Cannock-based Linecross Composites (
www.linecross.co.uk) is building on its reputation for innovation and challenging traditional methods of manufacturing vacuum-formed thermoplastic, polyurethane and injection-moulded components.
The company, which was formed in 2012 (when parent company Linecross Ltd bought its competitor BI Composites out of administration), provides a full design and manufacturing service — from initial design to ‘just in time’ delivery — for clients in the automotive, leisure and ‘speciality industries’.
As the business has expanded, so has its reputation for its commitment to technical innovation; as a result, it is now one of the industry’s leading manufacturers of engineered plastics and polyurethane components.
Its customers include Bentley, Aston Martin, JCB, London Taxis and caravan manufacturers Swift Group and Coachman.
Over the past 12 months, the company has invested more than £3.1 million at its two sites in Cannock and Rutland.
This included three vacuum forming machines with twin-sheet forming capabilities; also two new injection moulding machines with clamping forces of 2,300 and 900 tonnes, giving the ability to produce large automotive interior parts.
Also new are robotic handling systems and an ultrasonic welding robot to support assembly operations.
Chairman David Austin said: “Conventional thermo-forming has moved on greatly. These days, the industry is about more than just stand-alone parts; we are now supplying assembled modules, using a variety of different processes at the same time.”
One of Linecross’s most high-profile collaborations to date is with Antler Suitcases, for which it developed a method to process the new material Armordon (a self-reinforcing poly-propylene material that combines exceptionally high impact strength with low density) into a “super-light and super-tough” new suitcase called Atom.
Founded in 1967, the Linecross Group has grown from a ‘micro business’ with just two employees to a leading manufacturer of engineered plastics and polyurethane components, employing more than 300 people.
Group turnover topped £27 million in the last financial year and is expected to exceed £30 million this year.