thyssenkrupp Materials UK Ltd, part of thyssenkrupp Materials Services, the long-established global materials distributor that provides a wide range of metal products in different grades, shapes and sizes and a range of metal-related services, has had yet another successful year.
CEO Billy Kingsbury affirms that the company’s strategic focus on sustainability, advanced technologies, and customer-centric solutions has continued. “Last year, we invested significantly in capabilities that allow us to support our customers in the most sustainable way.”
“We have upgraded our 40-truck fleet to run on hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel, a transition that has resulted in a 94% reduction in carbon emissions, and we have changed our car fleet to electric or hybrid only, supported by the installation of charging points at all of our sites,” he says, adding that other ‘green’ measures included installation of solar panels at the company’s central materials hub.
Investment in technology and people
In terms of technology, the company has upgraded its bar sawing capability, enabling faster cutting times and the processing of larger diameters, and has installed five-axis water-jet cutting equipment, thereby expanding the range of services offered. Its fabrication site received new long-bed five-axis CNC machines enabling it to handle components up to 15.3 metres in length.
“In terms of our offering, we increased our focus on supply of fabricated aluminium extrusion,” says Kingsbury. “In summary, we’ve moved up the value chain in line with increased demand for additional services with our increased machining capabilities, all part of our Materials as a Service strategy.”
The success of thyssenkrupp Materials UK is rooted in its workforce, and the company has made concerted efforts to create a positive and rewarding work environment. Its commitment to employee development has been recognized with prestigious accolades, including “Top Employer” status for 2024 and 2025, and the Gold Standard Engineering Apprenticeship Kitemark that the company received in 2023, 2024 as well as in 2025.
In addition, the company has recently been named as a Top 3PL services provider by industry experts – an unexpected and much appreciated award, and a recognition of its efforts to develop additional customer solutions as part of its Materials as a Service strategy, says Kingsbury.
In line with current customer requirements
He affirms that Material as a Service continues to be the main guiding principle for thyssenkrupp Materials UK and the key driver behind its growth. “As of today, over 60% of our revenue is generated by services related to material supply rather than just basic distribution and stock holding.”
“The concept is really about working with our customers to recognize what their pain points are, and working together to find solutions, helping them by finding improvements, adding value and moving up their value chain as well.”
He reflects that today there are three topics that are key for customers’ current and future strategies. The first one, nearshoring, involves the search for alternative or additional production sites and suppliers in home regions, primarily Europe and North America. As part of one of the largest materials distribution and service providers, thyssenkrupp Materials UK is well positioned to meet that demand.
“Resilience to external disruption is another concern. To help address this issue, thyssenkrupp Materials Services is building digital supply-chain solutions for customers, ensuring a high level of transparency and enabling real-time adjustments as necessary. The third topic is obviously sustainability, and here we can provide expert advice to help customers achieve their goals.”
Sustainable and digitised
To this end, thyssenkrupp Materials Services has developed a “greenability” strategy that enables its European distribution units to offer their customers transparency and actionable insights into their supply-chain carbon footprints.
“We have mapped more than 250,000 supply chains to be able to advise on carbon-reduced products, provide the product carbon footprint for every product we sell through our DNV-verified PCF reports and support our customers with further sustainability services such as packaging reviews, workshops and monitoring and reduction of their own carbon footprint,” says Kingsbury.
He further points out that along with sustainability practices, digitisation has become an integral part of processes at thyssenkrupp Materials UK. The company has adopted machine monitoring systems that provide real-time data on energy consumption and operational efficiency. Moreover, the transition to paperless operations and the introduction of advanced wearable barcode scanning technology further enhances productivity and reduces environmental impact.
Another key development is the digitisation of quality management processes. “Fully assembled finished products for the construction industry have all quality data recorded via an app that the customer can access at any time. So, they can even see what were the torque settings of the screws that we’ve put in, who was responsible for it, or if there are any quality concerns,” says Kingsbury, adding that from 2025, customers will be able to track live production data for their orders by accessing a customer portal.
Navigating Challenges
By working closely with customers to understand their needs, thyssenkrupp Materials UK has positioned itself as a vital partner in their supply chains. However, despite its achievements, the company has not been spared the negative consequences of the supply chain disruptions in the aerospace sector and increased national insurance costs in the UK that have added financial pressure, impacting the company’s overheads.
Reflecting on the current economic situation, Kingsbury says: “We continue to operate in a challenging market environment.”
“However, despite these challenges, we are confident that our Materials as a Service strategy has allowed us to differentiate ourselves from our competitors, move up the value chain, increase the value that we give to our customers, and as such has secured a stable market position.”
He affirms that over the next 12 to 18 months, the company will continue to offer solutions that reflect customer requirements. “We will increase the focus on 3PL and 4PL solutions for our customers, and expand our Control Tower Solution, an end-to-end solution from material forecasting and consulting to just-in-time delivery of materials or finished products.”
In conclusion, he highlights two digital start-ups within thyssenkrupp Materials Services, pacemaker and Forward Sensing, that use AI to provide visibility in multi-tier supply chains, improve demand-forecasting accuracy and offer scenario-based decision-making, increasingly important as legislation requires companies to track and report on their CO2 footprint.
“If anyone would like to find out more, please contact us: we would be happy to organise joint meetings with our colleagues from the two start-ups, to see how we can bring benefits for sustainable supply-chain management,” Kingsbury concludes.
