Diploma plc
Electronics & services business
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Diploma plc is a British business supplying specialised technical products and services based in London, England. It is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Technical products and services |
| Founded | 1931 |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | David Lowden, (Chairman) Johnny Thomson (CEO) |
| Products | Control systems, seals, live science systems |
| Revenue |  £1,524.5 million (2025)[1] |
| £342.7 million (2025)[1] | |
| £185.5 million (2025)[1] | |
| Website | www |
History
The company was founded in 1931. It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1960, and was a market leader in electronic component distribution, building products and special steels until the late 1980s.[2]
The electronic component distribution business (SEI Macro) was sold in 1999,[3] the building products business (Robert Lee) was sold in 2000,[4] and the special steels business (Henry Whitham) was sold in 2001.[5]
The company acquired RT Dygert International, a US-based distributor of seals, in December 2008,[6] and Kubo Tech, a Swiss-based seals distributor, in March 2015.[7]
It was announced in August 2018, that CEO Richard Ingram would be stepping down after four months in charge, with John Nicholas acting as executive chairman in interim charge.[8] In January 2020, investors expressed concern about the bonus package offered to the new CEO, Johnny Thomson.[9]
The company acquired Simonsen & Weel, a Danish medical equipment supplier, in January 2021,[10] Tennessee Industrial Electronics, a Nashville-based parts distributor, for £76 million in March 2023,[11] and Distribuidora Internacional Carmen, a Spanish-based distributor of fluid power products, for £170 million in July 2023.[12]
Operations
Diploma is a distributor, operating in the three sectors of Controls (including specialised wiring), Seals (including seals and gaskets) and Life Sciences (including consumables and instrumentation).[13]
The company has operations in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, and China.[14]