Devon-based
Rockwood Composites — a manufacturer of composite components — will be showcasing its design skills and manufacturing capabilities at
Advanced Engineering 2022, taking place at the NEC, Birmingham, 2-3 November (Stand V120), as well as unveiling its plans for growth over the next five years.
The company has already embarked on its ‘growth trajectory’ with the recent relocation to a new and larger factory in Paignton (increasing its factory floor space from 5,000 to over 30,000ft
2), and the opening of a Moroccan subsidiary (this has a footprint of 2,000m
2 and specifically targets the local aerospace industry).
Investments in new machinery have also been made, including a Hexagon Absolute Arm, which has been instrumental in developing novel business-class seats for aircraft; and a new Hurco machining centre. Furthermore, to support its growth plans, the company is currently recruiting high-skilled engineers.
Rockwood Composites, which is a specialist in design for manufacture and offers both long-run and low-volume production, has already built a solid reputation in the aerospace and defence sectors and is currently expanding into automotive and leisure. For example, it is manufacturing cycle frames for two leading bike producers, and these will be on display at
Advanced Engineering 2022.
Mark Crouchen, Rockwood Composites’ managing director, said: “Our design engineers understand material properties and tooling, and will be at the show to explain how to design for efficient manufacture. Customers are increasingly relying on our design skills and manufacturing capability, and this demand is coming from new industries as well as existing markets.
“We are planning for huge growth and are relishing the challenges that our customers will bring, whether that is producing seats for an aeroplane, developing struts able to withstand wide temperature ranges, designing a manufacturing process for a rotor, or manufacturing a hockey stick or an ice skate. With our experience and expertise, we deliver efficient and effective solutions in composites manufacture.”