Martinsville coatings plant wins key approval

Hardide Coatings’ production facility in Martinsville has been certified to coat U.S. aerospace components, a development that the company expects will give it access to new markets.

“We are very proud to have achieved this exacting standard which opens up the North American aerospace market to us,” Philip Kirkham, CEO of the United Kingdom-based advanced surface coating technology company, said in a statement.

Hardide develops, manufactures and applies advanced tungsten-carbide coatings for a wide range of engineering components.

The company said its material offers dramatic improvements in component life, particularly when applied to those used in extreme environments.

The Martinsville plant received approval for coating aerospace, defense and space industry components in the U.S. after meeting a stringent quality management standard, AS9100 Rev D.

In his statement, Kirkham said the company recently added a vice president for business development in North America who will concentrate on high-tech markets, including aerospace.

“We are already involved with several major military and civil aerospace players with early stage tests and development programs underway,” the CEO said.

Hardide opened a 26,000-square-foot production facility in Martinsville in 2016.

The facility was the result of the company’s decision to expand its production operations to North America.

The company said expansion was driven by increased demand from North American customers, with sales to the U.S, and Canada more than doubling during 2015.