Inflexion takes majority stake in Cutwel

Inflexion invested in Cutwel in August 2024 through its Enterprise Fund V, alongside the management team led by chief executive Adam Gillard. Founded in 1996 and based at Cleckheaton in West Yorkshire, Cutwel distributes cutting tools and machine tool accessories to engineering workshops: milling cutters, drills, turning inserts, taps and the holders securing them. It serves more than 13,000 customers across a range of industries and employs around 100 people. The company holds the widest range of such products available for next-day delivery in Britain, which is what its customers buy. A workshop whose machine stands idle for want of an insert loses hours it cannot recover, so depth of stock and speed of despatch determine where the order goes, more than price does. Technical advice accompanies the supply, since the tool suited to one material will not machine another, and the geometry, substrate and coating each affect tool life, cycle time and the finish of the component. The company also regrinds and recoats worn tools, which extends their service where the remaining condition permits. Inflexion intended to enlarge the sales organisation, develop the use of data in managing commercial performance and extend the digital channels through which the company reaches its customers. It subsequently added Toolex and, in November 2026, Rapid Tooling Solutions, taking the group’s combined revenue to around 37 million pounds.