Inox Fabrications Ltd acquires Cass Fabrication Ltd
On 20th December 2024 Inox Fabrications acquired Cass Fabrication, a fellow Lancastrian company who specialised in fabrication, counters and bars. All Cass customer accounts will be transferred over to Inox Fabrications with immediate effect.
In an open letter to customers and employees, Lee Preston, MD at Blackburn-based Inox Fabrications said, “Whilst we do not envisage or foresee any problems there will be a period of transition while the transfer of administration is completed, and noted we’re already in the process of amalgamating the Cass team into Inox.”
Commenting on the purchase, Lee said, “It was evident after our initial discussions that Cass would be a strong addition to Inox. I felt the acquisition would bring great opportunity and allow us to grow our offerings across all facets of the business, from Fabrication and Bar Systems to Counters and Kitchen Ventilation.”
This second acquisition rounds off a busy few years for the Inox team. At the beginning of 2022 they acquired The Canopy Company. At the end of the same year they invested in new heavy-duty equipment, replacing an old Co2 laser for a state-of-the-art fibre optic model, as well as upgrading their on-site nitrogen generator and installing a new demand-based air compressor.
In early 2023 Inox began a company-wide digital transformation. 65” screens were installed across the workshop and all staff were given individual tablets, as the company worked towards becoming a “paperless” shopfloor. This was followed by the huge challenge of upgrading their folding machines, again replacing old equipment with new hybrid servo-driven models. By the end of 2023, the majority of all Inox’s core machines and technology had been upgraded.
In April 2024, after 19 years, Inox moved half a mile down the road. “Space had always been an issue for us, and this was compounded when we upgraded our equipment”, said Lee. “As a result, our manufacturing became faster, and our processes more efficient. The ventilation side of the business had also seen continuous year on year growth, and we were quickly running out of physical space, ultimately resulting in us moving to a much bigger and more modern site.
“Today we find ourselves in a very different place to where we were three years ago. We now employ 40 members of staff, with a combined floor space of 33,000 sq ft across two sites. Another goal was to restart apprenticeships to bring in new talent into our workforce. Today 10% of our current staff are on an apprenticeship programme. In addition to this we also have a T Level student from Blackburn College.
“2025 marks our 20th anniversary. I’m very much looking forward to celebrating our achievements and excited to see what the future holds.”