We are a small family run business founded in 1979 by two friends and fellow classic car enthusiasts, Frank Cholerton and Christopher Parnham.

They were both active restorers having separately restored numerous classic cars, who went into business together through the dissatisfaction of plating work on their own cars.  This still lays the the foundation of the business today, specialising in high quality custom chrome work, primarily for classic cars and motorcycles.

Rather than mass-plating for industry and tackling car parts as a sideline, Derby Plating always intended to specialise in car chrome.  "Plating car parts needs a great deal of personal attention to get good results," says Chris.  "We employ the best polishers and platers, who are experienced and sensitive to our customers' requirements.  Some platers don't charge you much to wreck your bits!"

Frank sadly passed away in 1996 but the business still continues today under the directorship of the two families, with his son James starting working there from 2000.

James having a background degree in mechanical engineering, and a passion for classic cars that was in his blood, has overseen much of the modernisation of the business.

The factory was very dated, but in the last few years it has undergone a complete scheme of upgrading and refurbishment.

To be viable for the future it is vital to keep up to date, especially with health and safety.

All of our work is carried out by us in house by a team of dedicated highly skilled operatives.  The polishing being the most labour-intensive part of the process, employing five of our ten staff.  Polishing is a highly skilled and potentially dangerous job.  Finding skilled staff is nearly impossible and training is almost always required.

All of our work is still carried out by hand using the same traditional methods, indeed this is the only way because all of the work is so individual.