PCML
Cambridge, UK-based precision engineering and contract manufacturer operating five sites with 105 machine tools, serving medical device, biotech, cleantech, high-tech industrial, and life science customers with CNC machining, fabrication, assembly, and DFMA services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersCambridge, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What PCML does
Precise Component Manufacture Limited (PCML, PCML Group) is a Cambridge, UK-based precision engineering and contract manufacturer serving five end-markets — Cleantech, Medical Device, Biotech, High-Tech Industrial, and Life Science Products. Founded in 2000 and operating across five manufacturing sites totalling 75,000 sq ft with 105 machine tools, the business delivers tight-tolerance work (10 micron true-position) for customers ranging from UK start-ups to international OEMs, including GEOSLAM, Cellexus, Team Consulting, Cogent Technology, and the UK Government.
The company's core capabilities span 5-axis CNC machining (including a robot-enabled Haas UMC-500SS and a Matsuura MAM72-35V), metal fabrication, paint and finishing, precision laser marking, cleanroom assembly, rapid prototyping, DFMA support, and supply chain management via its proprietary Procuresmart inventory system. Quality and regulatory positioning is a defining feature: ISO 9001:2015 (BSI), ISO 13485:2016 (LRQA), Cyber Essentials, and JOSCAR registration make PCML supplier-qualified for medical device and defence/aerospace supply chains.
PCML earns revenue through project-based and recurring contract-manufacturing engagements: prototype runs, low-volume precision parts, sub-assemblies, and full cleanroom-assembled products. The 2020 UK Ventilator Challenge (13,500 units) demonstrated capability at scale for medical device production, and a £5.5m asset-based lending facility from Arbuthnot Commercial ABL (Aug 2021) funded ongoing growth and capital expenditure. International customers are served in the USA, France, Germany, and Singapore.
PCML firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PCML
- Legal name
- Precise Component Manufacture Limited
- Website
- https://pcml.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Cambridge, UK-based precision engineering and contract manufacturer operating five sites with 105 machine tools, serving medical device, biotech, cleantech, high-tech industrial, and life science customers with CNC machining, fabrication, assembly, and DFMA services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PCML industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Precision Engineering and Contract Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Printed Circuit Assembly (Electronic Assembly) Manufacturing (334418), Machine Shops (33271)
- SIC
- Electronic Components, Nec (3679)
- akta.pro primary industry
- PCB Assembly (PCBA/EMS) (HDAHAOAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Industrial PCB & Substrate Components (Bare PCBs, rigid-flex, ceramic substrates, thick-film) (IMAGAJAM), PCB Fabrication (Flex & Rigid-Flex PCBs) (HDAHAOAH)
Keywords
Where PCML is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cambridge
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices6 records
Markets served
PCML business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Contract Manufacturing Services: Revenue generated through B2B contract manufacturing services including precision engineering, prototyping, component manufacturing, and full product assembly. Pricing is project-based, not publicly disclosed, with customers receiving custom quotes. Services span new product introduction through to market-ready component production. Repeat and long-term relationships with design consultants and global industry players.
- High-Volume Production Contracts: High-volume production orders for specialised projects, such as the 13,500 unit ventilator contract from the UK Government completed in 15 days. Demonstrates capability to scale rapidly from prototype to mass production.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | — | Quote-based custom pricing per project |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
PCML product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PCML manufactures complex, precision-engineered custom components and full product assemblies for high-tech industrial sectors, with a primary focus on medical devices, biotech, life sciences, and cleantech. Services span rapid prototyping, CNC machining (milling, turning, wire EDM), metal fabrication, in-house paint and finishing, precision laser marking, cleanroom assembly, and full BOM and supply chain management via its proprietary Procuresmart system.
Product overview
PCML operates a single, integrated contract-manufacturing platform rather than a suite of independent software products: every engagement flows through its core Precision Engineering and Manufacture capability, augmented by CNC Machining Services (Milling, Turning, Wire EDM) as the primary forming process, with Rapid Prototyping at the front end and Product Assembly, Design for Manufacture and Assembly, Metal Fabrication, Paint and Finishing and Precision Laser Marking as downstream add-on services. Procuresmart Inventory Software & Supply Chain Management is PCML's proprietary back-office system that binds the operational modules together by managing procurement and material flow across all of the above services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Precision Engineering and Manufacture
- CNC Machining Services
- Rapid Prototyping
- Product Assembly
- Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA)
- Metal Fabrication
- Paint and Finishing
- Precision Laser Marking
- Supply Chain Management (Procuresmart)
Quantifiable outcome
- 2 working days for first batch of ventilator prototypes
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use PCML
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
PCML technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature10 records
PCML partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- Cogent TechnologyflagshipMedical Device Manufacturer that collaborated with PCML and Team Consulting in 2020 to support the UK Government's 'Ventilator Challenge' in the fight against Covid-19. PCML produced rapid-prototypes of Cogent's Emergency Ventilators (EVA). Cogent Technology secured a UK Government order for 13,500 units. The consortium partnership enabled prototyping in 2 working days and full production in 15 days from initial contract. Special thanks also to Dore and Ensinger Ltd for coordinating materials and logistics.
- Team ConsultingflagshipLeading Medical Design Consultants who approached PCML Group to produce rapid-prototypes of Cogent Technology's Emergency Ventilators (EVA) in response to the UK Government's Ventilator Challenge during Covid-19. Team Consulting built and tested Eva and sought green light to initiate high-volume production. The collaboration with PCML and Cogent Technology enabled the consortium to take prototypes to mass production in 15 days.
- CellexuscorePCML collaborated with Cellexus to design and engineer the revolutionary CellMaker single-use bioreactor system. The collaboration involved design and engineering of the enclosure for the CellMaker system, published in the Engineer's Tool Box knowledge hub.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
PCML competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ITL Group (now SteriPack): UK-based medical device contract manufacturer offering design support, assembly and sterile packaging. Closest direct peer to PCML: similar size, similar customer base in MedTech, and overlapping capability in medical device assembly and supply chain management.
- Europlaz Technologies: UK medical device and pharmaceutical contract manufacturer specialising in injection moulding, assembly and packaging for regulated industries. Comparable to PCML in serving medical device OEMs with full-service contract manufacturing in the UK.
- TTP Group (The Technology Partnership): Cambridge-based product design and engineering consultancy that develops medical devices, biotech instruments and scientific products — the same end-markets PCML serves. TTP sits upstream in the design lifecycle, but its customer base and Cambridge cluster overlap with PCML's.
- Kemlows Diecasting & Manufacturing: UK precision diecasting and CNC machining company serving industrial and engineering customers. Comparable to PCML in capability (multi-axis machining, metal finishing, assembly) and in being a mid-sized UK contract manufacturer competing for similar OEM work.
Broad incumbents
- Doncasters Group: Global precision castings and engineered components manufacturer serving aerospace, defence, industrial gas and medical markets. Larger and broader in scope than PCML, but competes for similar high-spec metal component work in overlapping end-markets.
- Meggitt (Parker Hannifin): Large UK-headquartered precision engineered components group serving aerospace, defence and energy with high-tolerance components. Significantly larger than PCML, but competes for high-specification, high-reliability work in adjacent regulated sectors.
Others
- Bodycote: Global heat treatment and metal joining services provider. Not a direct competitor, but a complementary services provider in the precision manufacturing value chain that PCML's customers also rely on for finishing steps.
- Renishaw: Gloucestershire-based precision engineering company focused on metrology, additive manufacturing and healthcare technology. Adjacent rather than directly competing, but a relevant peer in the UK precision engineering ecosystem that PCML supplies into via Renishaw probe/machine systems.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
PCML social profiles
Digital presencePCML compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
PCML financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PCML leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
PCML subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
PCML funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PCML 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 PCML
What does PCML do?
PCML manufactures complex, precision-engineered custom components and full product assemblies for high-tech industrial sectors, with a primary focus on medical devices, biotech, life sciences, and cleantech. Services span rapid prototyping, CNC machining (milling, turning, wire EDM), metal fabrication, in-house paint and finishing, precision laser marking, cleanroom assembly, and full BOM and supply chain management via its proprietary Procuresmart system.
Is PCML a public or private company?
PCML is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was PCML founded?
PCML was founded in 1996. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is PCML based?
PCML is headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does PCML make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Contract Manufacturing Services are the primary driver. The others are high-Volume Production Contracts.
Who are PCML's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ITL Group (now SteriPack), Europlaz Technologies, TTP Group (The Technology Partnership) and Kemlows Diecasting & Manufacturing. Broad incumbents are Doncasters Group and Meggitt (Parker Hannifin). Others are Bodycote and Renishaw.
Does PCML have an API?
No public API is recorded for PCML.
What industry is PCML in?
PCML's product category is Precision Engineering and Contract Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAHAOAI, PCB Assembly (PCBA/EMS), with a secondary code of IMAGAJAM, Industrial PCB & Substrate Components (Bare PCBs, rigid-flex, ceramic substrates, thick-film). Its NAICS code is 334418 and its SIC code is 3679.