Clarity Group has acquired NDB Engineering and Cofast, securing new capital and stability for robotics-led productivity upgrades. The business will trade as Cofast and target UK decommissioning programs and domestic naval projects. With new funding, Cofast plans to pursue £multi-million contracts while expanding its precision engineering capacity. The company also sees opportunity to supply safety-critical components into the aerospace supply chain, where quality and compliance drive demand.
Kevin Robinson, chairman of Clarity Group, commented: “Our latest purchase represents a perfect opportunity to increase our presence in two industrial markets that are receiving unprecedented investment.”
“Both NDB Engineering and Cofast, a leading provider of standard fasteners and engineering supplies, have excellent relationships in defense and nuclear that we want to maximize through increased efficiencies and investment in the latest technology.”
He continued: “There are also a lot of shared synergies with Clarity Plastics and our other associated engineering companies that we will look to explore as integration into the group continues. Like always, the emphasis is on improving the customer journey by giving them access to technical expertise and production capabilities they can’t get anywhere else.”
Cofast employs 64 people and generates £7 million in annual revenue across fasteners, turned parts, and more than 20,000 engineered consumables. Operations are anchored at a 22,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Willenhall, supported by a 6,500-square-foot logistics center near the A38 in Plymouth.
At its Black Country facility, the company produces custom components from exotic alloys in sizes ranging from 1.6 mm to 48 mm. Built under ISO 9001 quality accreditation, the parts ship to customers across more than 50 countries on four continents.
“We have been delivering critical parts for the nuclear and defense sector for nearly three decades, with our turned parts and fasteners used in applications deployed by some of the world’s biggest organizations,” explained managing director Rebecca James, who will continue to run the business with technical director Andy Williams.
“This trust in our manufacturing ability is something we can really drive by being part of a bigger group.”
“There are lots of opportunities in new infrastructure projects and we’re already working alongside our sister businesses to explore new markets where our engineering knowledge and machine capacity can make a difference – aerospace is a prime target.”
She concluded “Hopefully, we can also open doors in the defense sector for Clarity Plastics to exploit.”
Source: Clarity Group
About Cofast
Cofast is a U.K.-based supplier of fasteners, bearings, machined components and engineered consumables for industrial customers. The company is headquartered in Plymouth, United Kingdom. It serves manufacturing, naval, defense and heavy industry sectors with both standard and custom components. Cofast operates a purpose-built manufacturing facility and a dedicated logistics center supporting global distribution. Its products meet ISO 9001 quality standards and range in size from 1.6 mm to 48 mm. The company supplies hundreds of customers across more than 50 countries on four continents. Cofast maintains a catalog of consumables alongside bespoke parts for customer-specific applications. The business traces its origins to Company Fasteners Ltd.