The metal fabrication industry may not change as rapidly as others, but nonetheless, innovation and change spur the sector forward through evolving customer demand and mounting pressure on suppliers. The global sheet metal fabrication market was valued at $76.980B in 2020 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.1%, reaching $95.740B by 2027. The market, in this case, covers all different forms of fabrication, including metal cutting, machining, welding, punching, and forming. While this is a stable if not stellar growth rate, there are businesses that are experiencing growth that is far outside of the average. Companies that fabricate aluminum, for instance, are seeing greater demand due to rising consumption, as are those that fabricate parts for the automotive industry, commercial construction, and the aerospace sector. Essentially, there are still a number of incredible growth opportunities; it’s simply a matter of staying nimble enough to adapt to what the market wants at any given time.

In order to keep up with the rapidly changing industry requirements, companies often need a reliable partner that can work alongside manufacturing teams from design through to assembly and product integration. C&F tooling puts an end to this hunt with its dedication to create and deliver tailored production solutions that match the myriad of requisites that clients need.

C&F was founded in 1989 by Mike Carr & John Flaherty, with a mission to provide tool-making services to local manufacturing companies in Galway, Ireland. “Through a commitment to providing industry-leading quality & service, C&F has expanded their range of services to include most sheet metal fabrication value-add processes at three manufacturing sites,” says John Flaherty, CEO of C&F Tooling. The company’s focus is on its customers’ needs. In order to effectively achieve this goal, C&F continually tailors its range of services to be the manufacturing partner of choice.

With its roots firmly set in the tool-making industry, C&F provides precision-engineered manufacturing solutions to many Fortune 500 OEM companies. Beyond the company’s design and tooling expertise, its whole manufacturing process is a blend of state-of-the-art technology and best-in-class industrial engineering know-how. This gives the group a competitive advantage which enables C&F to attract and retain Fortune 500 companies and, as a result, has fueled the organization’s global expansion.

Providing an Extensive Suite of Customised Solutions

In 1989, C&F was established in Galway, Ireland, to provide precision-engineered solutions in sheet metal manufacturing to a wide range of industry sectors. Since then, C&F has expanded to offer a comprehensive range of sheet metal fabrication and tooling solutions. Operating from facilities in Ireland, Czech Republic, and the Philippines, C&F is a manufacturing partner to many world-leading companies.

C&f’s foundation is set firmly in precision tool-making for the sheet metal pressing industry, so quality & accuracy are cornerstones of our philosophy

From design through to assembly & integration, C&F can provide a tailored production solution for the manufacture of precision sheet metal assemblies.

C&F has an extensive services portfolio that extends into many of the realms that manufacturers need assistance in. The company’s services extend from design and project management over C.N.C. machining, punching, and forming to providing protective painting and complex coating processes. C&F provides professional support services to bring a client’s ideas and products to the marketplace. Whether they need complete 3D CAD design from concept, F.M.E.A. analysis, simulation, prototype development, M.A.S.T. testing, or independent certification, the team at C&F tooling readily serves as an expert partner to manufacturing firms.

Staying true to its roots and founding philosophy, C&F offers full on-site tool design, manufacture, and maintenance of stamping tools, fixtures, jigs, and assembly machines. C&F’s experience in the design & build of all types of sheet metal stamping tooling is second to none. All production tooling undergoes a Preventative Maintenance program. All tool maintenance, repair, Engineering Change, and VA-VE activity is carried out on-site with full design control and no interruption to customer deliveries. C&F also partners with other tool-making companies to manage large-scale tooling projects at the most competitive prices. C&F offers very comprehensive C.N.C. machining services with their extensive range of state-of-the-art machining centers, mills, lathes, surface grinders, and wire E.D.M. machines. The company’s C.N.C. fabrication processes include turret punching, laser cutting, and precision bending. C&F has an extensive library of standard tooling and can manufacture bespoke punching tools and forming tools in-house.

While these are the core competencies of the organization, C&F also offers a wide variety of services that metal manufacturers may find to be invaluable. These include professional welding services, riveting & clinch nut insertions, electronic/mechanical assemblies, automatic electro powder coating, and more.

A Vast Global Clientele

C&F also works with clients from multiple industries and molds its solutions and services to meet their requirements. Providing state-of-the-art solutions to various sectors such as data storage centers, transport refrigeration, and renewable energy technology providers, C&F stays ahead of the market by delivering the right sheet metal solutions.

With the capacity to build over 50,000 data server racks per year globally, C&F supplies both flat-pack and fully assembled server rack systems (including seismic zone 4 ratings) to all the leading O.E.M.’s in the data storage industry. For clients that seek industrial machinery, C&F delivers farm machinery and excavator components to enclosures for industrial generators. The company has the varied and extensive expertise and range of services to be an ideal production partner. Additionally, C&F can provide all the expertise, technical skills, world-leading equipment & processes, coupled with a commitment to excel, to take clients’ products from concept to marketplace. With manufacturing sites in Ireland, Czech Republic, and the Philippines, C&F Tooling is ideally positioned to meet their customers’ sub-contract manufacturing and engineering needs. “Moreover, C&F’s foundation is set firmly in precision tool-making for the sheet metal pressing industry, so quality & accuracy are cornerstones of our philosophy,” says Flaherty. The company operates under ISO-9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, and O.H.S.A.S. 18001:2015 quality systems.

Experts in Sheet Metal Fabrication

C&F’s combination of highly qualified staff, years of knowledge, and range of equipment gives the organization the versatility to take on nearly any type of sheet metal fabrication. Whether a client’s project involves aluminum, stainless steel, galvanneal, or carbon steels, the company has the equipment and knowledge to produce parts on time, on budget, and without defects.

C&F has satisfied a multitude of clients with its high-quality sheet metal fabrication technologies. A client testimonial from Fergus Naughton, Managing Director of Ross Engineering Services says, “C&F has been not just a manufacturing supplier to Ross Engineering Services, instead of a trusted and valued business partner. On no occasion has there been a time where C&F have said, ‘This could be a problem/this is not our area of expertise.’ The response has always been ‘Nothing is impossible.’”

Staying true to this ideology and work culture, C&F Tooling’s operating profit has more than tripled in the last year, although the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has been lower than initially anticipated by the company. The team aims to study and research nuances in the metal fabrication landscapes worldwide and provide solutions that can add immense value to new businesses.