25 years of precision,
craft, and growth.
From a single lathe in Southampton to a 21,000+ square foot manufacturing group in Portsmouth — this is how the Excell Engineering Group was built.
Founded on a belief that British manufacturing could be done better
Lee Bligh and Neil Hunt founded Excell Metal Spinning Ltd in December 2000 with a straightforward ambition: to provide a high-quality metal spinning service that adds real value to customers. The company began operations in Southampton before relocating to a 1,100 square foot factory in Portsmouth in its first year.
What followed was two decades of sustained growth – expanding the facility, investing in machinery, building a team, and eventually acquiring and launching new companies that complemented and extended what Excell already knew how to do.
The founders
Neil Hunt
Managing Director
People-focused and customer-driven, Neil ensures the group delivers the right service for every client. A keen fisherman and outdoorsman, he brings the same patience and focus to running the business as he does to the riverbank.
Lee Bligh
Financial Director
The number-crunching backbone of the group, Lee keeps Excell financially sharp and strategically grounded. When not steering the ship, he follows the Blue and White Army and tackles DIY projects at home.
A history of continuous improvement
Excell Metal Spinning Ltd founded
Lee Bligh and Neil Hunt establish Excell Metal Spinning Ltd with the aim of providing a high-quality service that adds real value to customers. Operations begin in Southampton.
Relocates to Portsmouth
Excell moves to a 1,100 square foot factory in Portsmouth — the city that remains home to the group today. Air Movement Supplies is also founded independently this year.
ISO 9001 accreditation achieved
Excell Metal Spinning receives its first ISO 9001 accreditation through BSI, recognising its commitment to quality management. The certification has been maintained and upgraded ever since.
First expansion
The facility grows to 5,400 square feet to meet increasing customer demand.
First CNC machine installed
Excell installs its first CNC metal spinning machine, improving efficiency, precision, and consistency across the production floor.
Further expansion
A second expansion takes the facility to 7,500 square feet.
Biggest expansion to date
The facility grows to 12,500 square feet with new equipment added to increase capacity.
AMS acquired – the group is born
Excell acquires Air Movement Supplies Ltd, formally establishing the Excell Engineering Group. AMS had been a customer of Excell's before the acquisition, making it a natural and strategically consistent addition.
Made in Britain membership
Excell Metal Spinning joins the Made in Britain organisation, gaining the right to use the official mark across its products. The membership reflects the group's commitment to genuine British manufacture and has since extended across all four group companies.
Supply Chain Excellence Award finalist
Excell Metal Spinning is named a finalist for the Supply Chain Excellence TMMX Award, recognising its achievements in supply chain management.
ISO 9001:2015 accreditation
Excell Metal Spinning upgrades to the ISO 9001:2015 standard, the current version of the certification.
£120k machinery investment
A new CNC Leifeld PNC metal spinning lathe arrives alongside a second guillotine and circle cutter, growing the CNC fleet to four machines – the largest south of Birmingham. Weekend shifts are introduced and the workforce grows by 10%.
20th anniversary
Excell Metal Spinning celebrates two decades of operation, reflecting on how far the business has come since that first unit in Southampton.
NHS Nightingale Hospitals
When the Covid-19 pandemic struck, both Excell Metal Spinning and Air Movement Supplies were called upon to rapidly supply their services in support of the NHS Nightingale Hospital programme – a significant moment for the group and a demonstration of its ability to respond at pace when it matters most.
Medium Business of the Year finalist
Excell Metal Spinning is highly commended as a finalist for the Medium Business of the Year award at the Portsmouth News Business Excellence Awards.
Metamex Engineering opens
Metamex Engineering launches as part of a £250,000 group expansion, bringing precision CNC turning, milling, and laser cutting in-house. The facility is opened by Penny Mordaunt MP in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on 24 January 2022, creating eight new jobs.
Medium Business of the Year finalist
Excell Metal Spinning is named a finalist for the Medium Business of the Year award at the Portsmouth News Business Excellence Awards for the second consecutive year.
Supply Chain Excellence Award finalist
Excell Metal Spinning is named a Supply Chain Excellence TMMX Award finalist for the second time, recognising its continued commitment to supply chain performance.
Customer portal launched
Excell Metal Spinning becomes the first metal spinning provider in the UK to offer a dedicated customer portal with live order tracking, giving clients full visibility of exactly where their order is in the production process at any given time.
The Manufacturer Top 100
Curtis Bligh, Marketing and Sales Director, is named in The Manufacturer Top 100 – an annual recognition of the most inspiring and influential people in UK manufacturing.
State-of-the-art CNC lathe installed
A new state-of-the-art CNC metal spinning lathe arrives at the Portsmouth facility, bringing integrated robotics for automated loading and unloading of components and materials. The machine features a 650mm swing diameter, auto-centering with six spinning tools on the spindle, 60% faster programming via auto-coding software, and current generation Siemens technology integration – a significant step forward in automation for the metal spinning operation.
The Manufacturer Top 100
Ben Waldron, Shop Floor Manager, is named in The Manufacturer Top 100 – the second consecutive year a member of the Excell team has received this recognition.
The Heritage, Excell launches
The group's fourth company launches as a premium British cookware brand, producing handcrafted tin-lined copper pans in Portsmouth. The brand draws directly on Excell Metal Spinning's copper-working expertise and receives early endorsements from Michelin Guide chef Gary Pearce and TV chef Gill Meller.
Built on capability, not diversification
The Excell Engineering Group is not a conglomerate in the traditional sense. Every company in the group exists because it made sense – either bringing in a capability the group needed, or because existing expertise made it a natural next step.
Metamex Engineering was created because we were outsourcing precision machining we could do ourselves. The Heritage, Excell exists because we were already spinning copper. Air Movement Supplies was a customer before it became part of the group.
That logic – grow from what you know – is what drives the group forward.
I’m immensely proud of what they’ve done here. I’m very proud that this company calls Portsmouth home.
Work with the group
Whether you need precision components, acoustic ventilation products, CNC machining, or handcrafted cookware – find the right company for your project.