GEAR MANUFACTURING
The company has continued to invest in technology while maintaining the same core principles on which the business was established: consistent quality, technical capability and long-term relationships with both customers and employees.
Fifty years in the making: the story of Mesh Gear
strategy, simply a focus on producing quality work consistently and building trust with customers. Over time, the company expanded its capabilities, invested in additional machinery and steadily grew its customer base through repeat business and referrals. That measured approach to growth became one of the defining characteristics of the business. Building capability Over five decades, Mesh Gear has evolved into a highly specialised gear manufacturing operation serving both local and international markets. Today, the company operates across four workshops and has invested heavily in advanced manufacturing technology. Its capabilities now include high- precision CNC gear grinding, advanced 5-axis milling and the latest CNC Gear Tester (CMM) technology. The company also maintains in-house heat treatment facilities supported by a fully equipped metallurgical laboratory. Processes such as induction hardening, shot peening and stringent final inspection protocols allow the company to manufacture components
In 1976, Michael and Heather Clayton started Mesh Gear Manufacturers with three machines and two operators. Fifty years later, the company employs more than 100 people across four workshops. It is a milestone few manufacturers achieve, and one built steadily over decades of technical expertise, investment and continuity.
The beginning The Clayton family’s connection to gear manufacturing dates back to the 1960s, when Lemuel Clayton, owner of Ensign Engineering, began cutting gears in KwaZulu-Natal. At the time, it marked the first instance of gears being manufactured in the province. Lemuel worked alongside his sons, Peter and Michael, laying the foundations for what would become a multi- generational engineering business. For Michael Clayton, those early years provided a practical education in gear manufacturing, from metallurgy and tolerances to machining processes
and the importance of reliability in demanding applications. It was an understanding rooted in hands-on experience, and it would later shape the philosophy behind Mesh Gear Manufacturers. Starting Mesh Gear In May 1976, Michael and his wife Heather founded Mesh Gear Manufacturers. Their eldest son, Steven, was only a few months old at the time. The business began modestly with three machines and two operators, one of whom was Michael himself. There was no elaborate business
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