Major investment in new production facility in North America
Hardide Coatings, provider of advanced surface coating
technology, has announced investment in a new Virginia manufacturing
plant worth circa US$7m (£4.5m). The investment will see Hardide
Coatings expand provision of its range of specialist nanostructured
coatings throughout North America.
The company has signed a lease on a 26,000 square foot facility in
Martinsville, Henry County, which will service existing and new
customers in the oil and gas, aerospace, flow control and advanced
engineering markets. The facility is expected to be operational in the
fourth quarter of 2015 and to create up to 29 jobs in the first three
years. The investment follows Hardide’s recent increase in capacity at
its UK facility in Bicester.
The new facility is located within an Enterprise Zone in a state
where more than 230 aerospace companies, the Commonwealth Center for
Advanced Manufacturing and two Rolls-Royce facilities are based. It will
house new and bespoke chemical vapour deposition (CVD) coating reactors
as well as the latest pre-treatment, inspection, quality assurance and
finishing equipment.
Philip Kirkham, CEO of Hardide plc said: “Demand from customers in
North America is developing well and a local production facility will
significantly boost the business available to us. It will provide a
strong platform for developing further business as well as the
diversification of our customer base.
“Martinsville, Virginia was chosen after a long and detailed
evaluation of numerous locations in different states. We chose Virginia
as it offers a positive business environment with a central location
for the existing and projected customer base and it makes a compelling
economic and business case.”
Maurice Jones, Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade said:
“Hardide Coatings is a growing global company, and this significant
investment to expand its manufacturing presence to serve worldwide
customers is a great testament to the strong workforce and
infrastructure in place in Martinsville-Henry County and the
Commonwealth as a whole.”
Fit-out of the building and local recruitment is already underway.
The new personnel will receive full training in the Hardide coatings’
process at the company’s Bicester headquarters before the North American
facility becomes operational later this year.
The range of Hardide coatings are highly abrasion, erosion, corrosion
and chemical resistant while also being tough, ductile and impact
resistant. Applied by chemical vapour deposition (CVD), the process can
also coat them to internal surfaces and complex shapes. The coatings
technology is proven to offer dramatic improvements in component life,
delivering cost savings to customers through reduced downtime and
increased operational efficiency.
For more information contact: Hardide Coating, www.hardide.com