Hardide plc (AIM: HDD), the provider of surface coating technology, has told DirectorsTalk that it has now completed the Airbus Industrial Qualification process and has gained Approved Supplier status from the Airbus Group for the coating of flying components.
This final part of the approval process follows technical qualification of the Hardide-A coating by Airbus as an alternative to hard chrome plating, which was announced in December 2015. Over the past year Hardide has been working very closely with Airbus engineers to ensure that the Hardide process meets Airbus’s stringent process specifications. Airbus has now granted industrial approval of the complex coating process and Hardide is on the global Airbus Approved Supplier list.
Airbus and its component suppliers are now able to place production orders on Hardide to coat aircraft components and the Company is already in commercial discussions with several Airbus sites about the coating of specific components. Nonetheless the Board does not expect there to be any material change to the revenue forecasts for this financial year.
Separately, Hardide continues to make good progress towards gaining the aerospace industry’s Nadcap accreditation.
Welcoming this final stage in the Airbus approval process, Philip Kirkham, CEO of Hardide plc said: “Extensive work has been carried out over the past year with Airbus to prove compliance with their stringent processing and control standards required to coat flying parts. This final approval is the culmination of many years of hard work and a tremendous achievement for the Hardide team. We now look forward to working with Airbus and its partners to realise our ambition to coat production parts.
“Aerospace is a cornerstone of Hardide’s growth strategy and today’s announcement enables us to move significantly along that path.”
