Dynamic Aero Fabs – Company History
Dynamic Aerospace Fabrications Acquired Paul Fabrications in June 2019, the company has over 80 years of history dating back to 1937.
Dynamic Aerospace Fabrications Acquired Paul Fabrications in June 2019, the company has over 80 years of history dating back to 1937.
Paul Fabrications Ltd Aerospace division was acquired by the Dynamic Group in June 2019, and formally changed names to become known as Dynamic Aerospace Fabrications Ltd.
Paul Fabrications has a long history in sheet metalwork fabrication since it was founded in 1937 by W H Paul (known as Billy, pictured). It has been engaged in subcontract work for both aerospace (since 1940) and nuclear customers (since 1957), along with the manufacture of products for the domestic kitchen and heating markets during the 1950s and 60s.
The nuclear division of the company was sold during the acquisition; however, it continues trading as part of the same building independently known as Westinghouse.
Billy Paul started the company in 1937 when he left Wallis & Co in Long Eaton. His first factory was a small building in Borrowash, but he soon moved to an old lace factory in Breaston that was originally built in 1864.
During World War II, the company went into war production, initially manufacturing black-out shields for traffic bollards and hoppers for filling sand bags.
As the War progressed the company started work on fabricating nose cones for the Spitfire aircraft of Fighter Command and exhaust manifolds for the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine.
The company’s complete dedication to the War effort continued until the end of the War in 1945, although it retained its aerospace work on sub-contract from Rolls-Royce, forming a relationship that carries on to this day.
During the early 1950s, the company started manufacturing stainless steel sinks and fabrications in stainless steel for the brewery and dairy industries.
W H Paul was one of the first companies to enter the domestic stainless kitchen sink market when the company introduced the “Dale” series of kitchen furniture – a range of base cabinets and cupboards produced from aluminium with stainless steel tops.
The kitchen business grew, with the addition of further ranges of equipment: the “Derby”, having wooden cabinets, and the “Argyll” which had zinc coated steel units. The Paul “Wash Wonder” was an electric washing machine fully enclosed in the sink unit, and potential customers could view the full range in their London showroom on Old Bond Street.
In the mid-1950s, portable paraffin heaters were becoming popular in Britan. Billy Paul introduced the “Paul Warma” at just the right moment, as coal fires were quickly going out of fashion, and it was a tremendous success.
At its peak the company was manufacturing 1,000 heaters per day and their profit largely funded and provided incentive for a purpose-built factory at Townend Road in Draycott. In total over three quarters of a million heaters were delivered.
Almost overnight, due to exaggerated press reports, there was a public campaign against paraffin heaters and the market collapsed.
The Townend Road factory was built in the late 1950s initially on the back of the success of the Paul Warma paraffin heater. Urgently, with the collapse of the paraffin heater market, the company began manufacturing pressed steel panel radiators and managed to continue trading despite severe losses incurred on obsolete Warma components and materials.
Various extensions were added at Townend Road over the years to accommodate increases in the production of stainless steel sinks, radiators and aerospace work.
Aero work was mainly carried out at a factory situated at the Old Mill in Draycott until it was moved in 1966 to the new factory at Townend Road. The sheet metalworkers here at the Old Mill appear rightly proud of this complex ductwork fabrication.
WH Paul continued working for Rolls-Royce as a subcontractor, fabricating parts such as this Avon RA-7A/114 jet engine afterburner pipe. The Avon powered a variety of military and commercial aircraft and jet pipes manufactured at Paul’s were fitted to engines used in the Vickers Supermarine Swift and in the Hawker Hunter.
The Paul Metal Craft Logo was used on publicity and materials for the domestic marketing – a metal version of which was affixed to Kitchen Brochures in the 1960s. The logo also appeared on the kitchen units themselves – fixed to the front of the dummy drawer on the sink unit in place of a handle.
1937 Company founded by W H Paul
1939 Became a limited company
1940 Began subcontract work for Rolls-Royce
1946 Kitchen furniture manufacturing commenced
1954 Paraffin heater manufacturing commenced
1955 Site at Draycott built
1957 Chosen by the UK Atomic Energy Authority to manufacture components for Winscale
1959 Became a public limited company
1973 Acquired by Glynwed International plc
1975 Name changed to Paul Fabrications
1975 Closure of Breaston site
1999 Acquired by American conglomerate Tyco
2000 Management buyout by Paul Holdings Ltd
2001 Acquired Precision Laser Processing Rugby
2004 Secondary management buyout
2005 Closure of Draycott site and move to Castle Donington
….
2019 Aerospace division separated and acquired by Dynamic Aerospace and Defense group. Name changed to Dynamic Aerospace Fabrications Ltd.
