Formaplex opens Tooling Centre of Excellence

 

Lightweight engineering specialist Formaplex (Portsmouth, U.K.) has strengthened its Design Engineering Services (DES) division with the creation of a Tooling Centre of Excellence.

Formaplex builds tooling and engineered lightweight components for the aerospace and high-end automotive industries, including companies such as Rolls Royce and Gordon Murray. The company specializes in the integration of carbon fiber, composite and polymer components across a range of sectors for weight reduction and strength at all stages.

The Tooling Centre of Excellence is the latest step in the company’s expansion plans, and is expected to enable the manufacturer to capitalize on the need for improved performance with lower CO₂ emissions across industries.

With this expansion, 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 center of excellence for Formaplex, complementing the specialist machining facility at its Havant site. According to the company, the move will allow enhanced quality control, improved production processes and a lighter carbon footprint for the business.

“This modern U.K. facility will support the comprehensive, integrated tooling solutions we provide and is illustrative of the confidence within Formaplex as we look to the future,” says Adrian Chapman, managing director of DES. “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 centralized bench assembly center, 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,” Chapman adds.