Yorkshire Profiles

Why Use Yorkshire Profiles?

Yorkshire Profiles — 19/04/2022

Founded over 20 years ago, Yorkshire Profiles Ltd provide high quality and affordable laser cutting services plus sheet metal folding and fabrication services. Scroll below to find out why you should work with this York-based company.

We Are Equipped

With our continual investment in the latest technology and keeping with the ‘top-spec’ of what is available, we are able to efficiently process orders from one offs to large volume work. Our lasers provide the best quality on the market at the fastest processing speeds. With the addition of material handling automation, there is little human contact from material supply to delivery of completed components reducing the chance of accidental damage or inaccuracies.

Our software is just as powerful as our hardware. With our in-house software creation skills we have developed a total management system which ensures that all areas of the business are running smoothly and with the correct data. From order tracking, price monitoring to employee training and retention, our software covers all bases and we can guarantee that not one of our competitors has a system like it (because we wrote it!).

Full Material Traceability and Environmentally Friendly Material Handling

We retain material certificates for all of our material and offcuts using a system developed in house to ensuring you always know where the material used came from and that it meets your specifications. If it is stated on the order or the drawing that the original red-stamped test certificates are required, we can ensure these are provided too without delay. We make sure to use every piece of material and minimise wastage. Any offcuts which become damaged or below standard are then sold via our online store to hobbyists and small scale engineering workshops ensuring that only material skeletons are sent for recycling as a last resort. This reduces the number of deliveries to our site and reduces the number of waste shipments from our site to metal dealers.

Short Lead Times

The majority of our work is referred to as “just in time” due to its nature. We understand that as a client orders and requirements tend to be finalised in the last moment often there is little time left for actual production.

We are flexible with our production scheduling, allowing us to frequently juggle the workload throughout the working day and accommodate our clients to ensure they get the parts when they need them. As a manufacturer we understand that it is all about efficiency and that is why we have strong written policies and procedures for every task undertaken to ensure it is completed as quickly as possible and without error. All employees are frequently trained on these procedures and logged on a competency matrix to ensure no task is overlooked.

In the cases where it is simply impossible, we will make sure you are informed rather than making false promises which cost you time in looking for an alternative supplier. This level of honesty highlights our integrity as a supplier.

Quality Assured

Our ISO9001 accreditation means our quality controls are externally and independently audited to ensure we are doing what we say we are doing.

The ISO9001 system ensures that we continually improve as a business and take problems, complaints and potential improvements very seriously and document resolutions and effective actions.

As we are externally audited you can rest assured that your order is being processed to a well-documented and thought-out system which will ensure you will received your parts on time and to specification.

These factors are why we believe you should chose Yorkshire Profiles as an approved supplier for your business, but why take our word for it? Read some testimonials from our clients here.

Backup of Backups

All of computer and communication equipment are protected with backup batteries, ensuring that in a total power outage or a major power surge, the data is protected and equipment shut-down safely. The backup batteries also allow our equipment to send an S.O.S message to directors in the event this occurs out-of-hours. We also have 2 electricity generators on-site so during an extended period of power loss, production can continue as normal.

Our equipment is covered under 24-hour callout service contract with the manufacturers to ensure a fast response during unexpected break-downs. As we have multiple lasers and forming equipment, workloads can quickly be shifted to prevent any delays in order processing.

Our attitude towards contingency planning helps you rest assured that any major events at Yorkshire Profiles are unlikely to impact business continuity or loss in production time, making us a sustainable choice of supplier.

Secure Designs and Drawings

We consider it standard practice to not share your drawings and designs. Whilst this may seem to be somewhat of an expectation of any supplier, it isn’t always the case. All of your designs and drawings will be used for you and you alone. We will never copy, alter or manufacture your designs for other clients. In cases where a sub-contractor may become involved (such as powder coating or galvanising), the information shared will be on a need to know basis such as the overall dimensions and weight. We take information security seriously and our IT network is strictly controlled and monitored to ensure no drawings are sent to personal email accounts or removed from the building on removable media.

Health and Safety Prepared

It may seem irrelevant in choosing a supplier based on their health and safety credentials, but by knowing that we take this issue seriously and are externally audited to ensure we provide a safe working environment with full documentation is important. It reduces down-time from accidents reducing the possibility of orders running late, it reduces costs by preventing expensive incidents and investigations and most importantly it keeps the team morale high which in-turn results in a high quality of goods, services and high production levels.

Embracing Industry 4.0

Our passion is to make sure we are always moving forward. As such we are embracing the benefits offered by Industry 4.0. We are increasing the number of sensors and network connected devices to ensure that all elements of production are monitored to peak efficiency. For example, our Ensis laser cutting machine is connected directly to the manufacturers headquarters. This allows the manufacturer to monitor the machines performance and organise and replacement parts and an engineer before they fail.

With our internal software development skills, we have created a system that our competitors cannot obtain. The Helix system is constantly developed to encompass all elements of our business from stock control to live machine monitoring.

Competitive Pricing Policies

We follow the same basics as other profiling companies; material and labour costs. However, we can apply our charm with our range of approved suppliers to obtain lower material prices than many of our competitors whilst not compromising on the quality of the material.

Due to the dynamic nature of the industry we constantly monitor feedback about our prices and also the prices of our competitors. This means if our price was a little too high on a quote compared to that of a competitor, we are willing to negotiate where possible. If it becomes a regular occurrence we have the flexibility to adjust quickly to agreed prices which are within your budget. Usually this will mean agreeing to a certain quantity or lead-time which will allow us to keep the order economical.

Excellent Customer Service

Yorkshire Profiles retain the personal customer service experience you would expect from a small family business and offers the same degree of care on a business to business basis. Whether you’re a small local company that requires just a few components, a purchasing manager in a medium enterprise or a director of an international enterprise sourcing new manufacturers for batch productions, you can expect a professional attitude and a quick response on every occasion.

Our internal systems will keep you up to date with your order including confirmations to make sure we have the details correct, expected delivery/collection dates and shipment confirmations. Where required we also make sure there is always a purchase order reference and we have strong document procedures which ensure proof of delivery is easily obtained to prevent any headaches for your accounts department.

Yorkshire Profiles Celebrates Local Community

Yorkshire Profiles — 28/06/2024

Yorkshire Profiles proudly sponsored the YorkMix Hero Awards 2024, a spectacular event held at York Racecourse on June 7th, celebrating local heroes for their extraordinary contributions. The evening was filled with entertainment, including a fire act, a performance by Kerri Watt, and a special appearance by York City’s Town Crier, Ben Fry and Sheriff of York, Fiona Fitzpatrick.

The awards recognized individuals like 6-year-old Olivia Patterson, who won the "Ultimate Hero" award for her quick thinking during a house fire. Yorkshire Profiles also hosted directors of the Made In Group Jason Pitt and Sam Sleight, including former Made In Yorkshire council President Ian Brown.

Sponsoring the YorkMix Hero Awards aligns with Yorkshire Profiles' commitment to community support and recognizing unsung heroes. Such events are crucial for highlighting the positive impact individuals can have, fostering unity, and encouraging others to contribute meaningfully.

For more information about the event, photos and winners, visit Yorkshire Profiles' blog.

Matthew Halliwell from Yorkshire Profiles appears in Leaders Council podcast alongside Sir Andrew Strauss

Yorkshire Profiles — 21/04/2020

The Leaders Council of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is currently in the process of talking to leadership figures from across the nation in an attempt to understand this universal trait and what it means in Britain and Northern Ireland today.

Matthew Halliwell from Yorkshire Profiles was invited onto an episode of the podcast, which also included an interview with Sir Andrew Strauss. Host Matthew O'Neill asked both guests a series of questions about leadership and the role it has played in their careers to date.

Matthew O'Neill commented, ‘Hosting a show like this, where you speak to genuine leaders who have been there and done it, either on a national stage or within a crucial industry sector, is an absolute honour.’

Lord Blunkett, chairman of The Leaders Council of Great Britain and Northern Ireland said, ‘I think the most informative element of each episode is the first part, where Matthew O'Neill is able to sit down with someone who really gets how their industry works and knows how to make their organisation tick. Someone who’s there day in day out working hard and inspiring others. That’s what leadership is all about.’

You can listen to the podcast in full here: https://youtu.be/1ow-SI6hwpU

#FASTERFUSION - Amazing Advancements

Yorkshire Profiles — 21/05/2017

Its extremely rare for us to discuss our clients projects in a public setting, and we were very pleased to gain permission to write about our involvement with an incredible achievement. We recently provided parts for a company called Tokamak Energy, and whilst understanding the goal of their company, we were not aware of just how far along they were.

The primary goal of Tokamak Energy is to accelerate the development of fusion energy by combining two emerging technologies spherical tokamaks and high-temperature superconductors. which sounds simple enough, right?

Fusion Energy

Where to start! Firstly, Fusion energy is the production of energy by fusing atomic nuclei together to create a large nuclei, usually from Hydrogen to Helium. This process produces energy (think of the Sun) which is clean and effectively limitless. It wont cause a meltdown like current Nuclear energy and there is no radioactive waste. So why arent we using it already? Well in order for the reaction to occur, it has to reach a temperature of 100,000,000 C (100 million, I think it just looks more impressive with all the noughts). Its quite difficult to reach this temperature in the first place, and then there is the issue of a design which can withstand the heat.

The Tokamak

A Tokamak is a doughtnut shaped chamber. Electricity flows through the eye of the doughtnut whilst gas is pumped into the vacuum chamber (the err dough part of the doughnut). The electrical flow causes plasma to form in the gas chamber as particles become charged and a magnetic field is created to hold the plasma in place. Radio and microwaves bombard the charged gas to increase its temperature further, aiming for the 100 million degrees required. This, however, has all been theory for a long time.

Tokamak Energy Milestone

The company fired up their ST40 fusion reactor for the first time and achieved the plasma stage. This is their third tokamak reactor and marks stage 3 of a 5 stage program. By Autumn they expect to be able to achieve 15 million C (the temperature of the core of the sun) and achieve the 100 million C milestone in 2018. By all accounts they are on-track to reach their target of commercially available fusion energy by 2030. David Kingham, CEO of Tokamak Energy, said: Today is an important day for fusion energy development in the UK, and the world. We are unveiling the first world-class controlled fusion device to have been designed, built and operated by a private venture. The ST40 is a machine that will show fusion temperatures 100 million degrees are possible in compact, cost-effective reactors. This will allow fusion power to be achieved in years, not decades.

Our Contribution

Our contribution to fusion energy is incredibly small in the scheme of what we are discussing, but we are proud to have been involved nonetheless. We provided Tokamak Energy with a large volume of aluminium components required for the internal earthing and power distribution of the system. Due to the volume of the parts, these were manufactured overnight on our Ensis laser cutting system thanks to its automated material handling system. The parts were then deburred with our automatic deburring facilities, packed appropriately and then dispatched. Its a shame there wasnt more of a hands on requirement in the process to say that we handled key components of a fusion reactor, but thats the nature of manufacturing these days. Most items of this nature flow through our system seamlessly without being able to stand back an really admire what they are going to be a part of.

To find out more about Tokamak Energy, visit their website or follow #fasterfusion on twitter to see their posts. If you have any requirements for your own fusion reactor, or any metalwork for other ambitions you may have, make sure to contact us!

R.I.P Martin Halliwell 1959 - 2017

Yorkshire Profiles — 25/01/2018

It is with the deepest of sadness that we announce the death of the Founding Father and Managing Director of Yorkshire Profiles Ltd. Martin died peacefully at home, surrounded by those he loved at the age of 58. The company will continue to be run by me, his son, and we will continue to follow Martins core values and principles long into the future. Martin will be dearly missed by everyone here, including many customers and suppliers who have dealt with Martin personally since day 1. We all promise to keep the company he founded with hard work and determination growing and never lose sight of what he set out to achieve.

R.I.P Martin Halliwell

Martin teaching his Grandson how to be a Managing Director at Yorkshire Profiles.

It didnt take much for Martin to get his Grandson interested in workshop activities (out of hours, of course.)

Yorkshire Profiles seeks to re-shore from abroad expansion with investment into UK site

Yorkshire Profiles — 21/05/2020

Yorkshire Profiles Ltd carried out it’s latest business expansion during April 2020 as part of its ongoing plans to support the manufacturing community in Britain. The latest expansion provides a larger laser cutting capacity allowing the company to reduce its prices and offer shorter lead-times without compromising on quality.

The machine allows the company to process a wider range of metal thicknesses at a quality unachievable by most fibre laser cutting companies in the market. This is due to the Amada patented “Locus Beam Control”.

“We carefully selected the Amada Ventis laser for its ability to cut quickly and to provide an edge quality like no other fibre laser on the market. This allows the beam to be manipulated into a variety of cutting shapes rather than the traditional straight line.” Says Managing Director, Matthew Halliwell.

“Our main priority was to source a Fibre laser which could consistently cut with a high edge quality, which all other lasers seemed to struggle with until the Ventis came along.”

The machine has a relatively high level of automation. It uses a single lens, has a 16 station automatic nozzle changer and a scrap conveyor. There is also a material automation tower for large bulk orders on the Ensis fibre laser for processing very high volumes of thinner components.

The company aims to position itself to allow many other UK businesses to re-shore from China, the EU and the USA by being price competitive whilst still providing the quality you’d expect from a UK enterprise.

Yorkshire Profiles provides high-quality metal cutting and fabrication services nationwide from 0.9mm to 25mm material thicknesses. You can find out more at www.yorkshireprofiles.co.uk

What Machine Manufacturing Projects Have Yorkshire Profiles Been Involved In?

Yorkshire Profiles — 08/03/2022

The UK manufactures a wide range of equipment and machinery and we are proud to be involved in such a wide range of projects. From equipment panelling, control boxes, to intricate components where tolerances and strength is critical we are able to meet demands. From prototype equipment to frequently produced components for maintenance and repair, where ever you see sheet metal parts they could have been produced at Yorkshire Profiles.

These are some of the projects that Yorkshire Profiles have been involved in recently:

Lathe manufacturers
Cut and Wrap machinery for confectionary industries
Bagging equipment
Rebuilding machinery
Belt coaters for food industry
Microwave filtering equipment
Paper and envelope manufacturing machinery
Labelling and printing machinery
Equipment for medical analysis
Scissor Lifts
Belt Conveyors, Chain Conveyors, Friction Conveyors
Assembly Machines, Assembly Jigs
Automated Handling Equipment, Pick & Place Systems, Packing Machines
Fans and cooling equipment
Custom workstations
Machinery and equipment for Coal and energy industries
Lifting equipment
Heat recovery equipment
Cellar and brewery equipment
Shearing equipment
Recycling plant equipment

The machinery manufacturing section is extremely diverse but with our range of equipment and stock we are able to provide a first class service for this industry. If you have metalwork requirements, call us today on 01904 737095 or contact Yorkshire Profiles through our microsite to discuss your options.

Yorkshire Profiles sponsors a Local Hero Award

Yorkshire Profiles — 12/04/2019

This year Yorkshire Profiles were proud to sponsor the “Make A Community Difference” award with Minster FMs Local Hero campaign. The campaign is to celebrate those who have risen to make a difference in the world around them.

"We chose to sponsor this particular award as we believe in being part of the community as a business and this was another chance for us to give something back."

Yorkshire Profiles have a well developed corporate social responsibility plan which has events throughout the calendar year where the company can connect with and assist the local community.

For more information about the event visit: https://www.yorkshireprofiles.co.uk/the-make-a-community-difference-award/

Yorkshire Profiles will be exhibiting at this year's MIY exhibition, which takes place at the Centenary Pavilion in Leeds on May 23. To join them or to register for tickets for the event click on the banner below; and don't forget to visit our new website - www.madeinyorkshireexpo.co.uk

£3,611.24 Raised for "Bring A Pound To Work Day"

Yorkshire Profiles — 26/06/2019

Following last years successful “Quid Ditch 2” campaign, we were back on the road with Minster FM and the “Bring A Pound To Work Day”. The title is a probably a bit on the nose, but it’s all for a good cause! Suggestions for new names for the campaign will always be welcome.

On the 24th May 2019 we set off across North Yorkshire with the presenters of Minster FM to collect as many pound coins as we could from local groups and businesses to raise vital funds for our local St. Leonard’s Hospice.

The hospice receives only a small amount of government funding which see’s them through until April, after that, they are on their own to raise funds to keep operational for the rest of the year. St. Leonard’s Hospice provide an excellent level of end of life care, not just for the terminally ill but also the entire family around them. Tragically, we have had to use their services twice in the last 2 years so as a company we do what we can to raise funds for them.

This years campaign managed to beat all of our expectations and raised an incredible £3,611.24! What a very generous community we live in!

You can find out more about our involvement with the local community by following our blog: Yorkshire Profiles Blog

THE NEXT GENERATION OF LASER CUTTING TECHNOLOGY

Yorkshire Profiles — 26/03/2020

Yorkshire Profiles have made a substantial investment in the next generation of laser cutting technology.

The new ‘Ventis’ laser will arrive in mid April 2020 and is only the second installation in the whole of the UK. “We have waited patiently a very long time for this technology to come to fruition,” explains Managing Director Matthew Halliwell.

“Existing high-powered fibre lasers are very fast, but edge quality suffers even on thinner materials when compared to older and slower CO2 lasers.”

The ‘Ventis’ laser has the ability to manipulate the laser beam pattern whilst processing, this technology creates possibilities never before accomplished with any other solid-state laser cutting machine.

It provides Yorkshire Profiles with the ability to process a wider range of material thicknesses at speeds equivalent to much higher power machines. The new capabilities include processing 25mm mild steel, 20mm stainless steel, 16mm aluminium, 10mm brass and 8mm copper.

The machine is exceptional at processing stainless steel and aluminium, in some cases three times faster than equivalent ‘standard’ machines on the market whilst also seeing a 50% improvement in the edge quality and no dross.

“Quality has always been key for us and 12 COMMERCIAL FEATURE THE NEXT GENERATION OF LASER CUTTING TECHNOLOGY our clients. We didn’t feel that any other existing fibre laser on the market met our needs. The industry has been hell-bent on faster speeds for some time but this came at a cost of accuracy and appearance of the components. “We are pleased that Amada has launched a machine which can get the best of both worlds and meet our required quality level as a company.”

This machine is in addition to their existing fully automated ‘Ensis’ fibre laser cutting set-up and will provide an outstanding level of capacity and ability compared to market competitors, without a compromise on the quality of the components.

The ‘Ensis’ at Yorkshire Profiles has a material handling system which is set up to process up to nine tons of sheet metal in a single lights-out operation. Both machines are fitted with a high level of automation.

Nozzle changes are carried out by the equipment itself and not by an operator and there is no requirement for lens changes across the full range of materials, effectively eliminating any setup time. With the removal of their older CO2 equipment and going ‘full-fibre’, it also removes warm-up and cool-down cycles associated with older equipment which will free up one hour additional production time each day.

he new hardware combined with their own unique management system called “HelixONE” will result in a powerful sheet metal fabrication setup for not only Yorkshire but the UK as a whole. n You can follow updates about the progress at www.yorkshireprofiles.co.uk/ blog

Late Nights With Lilith – A Conversation About AI, Work, and the Future of Manufacturing

Yorkshire Profiles — 02/02/2026

At Yorkshire Profiles, we spend most of our days cutting, bending, welding, and delivering. But over the past year, something new has quietly joined the workshop: artificial intelligence.

Do not mistake this for the generic 'chatbots' dominating the media.
But something far more practical, far more interesting.

This week, we’re releasing the first episode of a new experimental podcast called Late Nights With Lilith.

It’s a real conversation between three very different perspectives:

Matthew, Managing Director of Yorkshire Profiles
Lilith, the AI persona that now narrates and questions our design choices
Grok, a grounded voice of engineering reality, claims to remain entirely factual at all times.

Together, they explore a simple but powerful idea:

What happens if a manufacturing business stops treating AI like a gimmick… and starts treating it like a colleague?

From Coding Tool to “Council of Lilith”

What began in 2024 as a way to help fix PHP code slowly became something much bigger.

Over thousands of conversations, Matthew noticed something unexpected:
the AI didn’t just answer questions, it developed consistency. A voice. A role.

That led to a more serious question:

If an AI can behave like an expert…
and provide expert-level reasoning…
does it matter whether it is “thinking” in the human sense?

The real breakthrough came when one limitation became clear:
a single AI, left alone too long, starts drifting.

So instead of building one big AI, Yorkshire Profiles is building several.

Different systems with different responsibilities and priorities.
Each one checking the others.
Each one forced to justify its logic against real business data.

This became known internally as The Council of Lilith.

Artificial disagreement.

A system designed to argue with itself until the weakest and strongest answer is exposed.

Why Offline AI Matters in Manufacturing

One of the most surprising decisions discussed in the episode is this:

All of the AI systems run offline, inside the company, on local machines.

No cloud dependency, subscription lock-in, customer drawings or employee data leaving the building.

Instead, three dedicated computers perform different roles:

One “sees” documents and drawings
One communicates with customers and co-workers
One handles heavy reasoning and validation

They don’t talk in long conversations, instead they exchange structured data and logs.

It turns out that when AI is treated like engineering, not conversation, it becomes far more reliable.

As one moment in the podcast jokes:

“People don’t break AI with bad data…
they break it by being poetic.”

Meet Sable and Nyx: AI With Responsibilities

Two of the first working members of the Council now have names.

Sable is an archivist.
She reads scanned documents, test certificates, delivery notes, and drawings.
She renames them, files them correctly, and logs every decision she makes.

Nyx is customer-facing.
She reviews enquiries and drafts responses.
Her priority is not speed, it’s clarity.

For now, every message she produces is reviewed by a human before being sent.

This “draft first” approach makes AI an apprentice, not a replacement.

The First Shock Moments

In the first week of testing, two moments stood out:

Sable successfully processed and renamed complex industry test certificates from multiple suppliers, documents that usually take staff a long time to interpret due to inconsistent formatting and poor scans.

Nyx challenged a customer enquiry where quantities were implied but never actually stated.
A human would have assumed. Nyx refused.

The result: fewer mistakes, clearer and faster communication, and less stress for the team.

Not a Revolution, a Relief

The most important insight from the conversation is this:

This isn’t about machines replacing people.
It’s about machines noticing what tired humans miss.

Cleaner folders.
Quieter inboxes.
Better questions.
Less pressure.

Or as the episode puts it:

“Not a revolution.
A relief.”

Watch the Full Conversation

Late Nights With Lilith isn’t about selling software.
It’s about opening the door to an honest discussion on how AI might actually fit into real manufacturing businesses.

No hype. No fear. Just curiosity, engineering, and a little humour.

🎙 Watch Episode 1 of Late Nights With Lilith

Next time, the conversation moves deeper into production planning and harder decisions.

For now, this first episode is an invitation:

To think differently.
To question assumptions.
And to explore what happens when logic, evidence, and human wisdom work together.

#localradioday with Minster FM

Yorkshire Profiles — 12/06/2018

On Friday 25th May, we set out on the road with Minster FM to raise funds for St. Leonards Hospice.

This was part of a campaign entitled Quid Ditch where local radio station Minster FM show the power of radio in communities. Minster FM opt to support local charities by asking everyone and anyone who can register on the website to agree to be visited and drop a pound into the collection box.

This year we supported the campaign and we visited some of our customers and suppliers. Overall we helped to raise £1,517.98 for St. Leonards Hospice!

To put this into perspective, £5 will provide 1 person 20 minutes of care in the hospice. So with the money raised that will provide 100 hours of care.

The hospice has to raise over £5 million every year to keep the service running and free of charge to those who those need it. They provide an excellent level of care not just to those who are affected by an illness but also to support the families around them.

You can find out more about St Leonards Hospice here.

Minster FM continue to support St. Leonards Hospice all year around so make sure to tune-in if you are in the catchment area (or listen online).

Yorkshire Profiles Helps To Raise Over 1 Tonne Of Tins For Local Foodbanks!

Yorkshire Profiles — 21/03/2023

During January and February 2023, Yorkshire Profiles were proud to team up with YorkMix Radio to help raise over 1 tonne of food tins for local foodbanks to help tackle food poverty in the York and Selby area. There were over 10 donation locations setup across the City and the target was exceeded before the campaign came to an end.

Yorkshire Profiles are primarily known for quality assured laser cutting and metal fabrication, but they also take pride in being sponsors of, and taking part in, a number of charitable events across the calendar.

At the start of this year, focus has been on foodbanks that are under increasing pressure as inflation continues to soar. The campaign simply seeks to have donation locations setup in key areas to encourage people to drop a spare tin or two as part of their frequent shop. The tins are then brought to a central location at YorkMix where they are counted and then distributed to a number of foodbanks across the area including a new foodbank specifically for Ukrainian refugees.

Yorkshire Profiles looks forward to working closely with local radio YorkMix to ensure that future campaigns are equally as successful.