The verdict in three sentences
An aerospace sheet metal subcontractor in the South East of England or around Montreal does not win a new tier 1 customer with a pretty homepage, but with stated capabilities and tolerances the buyer can check before a supplier audit. AS9100 (the equivalent of EN 9100), a machine park shown as data sheets and documented part families shorten qualification, which costs 2 to 3 audit days on each side. For a 48 person shop where one customer is more than half of revenue, the website is a diversification tool, not a marketing expense.
What a tier 1 buyer wants to know before opening an audit
A commodity buyer at an engine maker, an aerostructures supplier or a space integrator, whether in the UK aerospace cluster or Quebec's aerospace corridor, manages a tight supplier panel. Before committing to a 2 to 3 day audit, they sort on facts: valid certifications, materials handled (aluminium, stainless, titanium, Inconel), maximum part size, tolerances held, approved special processes and available capacity.
Most sheet metal shops publish a machine list without figures. One data sheet per production asset, with real capacities, saves the buyer a step and puts the company on the shortlist.
| Production asset sheet | Data to publish | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| Fibre laser cutting | sheet size, thickness by material | 3,000 × 1,500 mm, stainless up to 20 mm |
| Press brake | tonnage, length, angular accuracy | 220 t, 4 m, ± 0.25° |
| TIG and orbital welding | materials, welder qualifications | titanium, Inconel, ISO 9606 / AWS D17.1 |
| Forming and rolling | diameters, thicknesses | Ø 150 to 1,800 mm |
| Dimensional inspection | 3D arm, CMM | uncertainty ± 0.02 mm |
| Special processes | Nadcap or customer approvals, outsourced steps | penetrant testing, passivation |
What an aerospace subcontractor website costs in 2026
UK industrial agencies charge £7,000 to £16,000 for an aerospace supplier site, Montreal agencies CAD 12,000 to 27,000, in 8 to 12 weeks. The Kolonell showcase grid covers this scope in 6 to 8 weeks. Kolonell prices are set in EUR and FCFA and are not converted. Many shops in this sector want English plus French or Spanish to reach European and Quebec buyers: at Kolonell, languages are set in the quote.
| Option | Budget | Timeline | Machine sheets | Part families |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freelancer | £2,500 to £5,000 / CAD 4,000 to 8,500 | 5 to 7 weeks | plain list | a few photos |
| Industrial agency | £7,000 to £16,000 / CAD 12,000 to 27,000 | 8 to 12 weeks | yes | yes |
| Kolonell showcase Starter | 1,220 to 1,830 EUR | 6 weeks | 6 sheets | 5 families |
| Kolonell showcase Growth | 1,830 to 3,050 EUR | 6 to 7 weeks | all, blog, analytics | 12 families |
| Kolonell showcase Premium | 3,050 to 5,340 EUR | 7 to 8 weeks | all, advanced SEO, animations | 20 filterable families |
| Kolonell maintenance | 53 / 114 / 183 EUR a month | ongoing | certificate updates |
Part families and confidentiality: publish without exposing
Primes often forbid showing their parts, and some work falls under ITAR or export control. The answer is to publish part families: ducts, housings, engine brackets, tanks, test rig structures, described by material, size, tolerance and process, with no customer reference or drawing. Buyers accept this, because they want proof of capability, not a name.
The site should also carry a quality page: AS9100 certificate with expiry date, on time in full delivery rate, defect rate in ppm and the continuous improvement approach. These indicators appear in every supplier scorecard in the industry.
Mini case study
Anne-Marie Tremblay, president of a 48 person sheet metal shop in Mirabel, Quebec, turns over CAD 9.2M, 55 % of it with a single defence and space customer. Her goal is to bring that share down to 40 % in three years by winning two new tier 1 accounts.
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The maths: cutting dependency to 40 % at constant revenue means moving CAD 1.38M (15 % of 9.2M) to other customers. With two new accounts at CAD 690,000 a year each and a 25 % contribution margin, the secured annual margin is CAD 345,000. If the site helps get just one of those accounts onto a shortlist, it secures about CAD 172,000 of margin a year. Against that, a Premium site between 3,050 and 5,340 EUR and Standard maintenance at 114 EUR a month are marginal.
FAQ
Can we publish parts without customer consent?
Not identifiable parts. Part families described by type, material and tolerance, without drawings, are accepted by contract teams in 90 % of cases, provided export controlled work is excluded.
Do buyers really look at subcontractor websites?
Yes, most commodity buyers check the site before a first call. A site without stated capabilities triggers an extra questionnaire that adds 1 to 2 weeks.
Should we show OTIF and ppm figures?
If they are good, yes: above 95 % on time in full and below 500 ppm are direct selling points. Update them every quarter.
How long does it take to go live?
Plan 6 to 8 weeks, 2 of them to collect machine data and part family sheets from manufacturing engineering.
Can the site help us hire welders?
Yes, certified welders and sheet metal workers are among the scarcest profiles in both the UK and Quebec aerospace clusters. A careers page showing real processes improves applicant quality noticeably.
Let's scope your project. Production asset sheets, filterable part families and an AS9100 quality page for your shop, delivered in 6 to 8 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
