Alumasc Group
Alumasc Group is a British supplier of specialist building and engineering products, with businesses focused on roofing, rainwater management, façades and sustainable construction.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Alumasc Group is a United Kingdom-based corporate group supplying specialist building and engineering products. Its portfolio is concentrated in the building envelope and related construction systems, including roofing, rainwater management, aluminium and architectural building products, façade and cladding solutions, and other products used in commercial, residential and infrastructure projects. The group generally serves professional customers rather than household consumers, including architects, contractors, developers, distributors, fabricators and building owners. The business has roots in Alumasc Limited, a Burton Latimer manufacturer whose earlier activities included aluminium products and equipment for the brewing trade. In the middle of the twentieth century, the company promoted aluminium beer casks as cleaner, stronger and easier to maintain than wooden alternatives. Its brewing-related activities continued into the 1970s, when the Hy-Range Dispense System received a Design Council award. By the early 1980s, however, recession, declining beer consumption, manufacturing difficulties and uneven customer orders had exposed the risks of relying heavily on beer-related products. In 1984, management led by John McCall bought the business from Consolidated Gold Fields. The company subsequently prepared for a London Stock Exchange flotation, announced in 1986. At that time it combined beer-related products, components for original-equipment manufacturers, aluminium building products and the Ingersoll Locks business. The building-products division proved to be the strongest area, helped by demand for aluminium guttering, while the beer-related operations remained an important but slower-growing source of profit. During the 1990s, Alumasc experienced fluctuating profitability and increasing pressure on its traditional manufacturing activities. It acquired the West Midlands engineering company Benjamin Priest in 1995, but issued profit warnings in 1997 and was loss-making by 1999. The group thereafter became progressively more identified with construction products. In 2006 it changed its stock-market classification from Engineering Products to Construction and Building Products, reflecting the greater importance of that division. In 2007 it acquired Levolux, a company specializing in solar-shading products, broadening its architectural and building-envelope activities. Alumasc’s contemporary positioning emphasizes technically specified products that can contribute to energy efficiency, water management, durability and regulatory compliance. Its sustainability-oriented proposition is linked to reducing or controlling energy and water use in the built environment, although the precise portfolio and business structure can change through disposals, acquisitions, reorganizations and product development. The company remains a listed UK construction-materials group associated with specialist rather than mass-market products. Current executive arrangements, operating subsidiaries, financial performance and geographic exposure should be checked against the latest annual report and regulatory announcements.
History
Alumasc Group’s corporate history combines an older aluminium-manufacturing business with the later development of a specialist construction-products group. The original Alumasc Limited operated from Burton Latimer and produced aluminium goods. During the 1950s it marketed cast-metal beer casks to the brewing industry, presenting aluminium as a hygienic, durable and lower-maintenance alternative to wood. Gold Fields Group acquired the business in 1960. Two years later Alumasc displayed a pressed-sheet aluminium beer cask at London’s Design Centre; the company said that design was substantially lighter than a die-cast barrel, while continuing to manufacture die-cast products. The company remained associated with brewing equipment during the 1970s. Its Hy-Range Dispense System received a Design Council award in 1978, an achievement the company described as a first for brewing equipment. The system was designed to allow licensed-trade operators to tap and reseal a keg quickly. Despite this technical activity, the brewing-related business faced structural challenges as beer consumption declined and demand became less predictable. In 1984, management led by chairman and chief executive John McCall completed a buyout from Consolidated Gold Fields. When a flotation on the London Stock Exchange was announced in 1986, Alumasc was described as Britain’s largest beer-barrel manufacturer. Its operations included beer-related products, components supplied to original-equipment manufacturers, aluminium building products and Ingersoll Locks, which had also been acquired from Gold Fields. The divisions performed unevenly during the recession of the early 1980s. Aluminium building products, particularly guttering, benefited from stronger demand, while the cask business suffered from weaker beer consumption and production problems. Profitability remained volatile through the 1980s and 1990s. Manufacturing difficulties, extended periods without customer orders and continued dependence on beer-related products contributed to an unstable earnings profile. In 1995, Alumasc agreed to acquire Benjamin Priest, a West Midlands engineering company, for £35 million. Profit warnings followed in 1997, and the company was loss-making by 1999. These pressures contributed to the group’s longer-term shift away from its historic brewing focus and toward construction products. The strategic transition became more explicit in the 2000s. In 2006, Alumasc changed its stock-market classification from Engineering Products to Construction and Building Products, reflecting the increased scale of its building division. In 2007 it acquired Levolux, a solar-shading specialist, extending the portfolio into architectural systems and the performance of the building envelope. Alumasc is now presented as a specialist supplier of building and engineering products, with an emphasis on products that help manage energy and water use in the built environment. Its activities include roofing, rainwater management, façades, cladding, solar shading and associated construction products. The group’s model is based on specialist businesses and professional specification channels rather than a single consumer product. Its history therefore illustrates a transition from aluminium and brewing equipment toward sustainable building products and construction systems. The exact composition of the group, its leadership and its financial profile require periodic verification through current company disclosures.
- 2007
Levolux acquisition
[1]Alumasc acquired Levolux, expanding into solar shading and related architectural building-envelope products.
- 2006
Reclassification as a construction and building-products company
[1]The company changed its stock-market classification to Construction and Building Products as that division became more important than engineering activities.
- 1995
Benjamin Priest acquisition
[1]Alumasc agreed to acquire Benjamin Priest, a West Midlands engineering business, for £35 million.
- 1986
London Stock Exchange flotation announced
[1]Alumasc announced plans to float on the London Stock Exchange while still operating as a diversified engineering and building-products group.
- 1984
Management buyout
[1]Management led by John McCall bought Alumasc from Consolidated Gold Fields.
- 1978
Hy-Range Dispense System receives Design Council award
[1]The company’s Hy-Range Dispense System, developed for the brewing trade, received a Design Council award.
- 1960
Acquisition by Gold Fields Group
[1]Alumasc Limited was acquired by Gold Fields Group, bringing the aluminium-products business into a larger corporate structure.
Products and positioning
Specialist, sustainability-oriented building-products and building-envelope supplier
Building envelope
Roofing systems
Specialist roofing products and systems for construction and refurbishment projects. They are associated with waterproofing, durability and the performance of the roof as part of the wider building envelope. Specific brands, materials and system configurations vary by business unit and should be confirmed through current product documentation.
Drainage and water management
Rainwater management products
Products used to collect, convey and control rainwater from roofs and building exteriors. The range is relevant to guttering, downpipes, drainage design and the management of water around buildings, with aluminium products forming an important part of the group’s historical construction-products activities.
Building envelope
Façade and cladding systems
Façade, cladding and related building-envelope products intended for architectural, weather-protection and construction-performance requirements. These systems are typically specified by architects, contractors and developers, and may contribute to appearance, durability and the overall performance of a building.
Architectural building products · 2007
Solar-shading products
Architectural solar-shading products associated with the Levolux business acquired by Alumasc in 2007. Solar shading can support façade design, occupant comfort and the management of solar gain. The current product range and ownership structure should be checked against the latest company information.
Historical engineering products
Beer casks and brewing equipment
Historical products of Alumasc’s predecessor business included aluminium beer casks and brewing equipment. The company promoted aluminium casks as hygienic, strong and easier to maintain than wooden alternatives, while its Hy-Range Dispense System was recognized by the Design Council in 1978. These products explain the group’s earlier identity before its strategic movement toward construction products.
Controversies
Brand decisions
2007
Acquisition of LevoluxM&ABackground
Alumasc sought to broaden its specialist construction-products portfolio and strengthen its architectural building-envelope activities.
Action taken
The group acquired Levolux, a solar-shading business.
Aftermath
The transaction added solar-shading capabilities to Alumasc’s construction-products portfolio.
2006
Repositioning toward construction and building productsStrategyBackground
The building-products division had become more important to the group than its earlier engineering and brewing-related activities.
Action taken
Alumasc changed its stock-market classification from Engineering Products to Construction and Building Products.
Aftermath
The reclassification publicly reflected the group’s strategic evolution toward construction materials and building-envelope products.
Recent events
Alumasc announces Simon Dray as Group Finance Director[3]
Reported:
Alumasc announced Simon Dray's appointment as Group Finance Director, effective March 1, 2021.
Sources3 sources
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