Start-Up Spotlight: ARMEXIS

ARMEXIS is the UK’s only independent designer and manufacturer of tracked armoured vehicles, focused on preserving and advancing a sovereign British capability in a strategically important area of defence manufacturing.

Operating from its Research and Development Centre in Harrogate, ARMEXIS has built a specialist team dedicated to the design, development and production of next-generation tactical armoured platforms. The company combines engineering innovation, practical manufacturing experience and a clear mission to deliver robust, adaptable vehicles for demanding operational environments.

Although headquartered in the UK, ARMEXIS is attracting growing interest from defence, security and government customers across Europe, the UK and wider international markets, including engagement from the UK Ministry of Defence. As order interest develops, the company is preparing to scale its engineering and production capacity in a controlled and sustainable way.

The ARMEXIS team currently consists of around 15 employees, with future expansion planned as the business moves from development into production. Potential sites in South, west and North Yorkshire have been identified as part of ARMEXIS’ short, medium and long-term manufacturing strategy.

We spoke with Olivia Price, GROUP Chief Operating Officer at ARMEXIS, about how the company is using SOLIDWORKS to support its engineering workflow, accelerate product development and strengthen its position as an emerging UK defence manufacturer.

ARMEXIS design process

Luke: “We apply the double diamond process whereby we explore and diversify our thinking then narrow down through CAD and testing the most viable options and repeat. SOLIDWORKS allows us to explore a multitude of different solutions easily and quickly with a variety of tools.”

What are your top 3 SOLIDWORKS tools/features?

Luke: “It’s hard to just pick three, but Configurations is brilliant. It quickly allows us to explore different options within the same document. This is a really convenient way to manage and develop families of models with different dimensions, components and other parameters.

“Sheet Metal is an integral part of our design process. It allows us to create very realistic geometry that is manufacturable, there are several sheet metal tools that save us a lot time.

“Simulation allows us to test real world scenarios in manufacturing or assemblies. This is critical to success but our vehicles are extremely large which is difficult to test safely and quickly. Being able to test virtually while we design has been a gamechanger for the team.”

About a project

Luke: “At Armexis we design, manufacture and deploy class leading tactical armoured vehicles all over the world. The most challenging and rewarding aspect of designing and making such vehicles are the range of smaller challenges throughout the vehicle, as they are comprised of so many different parts with different purposes.

“We had been tasked with designing a range of tactical armoured vehicles to be deployed all over the world.

“With our industry specifically, safety is always the number one priority. We need to ensure that the vehicle can withstand the harsh environments and situations it will operate in, whilst providing class leading safety capabilities.

“SOLIDWORKS provides a wide range of detailed and comprehensive tools that allows us to explore, iterate and develop solutions at a fast pace. I’m many ways SOLIDWORKS essentially gets out of the way. It allows us as designers and engineers to really focus on creating innovative solutions without hindrance.

“Having the ability to run a range of simulations was critical to this project as it allowed us to test real world scenarios such as DFM and DFA. This ensured that what we were designing was capable of being made and used in the scenarios we have designed the vehicles to operate in without failure.”

Would you recommend the SOLIDWORKS for Start-Ups scheme?

Luke: “We would definitely recommend the SOLIDWORKS for Start-Ups Scheme. By joining it, ARMEXIS got access to industry-leading design software without the upfront investment, allowing the team to focus its resources on developing innovative armoured tracked vehicles rather than software costs.

With free access to the SOLIDWORKS portfolio, expert support and training, the scheme has helped ARMEXIS accelerate product development and build a strong foundation for future growth.”

Would you recommend SOLIDWORKS?

Luke: “Absolutely! It’s extremely comprehensive software and offers a wide range of features and tools that simply aren’t available on other platforms. The industry uses SOLIDWORKS widely, making it easier and quicker to work with our suppliers.”

Working with Visiativ

Luke: “Visiativ’s SOLIDWORKS engineers are brilliant and have always been very supportive and helpful with our technical support requirements. We had issues with one of the current computers at our research and development site and engineer, Graeme Billingsley, was in attendance on site the next day to quickly resolve the issue for us.

“On the sales side, Liam Nuttall has been the ultimate professional and deals with all our enquiries with professionalism and solutions. We have always found Liam to be reliable, helpful and trustworthy.”

What’s next for ARMEXIS Group?

Luke: “ARMEXIS is due to expand the business rapidly in the next 6–12 months. With pre-production orders received, we’ll fulfil two production orders, followed by a staggered serial order of 10,000 vehicles. ARMEXIS will invest heavily in its engineering team, requiring many SOLIDWORKS licences from a trusted supplier. Based on our strong partnership to date, ARMEXIS has selected Visiativ as its trusted SOLIDWORKS partner for future growth.”

Find out if you could join the SOLIDWORKS for Start-Ups Scheme.

Could your start-up qualify for free SOLIDWORKS software and expert support for 12 months? Explore the SOLIDWORKS for Start-ups scheme and take the one-minute eligibility quiz to find out!

Learn more about ARMEXIS on their website.