iCOMAT
iCOMAT Ltd. is a UK-based composites manufacturer that uses its patented Rapid Tow Shearing (RTS) process to produce steered-fiber composite parts up to 65% lighter and 10x faster than conventional methods, serving enterprise OEMs across aeronautics, defense, space, and automotive.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersBristol, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What iCOMAT does
iCOMAT Ltd. is a privately held UK composites manufacturer founded in 2019 as a University of Bristol spin-out, specializing in the industrial-scale production of steered-fiber composite structures. Its proprietary Rapid Tow Shearing (RTS) process — patented and described as the only fiber-steering composite technology operating at production scale globally — deposits carbon fibers along curved paths that follow a structure's natural load paths, enabling parts that are up to 65% lighter and produced up to 10x faster than conventional quasi-isotropic laminates, with zero-defect aerospace-grade tolerances from the first article. The company operates a fully integrated end-to-end platform spanning structural design, digital thread optimization, material slitting, tooling, automated tape laying, curing (autoclaves), CNC machining, inspection, and painting.
iCOMAT serves enterprise OEMs across four verticals: aeronautics (wing skins, fuselage frames), defense (advanced structural components with emphasis on production sovereignty), space (spacecraft and satellite structures), and automotive (EV lightweighting). Named customers include BAE Systems, Joby Aviation, NIAR, Pall Aerospace, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, and the European Space Agency. The company partners with GKN Aerospace in the £12M ASPIRE R&D programme, the UK Space Agency, ESA's GSTP, the University of Bath, and DRIVE35.
The business model is sales-led, enterprise-direct with a distinctive no-CapEx structure: iCOMAT owns and operates production assets and either delivers finished parts from its Gloucester/UK facilities or deploys dedicated production lines near customer sites, charging through hardware sales of composite parts, preforms, managed production services, and design/engineering services. Revenue is generated across manufacturing services, dedicated production line deployment, preforms and semi-finished components, and professional engineering services. The company employs 75+ people across 5 global sites spanning 127,000 sq ft of manufacturing footprint, with 9 RTS production cells, 6 autoclaves, and supporting metrology and CNC equipment.
iCOMAT firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- iCOMAT
- Legal name
- iCOMAT Ltd.
- Website
- https://icomat.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- iCOMAT Ltd. is a UK-based composites manufacturer that uses its patented Rapid Tow Shearing (RTS) process to produce steered-fiber composite parts up to 65% lighter and 10x faster than conventional methods, serving enterprise OEMs across aeronautics, defense, space, and automotive.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
iCOMAT industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Advanced Composite Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Textile Product Mills (314)
- SIC
- Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Composite Structures & Layup Manufacturing (IMABAEAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Composite Reinforcement Textiles (Carbon/Glass/Aramid Fabrics & Preforms) (IMAOADAH)
Keywords
Where iCOMAT is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bristol
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
iCOMAT business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Composite Parts Manufacturing: iCOMAT produces and sells finished composite parts to customers. Parts are manufactured using RTS technology at their Gloucester facility or at dedicated production lines deployed near customer facilities.
- Preforms and Semi-Finished Components: Supply of preformed composite materials as intermediate products for further processing by customers.
- Dedicated Production Line Deployment: When customers are ready to scale, iCOMAT designs and deploys dedicated production lines at customer facilities. iCOMAT owns the CapEx and operates the lines, providing parts output to customers with no upfront capital required from the customer.
- Design and Engineering Services: Full-service engineering support including structural design, prototyping, validation, and analysis as part of the integrated manufacturing solution.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
iCOMAT product offering
Product offeringCore offering
iCOMAT manufactures advanced carbon fiber composite parts using its patented Rapid Tow Shearing (RTS) technology, which steers fibers along curved load paths to produce structures up to 65% lighter than conventional composites. The company offers an end-to-end production service from structural design and prototyping through finished, painted, and inspected composite parts, including dedicated production line deployment at customer facilities under a no-CapEx model. iCOMAT supplies OEMs in aeronautics, defense, space, and automotive sectors from its Gloucester, UK manufacturing base.
Product overview
iCOMAT is a composite manufacturing company offering advanced lightweighting solutions based on its proprietary Rapid Tow Shearing (RTS) technology. The RTS platform is their core offering, enabling fiber steering that was not possible for 50 years of composite manufacturing. They provide end-to-end manufacturing services including design, prototyping, low/mid-volume production via Factory 1, and dedicated production line deployment with no upfront CapEx. Their technology serves four industry verticals: Aeronautics, Defense, Space, and Automotive. The company operates from Gloucester, UK with a 127,000 sqft manufacturing footprint across 5 global sites, featuring 9 RTS production cells, 6 autoclaves, 6 CNC machining centers, and 5 CMMs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Steered Fiber Composite Parts Finished carbon fiber composite parts manufactured using patented Rapid Tow Shearing (RTS) technology, enabling fiber steering along curved load paths for up to 65% weight reduction and 10x faster production versus conventional composites. Sold to enterprise OEMs across aeronautics, defense, space, and automotive.
- End-to-End Manufacturing Services Full-service composite manufacturing solution covering structural design, prototyping, validation, low/mid-volume production, and engineering services delivered through iCOMAT's integrated factory system with proprietary hardware, software, and an end-to-end digital thread. Targeted at enterprise OEMs across aeronautics, defense, space, and automotive.
- Preforms and Semi-Finished Composite Components Intermediate preformed composite materials supplied to customers for further processing, produced using the RTS deposition process at iCOMAT's Gloucester facility.
- Dedicated Production Line Deployment Managed-service offering in which iCOMAT designs, owns the CapEx, and operates a dedicated composite production line at the customer's facility, providing parts output without the customer needing upfront capital investment. Delivered via the Discover-Validate-Deploy sales motion.
Quantifiable outcome
- 65% weight reduction compared to conventional quasi-isotropic laminates
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use iCOMAT
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
iCOMAT technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
iCOMAT partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- GKN AerospacecoreiCOMAT is a technology supplier for GKN Aerospace's ASPIRE £12M R&D programme (May 2024 - April 2028) developing next-generation composite wing and flap structures. The programme includes full-scale composite wingtip demonstrators using bonded assemblies, RTM structures, and novel fiber orientations. iCOMAT provides RTS technology for optimized fiber paths in wing components.
- PentaxiasupportingPentaxia is a partner in the GKN Aerospace ASPIRE programme alongside iCOMAT and Carbon ThreeSixty, contributing advanced manufacturing technologies for composite wing development.
- Carbon ThreeSixtysupportingCarbon ThreeSixty is a composite manufacturing technology partner in the GKN Aerospace ASPIRE programme, working alongside iCOMAT and Pentaxia on advanced wing structures.
- University of BathsupportingUniversity of Bath is an academic partner in the GKN Aerospace ASPIRE programme, contributing research expertise to composite wing and flap technology development.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
iCOMAT competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- GKN Aerospace: GKN Aerospace is a leading tier-1 aerostructures manufacturer and an iCOMAT partner/customer via the ASPIRE programme. It uses advanced composites at scale across commercial and defense platforms, making it the most strategically comparable incumbent for iCOMAT.
- Hexcel: Hexcel is a leading global supplier of advanced composite materials and structures to aerospace, defense, and industrial markets. As a broad incumbent with deep OEM relationships, it represents both a potential partner and a competitive threat to iCOMAT's downstream ambitions.
- Toray Advanced Composites: Toray Advanced Composites supplies carbon fiber prepregs and composite materials to aerospace and industrial customers. As a vertically integrated carbon fiber incumbent with strong OEM ties, it competes in the same value chain iCOMAT is moving up.
- Spirit AeroSystems: Spirit AeroSystems is one of the world's largest aerostructures manufacturers and a major consumer of advanced composites. Its scale and composite-intensive platforms (e.g., 787, A350) make it a benchmark incumbent and potential large-volume customer or acquirer.
Direct peers
- Electroimpact: Electroimpact builds Automated Fiber Placement (AFP) machines and integrates them into aerospace production lines. It is the closest direct technology peer to iCOMAT's automated fiber steering and layup approach.
- MTorres: MTorres is a Spanish aerospace automation specialist supplying AFP and fiber-steering equipment for composite aerostructures. Its machine-based, fiber-steering approach directly competes with the equipment layer of iCOMAT's RTS platform.
- Carbon ThreeSixty: Carbon ThreeSixty is a UK advanced composite manufacturer participating alongside iCOMAT in the GKN Aerospace ASPIRE programme. It is a direct peer in composite parts production for aerospace and a known ecosystem collaborator.
- Pentaxia: Pentaxia is a UK-based composite parts manufacturer specializing in advanced tooling and high-performance components, also part of the ASPIRE programme. It is a direct peer in advanced composite manufacturing for aerospace and motorsport.
Emerging players
- Arris Composites: Arris Composites uses continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites with a novel manufacturing process to make high-volume structural parts for consumer electronics, automotive, and aerospace. It is an emerging player pursuing adjacent advanced composite manufacturing.
Others
- National Composites Centre: The National Composites Centre is the UK's Catapult center for composites research and industrialization. It is an ecosystem partner for iCOMAT, providing testing, scale-up resources, and connections to UK aerospace primes.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
iCOMAT social profiles
Digital presenceiCOMAT financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
iCOMAT leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
iCOMAT funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
iCOMAT M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about iCOMAT
What does iCOMAT do?
iCOMAT manufactures advanced carbon fiber composite parts using its patented Rapid Tow Shearing (RTS) technology, which steers fibers along curved load paths to produce structures up to 65% lighter than conventional composites. The company offers an end-to-end production service from structural design and prototyping through finished, painted, and inspected composite parts, including dedicated production line deployment at customer facilities under a no-CapEx model. iCOMAT supplies OEMs in aeronautics, defense, space, and automotive sectors from its Gloucester, UK manufacturing base.
Is iCOMAT a public or private company?
iCOMAT is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was iCOMAT founded?
iCOMAT was founded in 2019. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is iCOMAT based?
iCOMAT is headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does iCOMAT make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Composite Parts Manufacturing is the primary driver. The others are preforms and Semi-Finished Components, dedicated Production Line Deployment and design and Engineering Services.
Who are iCOMAT's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are GKN Aerospace, Hexcel, Toray Advanced Composites and Spirit AeroSystems. Direct peers are Electroimpact, MTorres, Carbon ThreeSixty and Pentaxia. Arris Composites is listed as an emerging player. National Composites Centre is listed as an others.
Does iCOMAT have an API?
No public API is recorded for iCOMAT.
What industry is iCOMAT in?
iCOMAT's product category is Advanced Composite Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABAEAB, Composite Structures & Layup Manufacturing, with a secondary code of IMAOADAH, Composite Reinforcement Textiles (Carbon/Glass/Aramid Fabrics & Preforms). Its NAICS code is 314 and its SIC code is 3559.