https://carwood.co.uk

A Brief History

Starting as a small electrical car parts business in the outskirts of Coventry in August 1966, Carwood quickly developed a high-quality remanufacturing operation for starters and alternators as well as becoming a thriving regional battery distributor. Over the years the company expanded and diversified into the diesel and auto electrical markets, always striving to keep customer service at the forefront of the business. With a shrewd eye for commercial opportunities, a number of strategic acquisitions were made over the last 50 years.

Some of the Companies that have joined Carwood over the years:

  • 1973 Gordon March (Coventry)
  • 1987 Coventry Battery & Ignition (Coventry)
  • 1987 R J Taberer (Coventry)
  • 1994 Clutch Brake & Autospares (Coventry)
  • 1999 Car Lighting Services (Reman) Ltd and CLS Vehicle Systems Ltd (Birmingham)
  • 2004 Capital Auto Services (Dudley)
  • 2008 LUCAS Rewind (Yeovil)
  • 2012 IMER Remanufacturing (Ollerton)
  • 2019 Brise Ltd. (Yeovil)

A new remanufacturing facility for rotating electric machines (mainly starters and alternators) and turbochargers was opened in Newark Nottinghamshire in September 2008 to provide additional manufacturing capacity. Subsequently relocated to Ollerton following the acquisition and integration of IMER in 2012.

Carwood acquired the LSUK electrical rewind business in Yeovil, Somerset in November 2008. This has been renamed Carwood Rewind and provides a very good fit with the rest of the company’s electrical business, giving quality control over the electrical rewinding process that is integral to the high quality remanufacture of stators, rotors and other wire wound components. Importantly, the expertise and technical capability at Yeovil enables Carwood to extend its customer base to industries outside of the automotive field such as rail and industrial motors. In 2019 Brise Ltd. was integrated into the Yeovil operation bringing motorsport electrical products into the range.

To support our UK Defence Customers a new satellite warehouse and logistics facility was opened in Warminster, Wiltshire, in November 2008. During 2009 additional new satellites were opened in Colchester, Catterick and Donnington. These provide the Army with short ex-stock lead times on a wide range of parts and components and allow them to reduce their own inventory while maintaining high fleet operational status levels.

In 2010 we purchased a majority shareholding in BDS Systems Ltd who are suppliers of quality spare parts to the Bus Door industry, we changed the Name to Carwood [BDS) Ltd, taking full control in 2012. In 2016 Carwood became the sole UK Distributor for Italian Bus Doors brand BCE.srl and in 2020 the business was relocated to the site at the Coventry Head Office .

A major expansion and redevelopment of the Carwood Diesel Systems factory at Smethwick in Birmingham took place in 2012 to further expand the state-of-the-art remanufacturing processes including an industry leading ISO 14664 Class 7 Clean Room Assembly Facility.

In January 2017 Carwood Telford was opened and began operations as an engine, electrical and specialised component remanufacturing centre.

Carwood continues to grow steadily through working closely with customers and achieving OE standards of quality processes and products in the remanufacturing industry.

The Brise specialist starter and alternator manufacturing company joined Carwood in 2019, bringing the Group their expertise and long-standing reputation for engineering high performance rotating electric machines in the Motorsport arena.