What Cross Manufacturing does

Cross Manufacturing Company (1938) Limited is a UK-based, privately held precision engineering manufacturer specialising in high-temperature metallic sealing rings, retaining rings, brush seals, and machined components for extreme turbomachinery environments. Its core technology is a proprietary in-house forging process that produces high-integrity sealing and retaining rings from alloy wire and rod (sizes 5mm–2000mm+, temperatures up to 1,000°C), supplemented by patented brush seal designs pioneered in 1976, in-house test facilities, NADCAP-accredited special processes, and a recently established sovereign UK capability for Ceramic Matrix Composites targeting hypersonic and space applications. The company operates three manufacturing sites in Bath and Devizes, Wiltshire, and reports a headcount of approximately 550 staff.

The business operates as a B2B engineered-components manufacturer selling direct to OEM engineering and procurement teams via enterprise field sales. Revenue is generated through quote-based, specification-driven hardware sales; the company supplies virtually all global passenger car and truck turbocharger OEMs (over 1 billion precision turbocharger rings delivered since the 1980s, with 100M+ units annually and 90%+ of output exported), plus aerospace primes (Airbus, ESA), power generation OEMs (Shanghai Electric, BHEL), and adjacent industrial, marine, medical and motorsport customers across 85 countries and 15 industries. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and varies by specification, material, volume and qualification.

In 2026 Cross materially expanded its addressable market by completing AS9100 aerospace certification across all three sites, securing NADCAP accreditation, and entering a DSTL-funded partnership to establish the UK's first sovereign Ceramic Matrix Composite manufacturing capability — a strategic pivot into defence, hypersonic and space propulsion. The firm is family-owned (no parent company disclosed), operates without subsidiaries or external funding rounds beyond the DSTL investment, and is led by a management team succeeding the late Chairman Rodney Cross (d. 2023).

Name

Cross Manufacturing

Legal name

Cross Manufacturing Company (1938) Limited

Website

https://crossmanufacturing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1938

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Cross Manufacturing is a UK-based, privately held precision engineering company that designs and manufactures high-temperature metallic sealing rings, brush seals and retaining rings for aerospace, automotive turbocharger, and power generation OEMs across 85 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerospace and Industrial Sealing Components

NAICS

Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (3364)

SIC

Gaskets, Packg & Sealg Devices & Rubber & Plastics Hose (3050), Aircraft & Parts (3720)

akta.pro primary industry

Aerospace Seals, Gaskets, O-Rings & Elastomeric Components (IMABANAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Seals, Gaskets & Fluid Connectors (O-rings, packings, rotary seals, quick couplers) (IMAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Precision engineered seals
• Aerospace sealing components
• Turbocharger sealing rings
• Brush seal manufacturing
• High temperature metal seals

Headquarters

HQ city

Bath

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Precision Component Manufacturing: Cross Manufacturing generates revenue through the design, development and manufacture of high temperature metallic sealing rings, retaining rings, brush seals, and machined components sold directly to OEMs and tier suppliers across aerospace, automotive, power generation, and other industrial sectors. Annual production exceeds 100 million parts for turbochargers alone, with manufacturing at three dedicated production sites.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cross Manufacturing designs and produces precision-engineered high-temperature metallic sealing rings, brush seals, retaining rings, friction locking rings, machined components, and rolled wire profiles for aerospace, automotive turbocharger, power generation, marine, medical and motorsport OEMs. The company operates proprietary in-house forging processes and bespoke machinery across three UK manufacturing sites, delivering over 100 million parts annually to global OEM customers.

Product overview

Cross Manufacturing is a precision engineering manufacturer specializing in high-temperature metallic sealing rings, brush seals, and retaining rings for aerospace, automotive, power generation, and industrial applications. The product portfolio centers on core offerings including Brush Seals (patented, refurbishable designs for aerospace and power generation), Sealing Rings (proprietary forged rings up to 2000mm for temperatures to 1000°C), and Retaining Rings & Circlips (for turbine blade retention up to 800°C). Supporting these are specialized sub-products for turbocharger applications: Actuator Shaft Seals, Main Shaft Seals, Dynamic Sealing Solutions, and Static Joint Rings for Variable Geometry Turbos. The company also produces Machined Components (CNC-machined parts to AS9100D/IATF16949), Die Casting Plunger Rings, Friction Locking Rings & Spring Lock Washers, Rolled Sections/Wire Profiles, Flow Control Seals, Hydrogen Transportation Sealing, Wind Power & Renewables Sealing, Side Seals for Rotary Engines, and Turbo Compressor Sealing. With over 1 billion rings supplied and 3 manufacturing sites in Bath and Wiltshire, UK, the company serves global OEMs across aerospace, automotive, marine, medical, motorsport, and power generation industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brush Seals Aerospace and power generation brush seals containing thousands of fine wires that form effective barriers to gas flow while deflecting during shaft excursions and thermal movements. Patented refurbishable designs reduce total cost of ownership for aerospace and power generation customers.
• Sealing Rings

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 billion precision turbocharger rings delivered since the 1980s
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• University of BathcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Research and development partnership with the University of Bath's Department of Aerospace Engineering. Cross sponsors three PHD students developing test rigs for advanced seals and fundamental research on brush seals and film riding seals. The partnership includes a 12-month placement program for students and collaboration on Pressure Actuated Leaf Seal (PALS) and Film Riding Pressure Activated Leaf Seal (FRPALS) development.
• CMGTechcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership with CMGTech for further enhancement of Pressure Actuated Leaf Seal (PALS) technology and development of Film Riding Pressure Activated Leaf Seal (FRPALS) for turbomachinery applications.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Garlock (EnPro Industries): Garlock, part of EnPro Industries, manufactures gaskets, sealing products, and fluid handling products for industrial markets — directly comparable to Cross's industrial/manufacturing segment sealing rings for power generation and process industries.
• SKF: SKF is a global bearings and seals manufacturer with aerospace and industrial sealing solutions — comparable to Cross in sealing technology for rotating equipment, but operating at vastly larger scale and broader product scope.
• Parker Hannifin: Parker Hannifin is the parent of Meggitt and a global motion and control leader with extensive aerospace sealing, fuel systems, and engineered materials — broadly comparable to Cross across aerospace and industrial sealing, though at much greater scale and portfolio breadth.
• Trelleborg Sealing Solutions: Trelleborg Sealing Solutions is a broad incumbent offering polymer and elastomer sealing products across aerospace, automotive, and industrial markets — overlapping with Cross's metallic sealing portfolio on customer side, though differentiated by material technology.
• John Crane (Smiths Group): John Crane, part of Smiths Group, is a global leader in mechanical seals and sealing technology for turbomachinery, pumps, and industrial process equipment — directly comparable to Cross's turbine and industrial sealing segments but at much greater scale and breadth.
• Eaton Aerospace: Eaton's Aerospace division supplies sealing systems, fuel and pneumatic components to major aerospace OEMs — comparable to Cross's aerospace brush seal and retaining ring business as part of a much larger diversified industrial portfolio.

Direct peers

• Doncasters Group: Doncasters is a UK-based precision manufacturer of high-temperature alloy components and assemblies for aerospace engines and industrial gas turbines — directly comparable to Cross in materials expertise, aerospace customer base, and precision forged/machined component production.
• Hoerbiger: Hoerbiger is a direct competitor in sealing technology for reciprocating and rotating compressors, gas turbines, and powertrain applications — overlapping with Cross's brush seal, compressor seal, and power generation sealing product lines.
• Senior plc: Senior plc is a UK-based precision engineering group manufacturing engineered components and sealing solutions for aerospace, defence, and industrial markets — directly comparable to Cross in customer base (aerospace OEMs), precision metal manufacturing, and AS9100/NADCAP-certified operations.
• Meggitt (Parker Hannifin): Meggitt, now part of Parker Hannifin's Aerospace segment, is a direct peer headquartered in the UK with a long-standing portfolio of aerospace sealing, sensing, and high-temperature engine components serving similar OEM customers (Airbus, engine OEMs) — directly comparable to Cross's aerospace engine sealing business.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCCXvABP0B188XjCkSnfFffA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cross-manufacturing-company-1938-ltd
• Xx.com/cross_1938

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cross Manufacturing