Historic Sheffield company increases production capacity by 30%
Published: 08 August, 2024
A historic figure skating blade manufacturer has announced it has increased production capacity by 30% and growth by 135% after a digital transformation programme supported by an internationally renowned plating consultancy.
HD Sports produces John Wilson and MK Blades, two major brands used by the sport's best, including Olympic and World champions. From its plant in Sheffield—which traces its roots back to a 17th-century Royal toolmaker—it manufactures blades from 1075 carbon steel before coating them in nickel to apply shine and chromium for corrosion protection.
The company has completed a six-year electroplating production transformation programme with the support of Plating Solutions, which Radcliffe-based BEP Surface Technology recently acquired.
The project optimised the plant design, introduced automation and data-led decision-making, and improved the chemistry of metal plating.
The wide-ranging impacts include contemporary safety standards, enhanced overall efficiency, increased productivity, improved product quality and consistency, reduced operational costs and increased profitability.
Production capacity has increased by 30%, with the ability to scale a further 13%.
HD Sports carried out further upgrades, including power supplies, heating systems, and water processes, improving resource efficiency and substantial cost savings while accelerating HD Sports’ net zero journey.
The new plating process has enabled HD Sports’ to grow by 135% since the start of the project, including 33% growth in China, the second-largest market behind the USA. Even in the UK, sales have increased, boosted by the popularity of ITV show Dancing On Ice.
Commenting on the partnership, Tom Cantwell, Managing Director of HD Sports, said: “As a business, we live and die by the quality of our plating. For hundreds of years, in this tiny corner of the UK, we have led the world with our manufacturing of skate blades. To ensure our efforts to keep doing that, we needed to invest in our plating process to improve productivity, efficiency, quality and sustainability.
“What we have achieved in partnership with Plating Solutions has far exceeded our customers' expectations. The quality of our blades now truly reflects our commitment to excellence. It is a product used all over the world at the highest level of the sport, and it is made in Sheffield.”
Plating Solutions is a specialised metal finishing plant design and equipment consultancy launched 20 years ago by industry luminary John Torr, who continues to provide the support HD Sports needs to maintain and upgrade its plating processes, especially as the global demand for skate blades increases.
With the 2025 ISU World Figure Skating Championships and 2026 Winter Olympics around the corner, HD Sports is keen to continue improving what it does best and keeping its competitive edge.
Torr said: “HD Sports allowed Plating Solutions to implement best practices, using the highest-quality plating chemicals along with a regime of continuous testing and refinement. Working with a client who understands the value of quality and the consistency of approach is a genuine joy. The fact that the manufacturing is undertaken in the UK simply adds to the pride we all have in HD Sports' success.”
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