Ingimex was founded in 1972 by aeronautical engineer Charles Gallen with the objective of applying the unique properties of aluminium extrusion to road transport construction, as an advance on traditional wood and steel construction. In 1975, the company designed and built an aluminium dropside body for light commercial vehicles and began to supply Freight Rover (which became Leyland Daf, and later LDV).
By the early 1980’s, Ingimex had captured the UK trailer market for aluminium sideboards and had developed five different dropside models for Leyland Daf, its largest client. When Leyland Daf subsequently went into receivership in 1993, a contract with British Rail to provide bodywork and crane installations for a fleet of Ford Transits came at an opportune moment.
With the UK economy in deep recession, however, the business grew slowly. Orders began to pick up by the mid 1990s, and Ingimex began supplying a pickup body design which became the Ford Flareside, selling 800 units in its first year of production. A strong relationship with Ford remains today, with Ingimex supplying Dropside and Box Van as part of Ford’s ‘One Stop’ conversion programme.
Recognised today as the UK’s innovative market leader, Ingimex produces 3,000 dropside, tipper and van bodies every year for the leading names in light commercial vehicle manufacturing. Ingimex body conversions currently support eleven brands from Citroen, Fiat Ford, Iveco, Land Rover, Mercedes, Mitsubishi, Renault, Vauxhall and Volkswagen.
Manufacturing process improvements are at the heart of the company which has grown to a turnover of £8 million and employs 70 staff. The drive for standardisation in design, validated performance and consistent build quality cut across all aspects of the business.
Home is a purpose-built factory on a 6.6-acre site in Telford, Shropshire, where all the facilities, from design to after sales support, are under one roof. With its sights set firmly on the European LCV market, and a continuous investment in people, plant and equipment, Ingimex is poised for growth.
Come & see for yourself the Ingimex difference.
