WEC Group passes 1,100 employee milestone

By Rob Kelly

08 Jun 2026

WEC Group

A Darwen headquartered engineering and fabrication specialist is continuing its sustained period of growth, with employee numbers rising from around 900 to more than 1,100 in the past 12 months.

The WEC Group, which operates across 10 manufacturing sites, has had significant investment, major contract wins and seen increasing demand across the UK over the period.

The firm says its outlook remains extremely positive, supported by a strong pipeline of work and continued investment in people, facilities, technology and advanced manufacturing capability.

It currently has 120 live vacancies across the business in addition to around 20 apprentices expected to join the group in Lancashire starting in September.

Recent investment activity includes WEC Group’s new £10m heavy machining and nuclear fabrication facility and the business has also spent £1m on machinery in the past 18 months.

James Pickles, regional director for WEC Group, said: “The past 12 months have been a hugely positive period for WEC Group.

“Growing from 900 to more than 1,100 employees is a major milestone and reflects the strength of our teams, the quality of our customer relationships and the confidence we have in the future of the business.

“This growth has been supported by significant investment across the group, including our new Heavy Machining expansion and continued investment in state-of-the-art machinery across our sites.

“These developments are helping us increase capacity for our customers, improve our capabilities and support the delivery of major contracts across a range of critical sectors, including nuclear and defence.”

Steve Hartley, managing director and founder of WEC Group, added: “Investing in the very latest technology and talented people has always been at the core of our sustainable growth strategy.

“We are looking for motivated people who want to build long-term careers with a growing, ambitious manufacturing group. Apprenticeships also remain central to our future.”

WEC Group says a series of large contract wins have helped create a strong platform for further growth, with continued demand across its core services and specialist manufacturing divisions.

Steve added: “Our outlook is extremely positive. We have a strong order book, major investment underway and a growing workforce across the group.

“Continued recruitment will be essential as we build on this momentum and ensure we have the people, skills and capacity needed to support our customers now and in the future.”

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