A Lancashire-based maker of high-performance PEEK polymers used in aerospace, cars, electronics and medical implants, listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Victrex makes PEEK, a tough, lightweight plastic that keeps its strength when it is very hot and when it faces chemicals and wear. The company's products include VICTREX PEEK polymer, PEEK pipes and PEEK-OPTIMA, a form used in medical implants. It works through two areas: Victrex Polymer Solutions, which serves transport, industrial, oil and gas and electronics customers, and Invibio Biomaterial Solutions, which supplies implantable PEEK for medical devices. Its customers include aerospace, automotive, electronics, oil and gas and medical firms, and the company supports them in more than 40 countries.
Victrex was founded in 1993 when managers bought ICI's PEEK polymer business, and it joined the London Stock Exchange in 1995. It is now part of the FTSE 250, the index of the 250 mid-sized listed UK companies below the FTSE 100. Vivienne Cox is chairman and James Routh is chief executive, according to Wikipedia. The pages we read do not state a mission or values, so we have not made one up.
Victrex's headquarters, research and main manufacturing are at the Victrex Technology Centre at Hillhouse International in Thornton Cleveleys, Lancashire, near Blackpool. Its regional contacts page lists three more UK manufacturing sites, at Seal Sands near Middlesbrough, Rotherham and Stonehouse in Gloucestershire. That gives it a spread of sites in the north west, north east, Yorkshire and the south west of England.
Wikipedia gives about 1,100 employees in 2026. A company like this is built around science and engineering, so it is a place where people who enjoy chemistry and materials are working alongside process and production staff, rather than a place of heavy steel work. The pages we read do not describe culture in the company's own words, so we leave that for you to explore through its website.
The range of jobs is broad. Polymer chemists and materials scientists develop new grades of PEEK; process engineers and plant operators run the production lines; laboratory and quality technicians test every batch; applications engineers work with customers on parts for planes, cars and phones; medical and regulatory specialists support Invibio; and there are supply chain, sales, finance, HR and IT teams. If you enjoy chemistry, physics or engineering and like the idea of inventing materials that end up in jet engines or hip replacements, Victrex is a good example of British specialist manufacturing.
Website: www.victrex.com
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