Carbon Wheel

Dymag Group, the British designer and manufacturer of carbon hybrid automotive wheels, is predicting a record 2019 as a £3.6m investment closed by Puma Private Equity, the private equity division of Puma Investments, fuels its global growth plans.

Dymag, which employs 32 skilled staff at its base in Chippenham, Wiltshire is set to expand its operations in Chippenham, with a move to larger premises in early 2019 and the creation of a significant number of new jobs across its design and production capabilities. This investment will also support faster delivery of its pipeline of product development and bring further innovations into its manufacturing processes to match the growing demand for carbon hybrid technology.

The British firm is already working with several of the world’s leading performance original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and has a growing aftermarket presence with regional strategic partners including Forgeline, Brixton Forged and ADV.1. Dymag sees this partnership strategy as integral to global growth, developing co-branded aftermarket products, bespoke tuner products and OEM projects across key markets and territories.

Chris Shelley, CEO of Dymag commented:

“Following a comprehensive search for the right partner to help us at this stage of our development, we chose to work with Puma Private Equity given the team’s understanding of technology and manufacturing, plus their long-standing commitment to supporting British businesses.”

“We continue our goal of making Dymag the technology of choice available anywhere in the world. Working with strategically chosen partners enables us to tune our products and business model to the needs of each market. In North America we have partnered with Forgeline, Brixton and ADV.1 to bring our technology to market with performance and luxury wheel brands who know what their customers want. We have products in the pipeline for automobiles and motorcycles that serve OEM, aftermarket and tuner markets. And our commitment to racing and performance applications is unwavering.”

Tommy O’Sullivan, Managing Director at Puma Private Equity, advised on the investment of £3.6 million. Puma Private Equity advises Puma Investments on discretionary funding to SMEs across all sectors, and partners with management teams to accelerate business growth. So far this year, funds managed by Puma Investments have invested £25 million into seven companies. Speaking on this investment in Dymag, Tommy O’Sullivan said:

“Dymag is positively disrupting the automotive wheel market with its new carbon wheel products. Significant investment in its products and processes has strengthened the business and allowed the team to build on the brand’s long-standing motorcycle racing heritage. The company is now well- placed to accelerate growth and establish itself as the global leader in this niche market.”

Dymag is a global pioneer in carbon wheel technology, launching the first commercial carbon motorcycle wheel in 1996 and the first carbon hybrid automotive wheel in 2004. Its flagship is the BOXSTROM™ BX that comprises a patented carbon rim developed with the National Composites Centre in Bristol, UK, mounted with a high strength forged aluminium centrepiece, to produce a wheel that delivers unparalleled performance and highly flexible application capabilities without comprising safety, surpassing the strictest OEM laboratory and track testing.

Across the automotive industry the drive to reduce weight has become paramount. With OEMs turning to electric and hybrid engines or looking to optimise the efficiencies in petrol and diesel technology, there has been a flight to carbon; especially in tackling unsprung weight. As testament to this, leading OEMs including BMW, Rolls Royce, Porsche, McLaren and Ford have all launched carbon wheel programmes in recent years.

The BOXSTROM™ carbon hybrid wheel reduces weight by up to 50% compared to standard alloy wheels and improves moment of inertia by up to 60%. These unparalleled enhancements in performance are matched by uncompromising standards of safety, achieved via a number of unique design and technical features that are fully patent protected.

At the 2018 SEMA show, Dymag unveiled the BXF wheel which harnesses the performance and safety benefits of the BOXSTROM™, with the added versatility of a greater range of styling options for the aluminium centrepiece due to the flange technology. The BXF is aimed at the aftermarket and custom tuners, where wheel design and aesthetics are greatly desired.

Dymag would like to particularly thank WH Ireland who acted as its financial adviser and broker, sourcing the funds and advising upon the transaction and TLT for advising upon the legal aspects of the transaction.