Meet The Rockwood Group
Welcome to the team behind The Rockwood Group! Each member brings a unique set of skills and a shared passion for composite engineering in the creation of composite components. Dive into our stories and see how we work together to achieve quality and innovation in composite manufacturing.
People
MEET THE TEAM
Our Story
Rockwood's History
1993 – 1998
Carbon Design, the foundation of what would become Rockwood Composites, began in a small unit in Totnes, Devon. Mark Crouchen and Stuart Lewis, former colleagues at Frazer Nash, joined the business and led a management buy-out 24 months later. They focused on thermoplastic stamping, winding, and pultrusion, producing camera equipment for Movie CAM (now Panavision), Mars Beams for the chocolate confectionery industry, and airshafts for paper mills. In 1998, Carbon Design ceased trading and was reformed as C2 Composites.
1998 – 2009
C2 Composites was founded by Mark Crouchen and Mike Commander in Newton Abbot, Devon. The name ‘C2’ derived from their surnames. C2 expanded its work in thermoplastics and ventured into thermoset materials processing. The company grew, manufacturing aircraft interior parts for Concorde, particularly seat components. C2 also delved into cryogenics and coil winding using HTS materials, embodying the essence of composites as a combination of materials cured together. C2 earned AS9100 certification but was eventually bought out, with operations moved to Mexico. The company, under a new name, continues to produce composite products.
2010 – 2023
After C2, Mark Crouchen founded Rockwood Composites, partnering with Douglas Johnstone as Finance Director. Initially based in a single site in Newton Abbot, the company expanded to four industrial units in the area. Rockwood specialized in processing pre-preg materials into composite components using advanced methods like Compression and Bladder Moulding, offering more intricate and feature-rich products than autoclave manufacturing. Cryogenics became a significant part of Rockwood’s work, producing suspension systems for MRI scanners, research fusion reactors, and HTS coils for Tokamaks. The company continued aerospace and defence contracts, including projects for Eurofighter, and aircraft interior components for Fly Dubai, Emirates, and China Easton.
2022
With a growing business and workforce, Rockwood moved to a larger premises in Paignton, consolidating all activities under one roof and increasing manufacturing capacity fourfold.
2023
The company faced a devastating loss with the passing of Finance Director Doug Johnstone. His memory and contributions are cherished by the Rockwood family
2024
Rockwood Composites expanded into a parent company, forming three industry-specific subsidiaries: Rockwood Aerospace, Rockwood Defence, and Rockwood Cryogenics. Additionally, a low-cost manufacturing site, Rockwood SARL, was established in Morocco. Together, these entities form The Rockwood Group.