Moldex Composites picks up stake in MCT Engineering

Rockman Industries, the auto-components arm of the $6 billion Hero Group, has acquired a strategic stake in MCT Engineering through Moldex Composites. MCT Engineering is UK’s specialised carbon-composites manufacturer, producing high-quality and innovative components for automotive, motorsport and defence industries.

MCT’s clients include marquee motorsports and high-end, luxury car makers like Jaguar Land Rover and other British and European brands. The acquisition is a part of Rockman’s strategy to be a frontrunner in emerging technologies and to expand footprint in European and the US markets.

In early 2017, Rockman had acquired a majority stake in Moldex Composites, a British-Indian enterprise, engaged in design and manufacturing of advanced composites. This partnership complements MCT’s capabilities by giving it access to Moldex’s expertise in cost-effective advanced composites manufacturing as well as in-house design and production of patterns and moulds.

Rockman Industries’ Moldex Composites supplies composite components from India, with 99% of output exported across the world to premier racing series in North America and other marquee automotive and motorsports customers in the UK and Europe. The Moldex-MCT collaboration has started supporting and supplying to a number of JLR programmes in the UK, together with other regular volume projects from India. The 2 companies together have the vision to be ‘A global composites market player’ and ‘The number one choice’ for high performance composite solutions. The MoldexMCT partnership is able to offer endto-end solutions to their customers from detailed design, mould and patterns manufacturing to bespoke products, prototypes and short runs as well as volume production.

“The future belongs to carbon composites. We expect it to account for 10% of Rockman Industries’ turnover by 2022. Moldex Composites’ strategic stake in MCT Engineering allows Rockman Industries to leverage the advanced technology and to expand presence in the global aerospace, motorsports and automotive businesses,” Suman Kant Munjal, Chairman and Managing Director, Rockman Industries, said.

“We are proud to announce Moldex Composites’ partnership with UK’s MCT Engineering. The partnership will be beneficial for our global customers as it will increase our capabilities to handle turnkey packages involving end to end solutions from design to FEA, manufacturing and testing of crash structures, bodywork, wings, suspension, engine ancillaries, seating and frame assemblies etc.,” Parag Rajda, MD and Co-founder, Moldex Composites, said.

The acquisition brings together the market reach of MCT and the cost effective, yet comprehensive manufacturing expertise of both Rockman Industries and Moldex Composites. The partnership gives Moldex Composites’ global customers the flexibility to outsource for quick turnaround and long production runs from a single source.

MCT has been supplying advanced composites to UK and Europe’s leading luxury and sports car makers for over 20 years. The company’s facility, situated close to Silverstone Racing Circuit in the UK, focuses primarily on cosmetic components and short production runs with quick turnaround times. MCT has technical partnerships with customers and endusers, design and innovation houses and material suppliers across Europe, in the UK and globally.

Moldex is backed by advanced composites design and manufacturing experience of more than 5 decades of its 2 British founders and an able team in India. It can take full ownership of customers’ composite requirements and be a one-stop-solution – from prototypes to volume runs – covering detailed design, material choice, laminate design, in-house patterns and mould design, jigs design and manufacturing – all at a competitive cost.

Moldex Composites produces worldclass and cost-effective advanced composites from its purpose-built facility in Surat, Gujarat. The company can provide turn-key solutions – from concept to finished part.

Rockman Industries, incorporated in 1960, is among the leading auto components companies in India with more than 5 plants spread across India. Rockman supplies aluminum die casting components and automotive chains and two-wheeler alloy wheels. Rockman forayed into advanced composites in 2017 by acquiring Moldex Composites.