Cambridgeshire-based TRB was set up in 1952 by George Newell, who developed the adhesive Redux that was used in the manufacture of planes and tanks during the Second World War. In 2007, US-born chief executive Jonathan McQueen, 49, led a buyout of TRB, which now specialises in manufacturing lightweight, high-strength materials and components. Projects have ranged from making the floors for pods on the London Eye to crafting doors for Hitachi Super Express trains and components for the Airbus A318. Sales hit £16.6m last year and the company is expanding in America to serve the rail industry and work with a US electric-vehicle maker.