Forst
Forst (UK) Ltd is a Leicester-based industrial manufacturer specializing in broach tool design, manufacture, refurbishment, and subcontract broaching services for aerospace, automotive, and broader manufacturing sector customers, operating what it claims is the UK's largest subcontract broaching facility.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersLeicester, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Forst does
Forst (UK) Ltd is a privately held industrial manufacturer based in Leicester, England, specializing in broaching technology for the metalworking industry. The company designs and manufactures broach tools, including round internal tools (gear forms, splines, special forms, full form relieved tools, and shells), flat surface broaching tools (keyways, broach blades, form blades, steering rack broach tools), hard broaching shells, and pot broach tools with fixtures. It also operates a subcontract broaching service and a full regrind and refurbishment service for broach tools from any manufacturer, alongside broaching and broach-grinding machines supplied through its partnership with Forst Technologie in Germany.
The company's commercial focus is B2B enterprise sales targeting major manufacturers in the Aerospace and Automotive sectors, with a stated secondary base across broader manufacturing sectors. Forst (UK) Ltd operates what it describes as the UK's largest subcontract broaching facility, with capacity spanning 3mm keyway broaching through to a 40-tonne 3-station vertical broaching machine with a 2-metre stroke. Distribution is direct through phone, email, and website contact; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, consistent with custom-manufactured, specification-driven industrial work.
The business is privately held with no disclosed ownership structure, no institutional backing, and no public revenue or headcount data. The company website carries a 2005 copyright and shows no modern digital marketing presence, and there are no records of funding rounds, acquisitions, leadership changes, or regulatory actions in the source material.
Forst firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Forst
- Legal name
- Forst (UK) Ltd
- Website
- https://forst.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Forst (UK) Ltd is a Leicester-based industrial manufacturer specializing in broach tool design, manufacture, refurbishment, and subcontract broaching services for aerospace, automotive, and broader manufacturing sector customers, operating what it claims is the UK's largest subcontract broaching facility.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Forst is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Leicester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Forst business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Broach Tool Sales: Design, manufacture, and sale of broach tools including round internal tools, flat surface broaching tools, hard broaching shells, and pot broach tools. Custom-manufactured to customer specifications.
- Broach Regrind and Refurbishment Services: Full service support for broach tool maintenance including regrinds, straightening, weld repairs to HSS tools, and modifications to existing broach tools.
- Subcontract Broaching: UK's largest subcontract broaching facility providing broaching services on customer components using in-house horizontal and vertical machines.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Forst product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Forst (UK) Ltd designs, manufactures, and refurbishes broach tools — including round internal tools, flat surface broaching tools, hard broaching shells, and pot broach tools with fixtures — for manufacturing customers in the aerospace, automotive, and broader industrial sectors. In parallel, it operates the UK's largest subcontract broaching facility at its Leicester site, providing broaching services on customer components using horizontal and vertical machines up to 40 Tonne capacity.
Product overview
Forst (UK) Ltd is a broaching solutions provider offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services: New Broach Tool Design and Manufacture (round internal tools, flat surface broaching tools, hard broaching shells, and pot broach tools with fixtures), Broach Regrind and Refurbishment services (inspection, straightening, weld repairs, modifications), the largest Subcontract Broaching facility in the UK (capacity from 3mm keyway to 40 tonne vertical machines), and Broaching Machines supplied through the company's partnership with Forst Technologie in Germany. The products work together to serve the aerospace and automotive sectors with complete broaching solutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- New Broach Tool Design and Manufacture Custom design and manufacture of broach tools — round internal tools, flat surface broaching tools, hard broaching shells, and pot broach tools with fixtures — for manufacturing customers in aerospace, automotive, and broader industrial sectors.
- Broach Regrind and Refurbishment Full regrind and refurbishment service for broach tools — including inspection, straightening, weld repairs to HSS tools, and modification of existing broach tools to produce alternative forms — offered to customers with Forst-supplied tools and to those using other manufacturers' tools.
- Subcontract Broaching Subcontract broaching service at Forst's Leicester facility, providing broaching of customer components on horizontal and vertical machines across a capacity range from small 3mm keyway broaching up to a 40 Tonne 3-station vertical broaching machine with 2-metre stroke.
- Broaching Machines Supply of a complete range of broaching machines and broach grinding machines, sourced from partner Forst Technologie Germany and designed and built to suit customer specifications and individual requirements.
Companies that use Forst
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Forst technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Forst partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Forst TechnologiecoreForst (UK) Ltd has a strategic working partnership with Forst Technologie in Germany. This association allows Forst UK and its customers to keep ahead of competitors in quality and technical expertise within the broaching field. Forst Technologie manufactures and supplies a complete range of quality broaching machines and broach grinding machines to Forst UK, which are designed and built to suit customer specifications and individual requirements. Forst Technologie has a worldwide reputation for being the leader in broaching technology.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights2 records
Forst competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Colonial Tool Group: North American manufacturer of broaches, gear cutters, and special cutting tools — directly comparable in broach tool design and manufacture for industrial and aerospace customers.
- Lapointe Broaching: US-based manufacturer of broaching machines, broach tools, and broaching services — the closest North American analogue to Forst UK's full broaching portfolio (tools, services, refurbishment).
- Detroit Broach Company: US specialist in broach tool design, manufacture, and refurbishment serving automotive and industrial customers — competes with Forst UK on the broach regrind/refurbishment and custom tool side.
- American Broach & Machine Company: US-based producer of broaching machines and broach tools serving automotive, aerospace, and heavy-equipment OEMs — directly comparable in product mix and end markets to Forst UK.
- Apex Broaching Systems: US-based manufacturer of broaching machines and broach tooling serving aerospace, automotive, and industrial customers — a direct competitor in custom broach tooling and subcontract broaching services.
Broad incumbents
- Seco Tools: Global metal-cutting tooling manufacturer (Sandvik group) offering broaches among a much wider tooling portfolio — competes in the same customer workshops but does not specialize in broaching.
- Walter Tools: Global cutting tool manufacturer serving aerospace and automotive customers across drilling, milling, and turning — competes for the same tooling wallet but is not specialized in broaching.
- Kennametal: Large diversified tooling and materials manufacturer serving aerospace, automotive, and industrial customers — a broad incumbent that competes on adjacent tooling needs and could expand into broaching.
- Nachi Machining Technology (broaching line): Japanese-headquartered global cutting tool manufacturer with a broaching product line — competes with Forst UK across aerospace and automotive broaching applications but as part of a much broader tooling portfolio.
Emerging players
- Broaching Machine Specialties: Smaller US broaching specialist offering rebuilt broaching machines and tooling services — comparable business model focused on niche broaching demand but at a smaller scale than Forst UK's UK-leading facility.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Forst social profiles
Digital presenceForst financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Forst leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Forst funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Forst 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 Forst
What does Forst do?
Forst (UK) Ltd designs, manufactures, and refurbishes broach tools — including round internal tools, flat surface broaching tools, hard broaching shells, and pot broach tools with fixtures — for manufacturing customers in the aerospace, automotive, and broader industrial sectors. In parallel, it operates the UK's largest subcontract broaching facility at its Leicester site, providing broaching services on customer components using horizontal and vertical machines up to 40 Tonne capacity.
Is Forst a public or private company?
Forst is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Forst founded?
Forst was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Forst based?
Forst is headquartered in Leicester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Forst make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Broach Tool Sales are the primary driver. The others are broach Regrind and Refurbishment Services and subcontract Broaching.
Who are Forst's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Colonial Tool Group, Lapointe Broaching, Detroit Broach Company, American Broach & Machine Company and Apex Broaching Systems. Broad incumbents are Seco Tools, Walter Tools, Kennametal and Nachi Machining Technology (broaching line). Broaching Machine Specialties is listed as an emerging player.
Does Forst have an API?
No public API is recorded for Forst.