Pultrex
Pultrex Ltd. designs and manufactures pultrusion, filament winding, and pull-winding machinery and pultruded GRP profiles for enterprise customers in automotive, aerospace, defence, and construction across 37 countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1980
- HeadquartersManningtree, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Pultrex does
Pultrex Ltd. is a Manningtree, Essex-based designer and manufacturer of composite-machinery and pultruded profiles, founded in 1980 by David Shaw-Stewart following his work with W. Brandt Goldsworthy on the original Glastruder pultrusion process. The company operates two integrated divisions: a Machinery Division that builds pultrusion machines (in seven pulling-force sizes from 1-tonne to 20-tonne), filament winding systems (Modwind multi-axis, Miniwinder, Lab, and Pipewinding machines), pull-winding machines, and complementary ancillaries (resin impregnation, fibre tension, mandrel extractors, data acquisition, tooling, creels, take-off tables); and an ISO 9001-accredited Profiles Division running 5 pultrusion lines on a 24/6 schedule to produce standardised GRP profiles (rods, tubes, box and channel sections, flat bars, angles, handrails, corrugated sections). Technology differentiators include the iPul system (up to 2.25 m/min at 20 tonnes pulling force for CFRP chassis at ~70,000 vehicle chassis/year) and Laser-Assisted Tape Winding developed through the EU H2020 ambliFibre consortium.
Pultrex serves enterprise customers across automotive, aerospace, defence, civil engineering and construction, railways, wind energy, and fenestration, with 603 cumulative installations across 37 countries. Named customers include Carbon TT (iPul CFRP chassis), SheltAir (FRP rod for Berlin architecture pavilion), and a Slovenian filament-winding buyer. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales supplemented by trade-show presence at JEC Paris, CAMX (Orlando/Dallas), K-Show Düsseldorf, and Advanced Engineering Birmingham, with in-house technical consultancy for customers building their own composite manufacturing cells. Machines integrate with customer ERP systems (including SAP) for materials, temperature, operator, and traceability data capture.
The company has been a wholly owned subsidiary of KraussMaffei Group since February 2019, operating as a stand-alone Competence Centre for pullers, filament winding, and pullwinding within the world's largest plastics machinery producer. Ownership, financial scale, and revenue are not publicly disclosed; headcount is in the 11-50 range. Recent strategic activity centres on hydrogen-vehicle tanks, EV lightweighting, and thermoplastic winding — leveraging the EU ambliFibre Laser-Assisted Tape Winding platform developed with 13 European partners.
Pultrex firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pultrex
- Legal name
- Pultrex Ltd.
- Website
- https://pultrex.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1980
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Pultrex Ltd. designs and manufactures pultrusion, filament winding, and pull-winding machinery and pultruded GRP profiles for enterprise customers in automotive, aerospace, defence, and construction across 37 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pultrex industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Composite Manufacturing Machinery
- NAICS
- Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339)
- SIC
- General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Metal Forming & Fabrication Machines (Presses, Bending, Shearing, Stamping) (IMAHADAC)
Keywords
Where Pultrex is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manningtree
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Pultrex business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Pultrusion Machinery Sales: Design, manufacture, and sale of Pultrusion machines in seven sizes (ranging from small 1-3 tonne to large 12-20 tonne pulling force capacity). Includes turn-key systems with all necessary elements for customers to start producing composite products.
- Filament Winding Machinery Sales: Manufacture and sale of filament winding machines including MODwind multi-axis machines, Miniwinder, Lab winding machines, and Pipewinding machines. Includes complementary systems such as data acquisition, resin impregnation, mandrel extractors, and fibre tension systems.
- Pultruded Profile Products: ISO accredited production of extensive range of pultruded and pullwound profiles including solid rods, tubes (18 sizes), box sections (12 sizes), channel sections (11 sizes), flat bars (9 sizes), angle profiles, and special profiles. With 5 pultrusion lines operating 24 hours a day, 6 days a week.
- Technical Support and Consultancy: In-house support for companies developing their own composite manufacturing cells. Technical consultancy and advisory services for composite production issues.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Pultrex product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pultrex designs, manufactures, and supplies composite manufacturing machinery, including pultrusion machines, pull winding machines, and filament winding machines, along with pultruded GRP composite profiles. The company delivers turn-key production systems with modular construction for automotive, aerospace, defence, civil construction, and renewable energy customers, and also runs an ISO-accredited profiles division producing solid rods, tubes, box and channel sections, flat bars, and specialised profiles.
Product overview
Pultrex is a manufacturer of composite technology machinery and pultruded profiles. The product portfolio consists of two main divisions: Machinery Division (pultrusion machines, filament winding machines, pull winding, and ancillary equipment) and Profiles Division (ISO-accredited pultruded GRP profiles). Pultrusion machines are available in seven sizes with pulling forces from 1-tonne to 20-tonne capacity. Filament winding offerings include Modwind multi-axis machines, Miniwinder/Lab winding machines, and Pipewinding machines. The company also produces turn-key systems including data acquisition, resin impregnation, fibre tension, mandrel extractors, tooling, creels, laboratory equipment, and take-off tables. Pultruded profiles span solid rods, tubes (18 sizes), box sections (12 sizes), channels (11 sizes), flat bars (9 sizes), angles (2 sizes), handrails, and corrugated sections. The company recently developed Laser Assisted Tape Winding technology through the EU ambliFibre project, enabling combined continuous and discontinuous production.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Pultrusion Machines
- iPul Profile System
- Modwind Machines
- Miniwinder and Lab Winding Machines
- Pipewinding Machines
- Pull Winding Machines
- Laser Assisted Tape Winding
- Pultruded Profiles Division
- Pultruded Solid Rods
- Pultruded Tube
- Pultruded Box Section
- Pultruded Channel Section
- Pultruded Flat Bar
- Pultruded Angle Section
- Pultruded Handrail Section
- Pultruded Corrugated Sections
- iPul Rebar
Quantifiable outcome
- CFRP chassis approximately 60% lighter than comparable steel chassis
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Pultrex
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Pultrex technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature9 records
Pultrex partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- KraussMaffei GroupcoreKraussMaffei, the largest plastic machinery producer in the world, acquired Pultrex through a share purchase agreement completed on 21st February 2019. Pultrex continues trading as a stand-alone company within the worldwide KraussMaffei group. The Manningtree location continues profile production and becomes the KraussMaffei Competence Centre for construction of pullers, filament winding and pullwinding systems. This enables Pultrex expertise to be used in design of resin-impregnating bath systems and allows customers to test prototypes on location.
- Park CityminorBusiness Process Outsourcing provider specialising in Human Resources, Health & Safety and Training and Development services throughout East Anglia. Engaged as consultants for Pultrex HR Department in addition to existing H&S support.
- H2020 ambliFibre ConsortiumcoreEU funded project (H2020) developing and validating the first model-based laser-assisted tape winding system for manufacture of tubular thermoplastic FRP parts. Collaboration of 13 European organisations from academic and manufacturing sectors. Key elements include inline quality monitoring systems, HMI, simulation models, and system-reconfiguration techniques. Project concluded October 2018 with successful live demonstration of Laser-Assisted Fibre-Reinforced Tape Winding.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Pultrex competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- KraussMaffei: Parent company of Pultrex since February 2019 and the world's largest producer of plastics and rubber machinery. Not a direct competitor in pultrusion/filament winding, but provides channel, engineering, and capital backing to Pultrex's machinery business.
- Huntsman Advanced Materials: Global supplier of epoxy, polyurethane, and other specialty resins used as inputs into pultrusion and filament winding processes. Adjacent ecosystem peer rather than direct competitor — feeds Pultrex's installed base of pultrusion lines.
Direct peers
- Compositence: German supplier of automated composite manufacturing systems, including tailored fiber placement and tape-based processes. Comparable to Pultrex's push into advanced thermoplastic composite manufacturing via Laser Assisted Tape Winding.
- Entec Composite Machines: European filament winding equipment maker (later folded into Airborne) specializing in high-end filament winding systems for composite tubes and pressure vessels. Closely overlaps with Pultrex's filament winding machinery portfolio in aerospace, automotive, and hydrogen tank applications.
- McClean Anderson: US-based filament winding equipment manufacturer that has historically supplied multi-axis filament winding machines to composites and pressure vessel producers. Directly competes with Pultrex's Modwind, Miniwinder, and Pipewinding product lines in filament winding capital equipment.
- HOS-Technik: Austrian manufacturer of filament winding and preform machinery for composite part production. Directly comparable as a European specialist in filament winding capital equipment targeting similar customers in automotive, aerospace, and industrial composites.
Broad incumbents
- Creative Pultrusions: One of North America's largest pultruded profile manufacturers, producing structural GRP composites for construction, infrastructure, and industrial markets. Operates downstream of Pultrex's machinery and competes with Pultrex's Profiles Division in finished pultruded products.
- Strongwell: US-headquartered, ISO 9001-certified pultruder of fiberglass reinforced polymer (FRP) products and structural shapes for construction, utility, and industrial markets. Overlaps with Pultrex's Profiles Division offering of rods, tubes, channels, and structural sections.
- Exel Composites: Finland-based global pultrusion and pull-winding manufacturer serving wind, transportation, construction, and telecom applications. Closely comparable to Pultrex's Profiles Division, with overlap in pultruded carbon and glass fibre profiles for wind turbine and structural use cases.
- Bedford Reinforced Plastics: US-based pultruder of FRP structural products including rebar, grating, and custom profiles for construction and industrial markets. Comparable downstream peer to Pultrex's Profiles Division in finished pultruded structural products.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Pultrex social profiles
Digital presencePultrex compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Pultrex financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pultrex leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Pultrex funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pultrex 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 Pultrex
What does Pultrex do?
Pultrex designs, manufactures, and supplies composite manufacturing machinery, including pultrusion machines, pull winding machines, and filament winding machines, along with pultruded GRP composite profiles. The company delivers turn-key production systems with modular construction for automotive, aerospace, defence, civil construction, and renewable energy customers, and also runs an ISO-accredited profiles division producing solid rods, tubes, box and channel sections, flat bars, and specialised profiles.
Is Pultrex a public or private company?
Pultrex is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Pultrex founded?
Pultrex was founded in 1980. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Pultrex based?
Pultrex is headquartered in Manningtree, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Pultrex make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Pultrusion Machinery Sales are the primary driver. The others are filament Winding Machinery Sales, pultruded Profile Products and technical Support and Consultancy.
Who are Pultrex's main competitors?
Others on record are KraussMaffei and Huntsman Advanced Materials. Direct peers are Compositence, Entec Composite Machines, McClean Anderson and HOS-Technik. Broad incumbents are Creative Pultrusions, Strongwell, Exel Composites and Bedford Reinforced Plastics.
Does Pultrex have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pultrex.
What industry is Pultrex in?
Pultrex's product category is Industrial Composite Manufacturing Machinery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHADAC, Metal Forming & Fabrication Machines (Presses, Bending, Shearing, Stamping). Its NAICS code is 3339 and its SIC code is 3560.