23 Jun Expert Technologies Group Achieves BS EN 1090 EXC3 Accreditation
Strengthening UK structural fabrication capability at a critical moment for British manufacturing
Expert Technologies Group (ETG) has achieved BS EN 1090 EXC3 accreditation — a high-level execution class under the UK and European standard for structural steel and aluminium fabrication, covering the most demanding industrial, infrastructure and safety-critical applications.
The certification confirms that ETG’s UK manufacturing facility meets the quality systems, welding procedures, material traceability and inspection controls required to deliver safety-critical, load-bearing structures to recognised international standards.
It is a milestone worth pausing on — not just as a certificate on the wall, but as a marker of what ETG can now formally demonstrate to customers across industrial automation, material handling, infrastructure, energy and defence-adjacent sectors.
Why BS EN 1090 EXC3 Matters for UK Manufacturing
ETG’s EXC3 accreditation arrives at a moment when the UK manufacturing and engineering sector is under real pressure on two fronts simultaneously.
The UK Welding Skills Shortage
The first is a growing skills shortage. WorldSkills UK currently projects a shortfall of more than 35,000 certified welders across the UK by 2027. The average UK welder is now in their mid-fifties; close to half of today’s welding workforce is expected to retire within two to three years, and the number of people starting welding apprenticeships has fallen by roughly 45% since 2015.
Demand, meanwhile, is rising, driven by infrastructure renewal, offshore energy investment and a defence sector under government instruction to rebuild domestic manufacturing capacity. The pipeline replacing the outgoing workforce is simply too narrow for what is coming.
Sovereign UK Manufacturing Capability
The second is a fundamental shift in how the UK talks about manufacturing capability. Recent UK industrial and defence strategy has placed growing emphasis on sovereign capability: the ability to design, fabricate and certify critical structures on British soil, rather than depending on overseas supply chains for work where traceability, security and quality assurance matter most.
A business that can design something, but lacks the certified UK capacity to build it, does not fully control its own delivery — or its supply chain risk.
Certified structural fabrication capability of the kind BS EN 1090 EXC3 represents is one of the most concrete, auditable answers to that gap. It is not a policy statement; it is a demonstrated ability to deliver high-integrity structures in the UK, to a standard that can be independently verified.
What ETG’s EXC3 Accreditation Means for Customers
For organisations working with ETG on structural fabrication, automation or material handling projects, the BS EN 1090 EXC3 accreditation translates into a small number of very practical assurances:
- Consistent, auditable quality — backed by a certified management system, not an informal process
- Full material and process traceability — from raw material certification through to the finished, installed structure
- Compliance with recognised UK and European standards — reducing the compliance burden customers would otherwise carry themselves
- Reduced project risk — particularly for structurally significant or safety-critical builds where failure is not an acceptable outcome
Combined with ETG’s existing capabilities across structural steel fabrication, material handling systems, automation cells, robotics integration, mechanical assembly, installation and commissioning, and lifetime support through FlexCare, EXC3 accreditation extends what ETG can deliver under one roof — from initial design through to a fully fabricated, certified, installed and supported structure.
Investing in British Manufacturing and Welding Capability
At a time when many organisations look overseas for structural fabrication capacity, ETG has continued to invest in its UK-based manufacturing facility and the skilled people within it. Achieving BS EN 1090 EXC3 required coordinated effort across quality, manufacturing, engineering, procurement and project delivery teams, and reflects a broader commitment to building certified fabrication capability in Britain — rather than relying on it from elsewhere.
Looking Ahead
BS EN 1090 EXC3 accreditation is one part of a wider strategy at ETG: investing in the people, processes and UK facilities needed to deliver complex, high-integrity engineering projects from a single British base. As the country works to close its skilled welding gap and rebuild sovereign manufacturing capacity, ETG is one of the businesses demonstrating that it is already happening — in practice, not just in principle.
For organisations exploring structural steel fabrication, aluminium fabrication, automation systems or material handling projects that require proven, BS EN 1090-certified UK manufacturing capability, ETG would welcome the conversation.