iCOMAT: Pioneering composite fibre manufacturing
Introduction
iCOMAT is a composite parts manufacturer that utilises a groundbreaking technology, Rapid Tow Shearing (RTS), which enables the effective steering of composite fibres along curved paths.
This technology, developed by iCOMAT over many years, has revolutionised composites production, ensuring greater efficiency, reduced costs, and lighter structures without compromising strength.
Joining the Technology Developer Accelerator Programme (TDAP)
With a clear vision of their technological capabilities iCOMAT joined TDAP to improve their understanding of the automotive market.
Through the programme, iCOMAT gained invaluable insights by engaging directly with customers, which further supported the decision to change the business model.
The feedback from mentors and industry experts confirmed that the pivot the business was making from selling machines to focusing on producing composite components, was the right decision with a much stronger long-term value proposition.
Key outcomes
TDAP played a crucial role in helping iCOMAT confirm its strategic intent and achieve significant milestones including:
Key partnership with CG Tech: Formed a strategic partnership with CG Tech, enhancing their capabilities and expanding their reach within the industry.
Confirmation on business pivot: Shifted its focus to preform and component sales, targeting niche OEMs and F1 teams in the automotive sector. This new approach allowed them to provide tailored composite solutions to meet specific industry needs.
Successful demonstration projects: Identified a collaboration opportunity with Solvay to deliver a demo bonnet, showcasing their RTS technology and its potential for real-world applications in the automotive sector.
Progress Post-TDAP
Since their participation in TDAP, iCOMAT has:
- Raised $22.5 million in a Series A funding round.
- Opened a new state-of-the-art 45,000 sqft production facility in Gloucester. View the facility here.
- Expanded headcount to 50+ employees, with plans for further growth as they continue to build a world-class team to scale production and meet increasing demand.
- Been named a Bloomberg News UK 2024 Start-Up to Watch and was featured as a WIRED Trailblazer for 2024. These accolades highlight their role in redefining industry standards and leading innovation in advanced composites.
- Received industry recognition with a Composites UK and JEC innovation award as part of the JLR-lead SOCA consortium which utilised the innovative RTS technology.
Vision for the future
Moving ahead iCOMAT is continuing to increase its global footprint with a facility being opened in the USA in the second half of 2025, complementing the sites in the UK and Greece.
The RTS technology is demonstrating significant opportunities to reduce vehicle mass in all industrial verticals and with ongoing contracts with aerospace, defence and automotive customers, iCOMAT is delivering innovative and highly automated composite solutions, that are generating long-term sustainable benefits.
The Technology Developer Accelerator Programme (TDAP) has supported iCOMAT’s journey, helping the company transition from a technology innovator to a market-driven player in the composite manufacturing space. Through TDAP, they validated the business direction and gained critical insights from the automotive industry and established strategic partnerships that have accelerated the path for significant growth and success.
The Technology Developer Accelerator Programme has recently rebranded to Mobilise, joining forces with Zenzic, to offer a combined early-stage accelerator programme focused on delivering zero-emission and smart, connected mobility solutions for the future.
The programme builds on the award-winning features of the Technology Developer Accelerator Programme (TDAP) and combines them with the technical validation opportunities currently provided by Zenzic’s CAM Scale-Up UK initiative; namely unparalleled access to an extensive network of world-leading Testbed facilities.