Sector
We have a vast depth of experience and expertise across a wide variety of industry sectors. Although Hardies can provide materials to virtually any sector, the majority of our requests come from the following industries:
Automotive
Our customers in the UK and Europe mould and supply a vast range of complex plastic parts and assemblies to automotive companies such as JLR, Nissan, Renault, Bentley, BMW and Toyota.
From handling ‘just in time’ supply, to registering grades for IMDS, we have years of experience in supplying engineering polymers specified by the automotive industry. Many of our customers within this sector are operating to IATF 16949:2016
We have worked on many projects over the years, collaborating directly with the automotive OEMs, with Tier 1 moulders or their sub-contract moulders through the various development stages.
Our automotive customer base continues to evolve and our team understands the stringent requirements and standards. As car manufacturers move towards greater use of electric engine technology, their polymer requirements change, as they seek to reduce car weight.
In addition to being able to supply all the most popular automotive grades, we can offer grades that provide solutions for the following industry demands:
Low emission
Light-weighting
Sustainable
Paint elimination
Scratch Resistant
Anti-squeak
Aerospace
With a wealth of product knowledge and many years of experience in supplying both commercial and military customers within this sector, we are well placed to supply the specified grades required for Aerospace applications.
We have access to a wide range of high performance polymers including: weight reduction and wear resistance grades, as well as many other brands known for their outstanding mechanical properties.
We understand that the Aerospace sector is a strongly regulated market with critical focus on safety and performance. With this in mind, we ensure that all of our materials meet the set criteria stated by our customers before supplying.
Electronics
For demanding, critical tolerance electronics applications such as connectors, sensors and LED’s, highly specified engineering grades and high-performance polymers are required.
Our customers produce parts for industry-leading manufacturers of electronics components with tolerances as low as 50 microns.
Nylons and PBT have long been some of the most widely used materials in this sector but in recent years have been joined by many of the high-performance plastics such as PES, PEI, PPS, PEEK and LCP.
Medical & Healthcare
We fully understand the strict requirements in medical and healthcare applications and have access to many medical grades.
Medical and healthcare applications are usually highly specified. During the COVID-19 pandemic Hardies supplied numerous materials at short notice for component parts for ventilators, respirators, COVID-19 test kits, face shields and oxygenators to name but a few.
As all our materials are supplied with full documentation from the manufacturer, we are able to meet the strict supply demands of our customers in this area.
Defence
Our customers operating within the Defence sector produce a vast range of technical parts to understandably demanding standards of the MOD and others. As examples, parts manufactured by our customers have included components for breathing apparatus systems, gas canisters, communication devices and even fighter jet nose cones.
The supply and manufacture of parts for the Defence sector are tightly controlled and as all our materials are supplied with full documentation from the manufacturer, we are able to meet the strict supply requirements of our customers in this area.
Specific material demands for the Defence sector can include:
Metal replacement polymers
High Performance Engineering Polymers
Lightweight polymers
Chemical Resistant polymers
High temperature resistant polymers
Trade Moulding
We supply trade moulding companies across the UK and have access to massive levels of European stock. We appreciate that all our customers each have different requirements and we will always do what we can to provide a solution.
As the UK’s leading independent engineering polymer supplier, we are the only distributor to offer materials from all of the major manufacturers.
Our simple pricing structure means there are no administration charges and our Sales Team have a wealth of personal experience within the sector.
We’ve been supplying Injection Moulders in the UK for over 60 years, so you can be assured that we have probably handled most industry requests during this time.