The company says it has a solid reputation as a partner in the aerospace and high-end automotive industries, for tooling and engineered lightweight components for 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.
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 a 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.”
