Hi-tech printer wins contract for Formula 1 steering wheels

Jan 9 2008 by Alistair Houghton, Liverpool Daily Post

A WIRRAL company has scooped a contract to print the steering wheels for the Williams Formula 1 team.

WTP Technics was set up in September by German-born Falk Zimmermann who has secured the sole UK distribution rights to a patented printing process that can decorate plastic, metal, glass and many other surfaces in a range of designs including camou-flage, animal prints and wood grain.

WTP has now secured a £76,000 funding package that includes a loan from Merseyside Special Investment Fund’s (MSIF) Small Firms Fund. He is also being advised by Gary Millar, of Liverpool’s CCUK.

Mr Zimmermann said: “I lived on Merseyside before moving abroad again but when I decided to set up the WTP Technics, I knew this would be the best place to do it. The region has excellent universities and is a hub for creativity and technology which is important for a business like this.

“We have just secured a deal to print the steering wheels for Williams F1 which is a huge contract for us. There has also been significant interest from companies selling and manufacturing luxury goods and also from artists.