Zaun and Fastline join forces

Above: Mike Fellows of Fastline (left) and Alastair Henman of Zaun shake on creating a ‘combined powerhouse’.

Zaun owner Alastair Henman said: “I am delighted that we managed to put this deal together after extensive negotiations and am excited to be welcoming Mike to the Zaun board.”

Fellows added: “There are tremendous synergies between the two businesses.  Our combined resources and specialities will be without comparison in the UK – and possibly even anywhere in the world.

“We see this as only the start of the creation of a combined powerhouse in the UK and international fencing market.  This is very much a case of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts.”

Fastline and Zaun have agreed to extremely close collaboration including a combined sales effort, the sharing of specialist skills, combined procurement and stocking, maximising the use of space, significantly increased plant utilisation and improved productivity through the use of technology and scale.

Mike Fellows founded Fastline Steel Services Ltd, fencing manufacturers with particular strengths in palisade, railings and gates, based in 30,000 square feet of factory and office space in Strawberry Lane, Willenhall.  They have a strong and dedicated team with additional regional offices in Liverpool and Bristol.

Fastline invested in plant two years ago to roll their own palisade system and now have probably the most efficient line in the UK.

Zaun specialises in woven and welded mesh fencing, manufacturing both types of panels in its 80,000 square feet of manufacturing in Wolverhampton, less than 15 minutes from Fastline.

Zaun benefits from a host of modern production equipment including robot welding, tube laser cutting and plasma cutting.  It makes an extensive catalogue of security rated and crash rated fencing products and boasts extensive major project and export experience.

Henman concluded: “We will be looking to make quick gains for both businesses while the coming months and years will involve further investment and growth for both Fastline and Zaun, working side by side with a view to establishing both companies as the leaders in their field both nationally and internationally.”