Cobra case study PDF - Business Wales

case study
Cobra Automotive
Auto interiors experts accelerate and get ready for take off
Vehicle interiors firm, Cobra Automotive, has built a big reputation for
designing and delivering safety and comfort on the road. Now the ambitious
business is set to make its name in the air as well.
Today more than 400 different
parts, designed and produced
by the Mid Wales enterprise,
can be found inside cars
the world over; from topof-the-range
Bentleys to
small family saloons.
And, with its latest design
innovations about to break
into the aerospace market,
the sky is literally the limit
for the booming operation,
which is headquartered at
Welshpool and currently
expanding into Wrexham,
just over 20 miles away.
Managing director, Gary
Seale, who founded the firm
along with former colleagues
from a large established
competitor, explained that
clever design and speed-tomarket
have given Cobra a
strong competitive edge. It
has brought them an enviable
list of prestigious customers,
including big names such
as Volvo, VW Audi, GM,
Bentley, Porsche and Rover.

case study
continued
As a result, they’ve doubled
in size each year since moving
into Wales in 2006; recruiting
many world-class designers
and engineers along the way.
Cobra’s impressive progress
won it the HSBC European
Business of the Year Award
for Sustained Development
and Growth in 2010.
Following hard on its heels
was the coveted Queen’s
Award for Export.
But the most exciting
developments probably lie
ahead. The firm has patents
pending for innovative aircraft
seat frames made from
strengthened plastic, coated
in metal. These are designed
to reduce weight and save
airlines hundreds of millions of
pounds in fuel costs every year.
An increasing share of the
automotive interiors market,
and the prospect of major new
contracts from the aerospace
sector, have prompted Cobra
to develop new facilities at
Wrexham, adding to their
existing plants at Welshpool
and Whitchurch in Shropshire.
The plan for a total of
110,000 square feet of
design and manufacturing
space at Wrexham is part of
five-year strategy to boost
turnover to nearly £50m
and staff numbers to 200.
Cobra are now key players
in the automotive sector
which employs a total of over
20,000 people across 170
firms in Wales and generates
£2 billion a year. Gary is
delighted with the decision to
build the business in Wales.
He said: “We’ve been able
to recruit many fantastic
people here and develop an
important part of our supply
chain locally. In addition, the
support we get from the Welsh
Government is brilliant.”
Cobra secured initial
funding to develop its plant
at Welshpool and further
financial support to expand
into Wrexham. It also received
support for a feasibility
study into its new products
for aircraft interiors.
And in the tough times,
when the automotive
markets dipped, the Welsh
Government’s innovative
ProAct programme
helped them retain and
train talented staff while
awaiting the upturn.
With growing market share in
automotive and new aerospace
opportunities around the
corner that upturn is definitely
underway for Cobra now.
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WG14056 / G/MH/4188 / November
Typeset in 12pt / © Crown copyright 2011