhere. We then moved to the site we are on now in 2007, which spans six acres,” she begins.
The company spent the following 20 years converting that site into something tailored to its needs, continually improving it along the way. Today, Abbey has brought nearly all previously outsourced processes in-house, making the business almost entirely self-sufficient. Over the years, that investment has earned significant credibility, with Abbey now holding more stock than most other forges in the UK across a wide range of products, materials, sizes and grades. That stock holding, combined with a fast turnaround, has become one of the company’s biggest selling points. Scott Green, Director, elaborates further on the capabilities which set Abbey apart from other global suppliers.
“We can produce a solution ranging from two-kilo pieces up to 1.6-ton pieces, and we have the full range of facilities, including hammers, heat treatment furnaces and more, to manage that entire spectrum. From a technology standpoint, we have invested significant money and time into processing efficiency, including efficient burner controls on our furnaces to keep emissions as low as possible. Forging is a fairly traditional trade, much of it has been done mostly the same way for 100 years, so technology is not the most well-known aspect of it. But behind the scenes, the technology is substantial: monitoring equipment, efficient motors on the compressors that drive our hammers, even the way we purchase commodities. So even if watching someone forge a ring on a hammer would not immediately suggest it, technology is firmly on our radar. We also only buy high-quality European material, which makes us a reliable and consistent source for our customers,” he enlightens.
As a top-tier supplier to highly regulated sectors such as oil and gas, aerospace and nuclear, maintaining strict quality and traceability standards is vital to Abbey’s reputation. Every product is checked and marked up throughout the production process, and Abbey operates its own UKAS-accredited test house, bringing the entire quality assurance process under its own control. “That level of oversight is particularly important when working with clients like Rolls-Royce, who are very specific about how careful we need to be with the product. Clients operating at that level often want continuous improvement, and we are always working towards that not just with our products, but with the equipment we use to make them. For instance, our furnaces undergo certified testing for temperature control, and every piece of equipment is constantly monitored, upgraded and verified. Traceability and quality is equally important to the product itself as it is to the equipment behind it, which is constantly evolving and being certified to the specification each client requires,” Scott adds.
Over the years, Abbey’s unwavering commitment to quality has strengthened its relationship with Rolls-Royce, culminating in the company recently achieving Gold Status as a Rolls-Royce supplier. The accolade is particularly significant, as Abbey is the only forge in the world to have earned this distinction. With Rolls-Royce continuing to see strong demand, the emergence of small modular reactors represents a significant growth opportunity. Abbey is already involved in this sector and plans to expand its capabilities as it develops. As product requirements evolve alongside advances in technology, the company is committed to evolving with them.
Abbey’s achievements extend beyond its commercial relationships. The business was further recognized with a King’s Award for Enterprise, and Jackie was personally awarded an MBE, both significant sources of pride for the company and its people. Jackie is quick to credit Abbey’s workforce and culture for making those achievements possible. “Internally, our people are proud of what we are and proud to be part of all the successes we have experienced. That matters a great deal when customers or potential customers come in to audit us before deciding whether to work with us. It would be a very different situation if our reputation was anything less than strong. Our investment is not just in plant and machinery; the facilities themselves are excellent, and we get really positive feedback from staff. In fact, our team members often bring relatives and friends into the business too, which creates a nice working environment with very little staff turnover. Everyone is fully on board, because we simply could not do what we do without everybody being involved,” she emphasizes.
Suppliers play an equally important role in Abbey’s success, and the company has built a strong selection of key partners covering everything from raw materials all the way through to specialist services. “The quality of our suppliers has grown alongside us. When it comes to who we choose to work with, we have very little tolerance for anybody who is not operating at the top of their game in terms of health and safety, service and speed of delivery. We need the best suppliers around us to maintain the position we are in today,” Scott ends.
