Composite based materials have been used to create structures and everyday products for a number of years however; it wasn’t until the 1930’s with the introduction of fiberglass, and then the subsequent development of fibre-reinforced polymers (FRPs) during World War II, that the composites industry begun to take shape.

In previous years the composite industry was described as ‘cottage style’ with initiatives that we led by craftsman with expertise in creating the most intricate tools, vehicle parts, consumer goods and children’s toys. These niche materials offered an alternative to more established manufacturing sectors like metallics and plastics. Accelerated by the need for speed, efficiency and aerodynamics in markets such as Aerospace, Automotive and Marine the composite manufacturing industry has developed rapidly during the 20th and 21st century. In fact, the sector is now an established $182 billion dollars world-wide market comprising 42 000 companies worldwide 3 million employees globally. Last year saw a growth rate of 3.14% which reflects the industry’s ongoing expansion.

Backed by the likes of Aston Martin, BMW, McLaren, Boeing and Airbus composite manufacturing has been given a significant opportunity to drive innovation and strategy for our every day environments across a multitude of industries.

Seven years ago, Plyable saw a gap in the market; a need for an end-to-end comprehensive online manufacturing journey to not only link clients with a global supply chain, but to also use technology as a tool to speed up the lengthy and often slow design to manufacture process. Our software has introduced instant-quotes, auto-generated molding and risk alerts to offer a ‘fast to market’ approach to our clients.

We provide a supportive, consultative and professional experience underpinned by our custom built machine-learning manufacturing platform to aid the process of bringing composite molds and parts to life seamlessly.

”Everything was easy and straight-forward.
Time to deliver was outstanding.”

– US Aerospace client

Composite Manufacturing today

In today’s world 50% of the The Boeing 787 airframe is made from carbon fibre reinformed plastic. It’s lighter fuselage and wings contributes to around 20% fuel savings as the plane becomes 20% lighter than older planes. This move has helped Boeing manage it’s operational cost and move the company further forward in meeting its sustainability objectives. Compared to traditional materials like aluminium, these alternative materials reduce maintenance and fatigue in addition to supporting weight reduction. Find out more.

In the automotive sector, 1984 saw the first motorsport vehicle built with predominantly composite based materials. The renowned Ferrari GTO was one of the first ever cars to make widespread use of kevlar and carbon fibre. At 1160 kg dry weight, it was extraordinarily lightweight for a V8 turbo-powered supercar, after all the the goal was to deliver lightness with strength derived from the chassis and subframes, which is a method still used in todays racing team cars. Find out more.

A brief history of Plyable

2024 – 2025

Appointed by investors in 2024, Mark Runciman steps in as Plyable CEO to take Plyable to new heights. Mark employs a new leadership team to further streamline Plyable’s operational processes and strategy. Technology is placed at the heart of the business and as ideas evolve the team recognises the need to re-position as a leading edge consultancy supported by Tech. The tech arm of the business undergoes further development to be relaunched in 2026. The business also secures a technology patent on their new automated-molding feature.

The team attend a number of key events such as Farnborough Airshow and JEC World where they continue to gain exposure and leads with Tier 1 clients. Areospace and Automotive manufacturing markets become a defining client base for the company, followed by Consumer Goods and Marine,

In an industry where innovation and efficiency matter most, Plyable stands out as leaders in composite manufacturing. We’ve revolutionized the production of high-quality, cost-effective composite tooling. Now, we’re ready to redefine industry standards again by expanding into composite parts production. This strategic move aims to offer a complete, end-to-end solution that streamlines the manufacturing process, reduces lead times, and gives engineers and manufacturers worldwide more control over the entire production process.

2022 – 2023

A group led by Maven Capital Partners invests £2.5m into Plyable to support growth. Investment Director Alexander Sleigh says ”The Company has grown strongly in recent years with little external investment, and we are impressed with what the team have achieved to date with the business now a trusted supplier to many tier 1 manufacturers. Maven’s investment will provide Plyable with the capital it requires to accelerate growth and fulfil its potential.”.

The team continue to push the boundaries of composite manufacturing technology, introducing key features such as a DFM update that will detect sharp features on molds that are likely to break easily during production. The business also takes part in a British Standards audit, securing an updated BSI9001 certification. The team attend a number of key events such as JEC and Goodwood Festival where they gain exposure and leads with Tier 1 clients.

2019 – 2021

The Plyable team doubles in size between 2018 and 2019 and win Business Start Up Of The Year at the Composites UK 2019 awards dinner. One of Plyable’s investors, Syensqo, instructs their design team to engage with Plyable for design engineering consultancy – Syensqo have since become a long-standing client of Plyable. The company onboarded a number of high performing businesses and and starts to accelerate the technologies usage and output. Clients are attracted to Plyable’s unique position that brings together a specialised, approved supply chain that can support at a global level.

In 2019 we also received £500k in pre-seed investment from Forward Partners who recognised the innovative capability that our offering brings to many established manufacturing industries whilst in 2021 we received a convertible note from The Boeing HorizonX Global Ventures accelerator programme.

2018

The company was founded in Oxford by Martin Oughton and Adam Lofts. Work began to develop and technology solution to serve the composite manufacturing market and speed up the design to manufacture process. The business was initially called Mouldbox, but was soon changed to Plyable to better reflect the company’s strategic focus on building the future for composites manufacturing.

During this time we were given a £100k grant by Innovate UK which we utilised to grow the team and secure the in-house capability needed to transform Plyable into a commercial business. Learn more

A streamlined global solution for engineering, technology and supply chain…

Advanced expertise on hand to support you from ideation through to delivery

At Plyable we are more than just a design to manufacture consultancy. Our team project engineering team works together with our technology to enable engineers around the world to gain the ability to refine strategies, plan projects, find solutions to major design challenges and manage capacity levels. With a combined 70 years experience in the composite engineering and manufacturing our team is here to help at every stage of the journey.

Plyable’s Approved Partners – the heartbeat of our software.

Our manufacturing sectors

The world of composites offers creators a wider playing field than ever before. To support our ever-evolving landscape it is the design engineers role to consider the power that comes with combining two or more useful materials together. This magical impact creates a product that is more than the sum of it’s parts; a unique workable part or mold in our very consumer-driven world.