Unipart, the supply chain solutions and performance improvement technologies partner, is pleased to announce it has acquired Formaplex Technologies, a lightweight components manufacturer serving customers in the automotive, aerospace, motorsport and healthcare sectors.
Formaplex Technologies was established two decades ago as a specialist tooling partner in the F1 automotive sector. Today, it has grown to become a key UK supplier of polymer and composite solutions and one of the few premium polymer injection moulding specialists in the UK supply chain, specialising in lightweight components.
Customers include McLaren, who are fully supportive of this acquisition and remain committed to working with the business in the future. Unipart will integrate the operations into its existing manufacturing capability portfolio, ensuring continuity and maintaining the high operational and safety standards both companies deliver.
From today, Formaplex will be rebranded to Unipart Polymer and Composite Solutions. Darren Leigh, Unipart Chief Executive Officer, said: “Growing our manufacturing capabilities through this acquisition expands our offering and aligns perfectly with Unipart’s growth strategy to offer our existing and new customers a breadth of supply chain solutions and performance improvement technologies. It reinforces our commitment to enhancing and growing the UK supply chain.
“I am pleased to welcome the Formaplex team to Unipart and excited about the potential this acquisition unlocks for innovation and growth, enabling us to expand our portfolio and strengthen our position in the UK manufacturing sector.” Jorg Laser, Chief Procurement Officer at McLaren, said: “We strongly value our long-term supply relationship with Formaplex and we welcome the specialist capabilities that Unipart, a long-standing partner of McLaren, now brings to enhancing this relationship.
“We are excited to see the innovative solutions and continued excellence that this combination will deliver for us.” Carol Rose Burke, Unipart Manufacturing Group Managing Director, said: "I am delighted we are further investing in our UK manufacturing capabilities through the acquisition of Formaplex.
“It will further support supply chains involved in delivering powertrain products used for internal combustion engines and electrification, as well as enhancing our offer for a growing number of uses in various other sectors such as construction and rail.” Unipart Group is a leading provider of supply chain solutions and performance improvement technologies.
It has deep expertise and breadth of capabilities in seven core sectors – automotive, rail and public transport, technology, healthcare, aerospace and defence, e-commerce, consumer and retail, and industrial sectors. Unipart’s customer promise is: ‘To understand the real and perceived needs of our customers better than anyone else and to serve them better than anyone else.’
At the heart of delivering this is ‘The Unipart Way’, which is demonstrated in the way colleagues think, work and behave. The Unipart Way empowers more than 12,000 colleagues across operations in the UK and 20 international markets with a continuous improvement mindset, delivering operational excellence and added value for customers, everyday.
In 2023 Unipart delivered £1bn turnover. In 2024 it is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Unipart brand, having been a division within British Leyland in 1974 and becoming a private company through a management buyout in 1987. Unipart is committed to setting the highest standards for colleague safety and wellbeing and sustainability.
In 2023 it became the first organisation ever to be recognised with a world-class safety, wellbeing and sustainability ‘treble’ by the British Safety Council and had its ambitious near-term and net-zero targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
