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Formaplex opens new tooling centre of excellence
Lightweight engineering specialist Formaplex has strengthened its design engineering services (DES) division with the creation of a ‘tooling centre of excellence’ as the company continues its programme of investment and growth.
The Portsmouth-based firm operates as a partner in the aerospace and high-end automotive industries for tooling and engineered lightweight components with companies such as Rolls Royce and Gordon Murray.
Established for almost 20 years on the south coast, the creation of a ‘tooling centre of excellence’ is the latest step in Formaplex’s rapid expansion. It will allow the manufacturer to capitalise on a drive across multiple industries for improved performance with lower CO2 emissions.
Formaplex has continued its programme of investment and growth with the creation of a ‘tooling centre of excellence’ / Picture: Formaplex
The company’s specialist tooling teams and associated equipment are now together under one roof at its Cosham facility, where custom tools are assembled for global name customers, as well as supporting the tooling needs of the business. The move establishes the second centre of excellence for Formaplex, complementing the specialist machining facility at its Havant site.
The move will allow enhanced quality control, improved production processes and a lighter carbon footprint for the business, which supplies to leading manufacturers across multiple sectors including aerospace, automotive, medical, defence and oil and gas sectors.
Adrian Chapman, managing director of DES, said: “This modern UK facility will support the comprehensive, integrated tooling solutions we provide and is illustrative of the confidence within Formaplex as we look to the future.
“We have grown from a successful automotive tooling business with a handful of employees, to a manufacturer of lightweight components for multiple industries and we now employ over 600 people across four advanced manufacturing facilities.
“A centralised bench assembly centre, continual investment in new equipment and a growing demand for lightweighting across industries put us in a very good place to strengthen our expertise and capabilities in multiple sectors.”
Formaplex specialises in the integration of carbon fibre, composite and polymer components across a range of sectors for weight reduction and strength at all stages, which means products can be more compact and more economical to run. These lightweighting principles have applications for projects as diverse as a lighter weight robotic arm for surgical procedures, a giant super-efficient jet engine and satellite technology.
Adrian Chapman added: “Lightweighting is being recognised as the answer to design challenges across manufacturing, where lighter weights and lower carbon emissions are firmly part of the future.”
Established in 2001, Formaplex currently operates across four locations in and around Portsmouth and its production facilities have increased from 20,000 square feet in 2007 to 350,000 square feet. Turnover has grown tenfold in that time – from £6m in 2007 to £62m in 2019, with employee numbers rising from 42 to over 600 in the same period.