FM expands FM Essential for manufacturers in new markets
Mon, 11th May 2026 (Today)
FM has expanded the launch of FM Essential, an insurance product for manufacturing companies. The offering is aimed at a broader group of manufacturers seeking support with loss prevention and resilience.
Initially designed for manufacturing companies with a medium risk-complexity profile, the product is available through broker partners. It features a streamlined quote process and can be used for both full-capacity placements and shared programmes involving multiple insurers.
FM is extending the product following a pilot in New York, France and India. It has already rolled out in Australia, South Korea, Italy, Spain and Switzerland, with Germany and the United Kingdom next.
The expansion comes as manufacturers face growing pressure from operational bottlenecks, interconnected supply chains and a wider range of property risks. FM is targeting companies at an earlier stage in their efforts to reduce losses and improve operational stability.
Alex Tadmoury, executive vice president, international, at FM, said: "Resilience has evolved from a 'nice to have' to an essential priority for businesses around the globe.
"FM Essential brings together engineering insight, data analytics and competitive risk transfer capabilities to help manufacturers navigate complexity and focus investment where it has the greatest impact."
India focus
India was one of the early pilot markets, and FM pointed to the country's manufacturing expansion as a factor in the launch. Businesses there range from relatively simple operations with critical bottlenecks to more complex sites with supply-chain dependencies.
Sumit Khanna, chief executive officer of FMIC India - Reinsurance Branch, said: "Manufacturers in India are scaling rapidly, ranging from relatively simple manufacturing operations with critical bottlenecks to highly complex sites with interconnected supply chains and operational dependencies.
"FM Essential is designed to meet organizations at an earlier stage of their resilience journey, combining engineering insight from a loss-prevention standpoint with data-led intelligence and a more flexible (re)insurance pathway. In India, with our cedants, the reinsurance offering reflects the realities of growth in this market and gives manufacturers an option for a long-term risk-to-resilience strategy and greater stability."
Product range
FM Essential sits alongside the insurer's existing lines, including FM Affiliated for middle-market non-manufacturing occupancies and certain verticals, and its mutual offering for larger businesses with more developed protection measures. That places it in the middle of FM's property portfolio, aimed at manufacturers that may not fit its largest-risk segment.
The product combines engineering support and claims expertise with analysis drawn from FM's own property risk data. The insurer said this analysis is informed by more than 40,000 client location evaluations each year, carried out by 1,100 engineers and checked against loss experience.
For brokers, the product adds another placement option for manufacturing clients. FM said it could help brokers support clients beyond annual renewals by linking insurance placement more closely to loss-prevention work.
FM also announced a brand campaign called Protect Your Purpose, intended to highlight its engineers, data-led insights and partnerships with clients as part of its broader positioning around property risk management.
FM is a mutual insurer focused on commercial property risk. Its policyholder-owners include many large global organisations, including one in four Fortune 500 companies.