So, the materials suppliers have fewer deliveries to bother with, the manufacturers save money, time and waste, and Velocity makes a profit.
Velocity operates in the aerospace hubs of Burnley and - more recently - Fareham. It raised £10 million by floating in March to fund opening at overseas aerospace centres. Munich and Milan are options, then South-east Asia and the US.
Opening new sites is not easy. The composites are delicate, and must be kept in clean rooms at constant low temperatures and humidity. Velocity is closely quality-controlled by its highly regulated customers. This is onerous but makes it less likely that a copycat will enter the market.
A technician by background, chief executive Jon Bridges is something of an unknown to investors but chairman Mark Mills is more familiar as the founder of ATMs group Cardpoint, which he sold for £170 million.
Stretching targets lie ahead for 2018. A miss would have a major effect on the share price.
There are also risks it could mess up when it opens abroad. You have to trust management on that score, but Fareham opened successfully, offering some reassurance.
The big hope for this minnow is that it scales up and a big materials firm pays top dollar for it.
You, and your conscience, can decide if that’s worth the punt.
