60 jobs safeguarded in NDB and Cofast deal

More than 60 roles across the Black Country and South West have been protected following the rescue of a specialist supplier to the nuclear and defence sectors. 

Clarity Group has acquired NDB Engineering and its sister company Cofast from administrators.

The company will now trade under the Cofast name and will benefit from fresh investment to support robotics, productivity improvements and future growth.

Operating from a purpose-built 22,000sq ft manufacturing facility in Willenhall and a 6500sq ft logistics hub in Plymouth, Cofast employs 64 people and generates annual revenues of £7 million. 

The company supplies fasteners, turned parts and engineered consumables to customers in more than 50 countries.

Bosses say the acquisition will enable Cofast to pursue new opportunities in nuclear decommissioning, major domestic naval programmes and the aerospace supply chain, while building on its reputation for safety-critical, precision-engineered components manufactured to ISO 9001 standards.

Manging director Rebecca James, who will continue to run the business with technical director Andy Williams, said: “We have been delivering critical parts for the nuclear and defence sector for nearly three decades, with our turned parts and fasteners used in applications deployed by some of the world’s biggest organisations.

“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.

“Hopefully, we can also open doors in the defence sector for Clarity Plastics to exploit.”

Kevin Robinson, chairman of Clarity Group, added: “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 defence and nuclear that we want to maximise through increased efficiencies and investment in the latest technology.

“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.”

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