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There was reference to a new oil and gas customer in the interims which suggests conversion times are getting much quicker. Commercialisation of technology can be frustratingly slow but Airbus approval, a US manufacturing presence and Hardide cumulative revenue in excess of £20m are all supportive of much faster conversion times. This is why we are at an inflection point because all revenue from now on will go straight to the bottom line and revenue growth will get much quicker. The two major shareholders are private and long term. This is a major bonus. Keep faith and religion as this is where it starts to get fun.
Call me old fashioned but funding growth and expansion is generally considered great news. Fund raising oversubscribed which is another good sign. Best technology and an excellent management team. 2 furnaces at 70% gross margin and a P/E of 25 equates to £35m of value or approx 2 pence per share. Well done. The high share count is a legacy of the greedy venture capital company which initially listed Hardide. I can't recall the exact amount but the initial IPO only raised a couple of million for the company. Current CEO cannot be responsible for things which were not on his watch. Brave decision to invest in US during a downturn which is now paying off. Bonanza of aerospace still to come. Market trading shows the smart money thinks this is a great deal and as the research note explains we are at an inflection point. Whoever thought the coatings industry could be so exciting!
Appreciate it has been a long wait but I always reconcile myself to Hardide being the best performing coating with unique attributes that HVOF and hard chrome plating can't match. More simply put in safety critical areas, extreme wear applications where downtime is expensive, complex shapes including internal surfaces or where other properties are required (anti galling or cobalt free) Hardide is uniquely placed and customers will pay for this technology advantage. There are many ways to commercialise Hardide including licensing, Joint Ventures or selling products so you are right to think about these options for increasing the pace of customer conversion. I always go back to Hardide being the best coating technology for certain applications which means Hardide will be a winner whichever route the company chooses.
I agree with you that commercialisation of Hardide for letter sorting should be much quicker. Hopefully Airbus a major catalyst to speeding up customer conversion and marketing. Hardide needs more wins in the short term so interested for an update on US drilling contractor that was referenced in the interims. Hopefully Hardide utopia not too far away but confident they are on the right track.
Reach sunset date for hard chrome was 20th Sept. I agree would be useful if someone or Hardide could spell out what this means and what opportunity this has created.
Lack of liquidity a double edged sword. When revenue comes Hardide is going to shoot up in price on very small volumes. However, liquidity and a larger market cap important to get decent institutions on register. Register looks to have long term strategics who hopefully won't sell out too cheaply once bookends on the revenue, growth and prospects for Hardide can be established. A bloody long wait but feel very optimistic about this one.
Another very good article and a quality new hire. Well done. I assume aerospace customers place more emphasis on safety, quality assurance and reliability of supply than simply price which implies good margins once Hardide has jumped over all the hurdles. To rip off the old Stella adverts, "Hardide, reassuringly expensive!". Bring on the revenue.
Key takeaways: Superior coating the outperforms the opposition Cost advantages to the client and hence high margin to Hardide Material aerospace revenue in 12 to 18 months Aggregate market size of £20bn for coating products Big listed clients providing an exit route Disruptive technology and at an inflection point in commercialisation of technology Protected by patents and knowhow Customer conversion key catalyst and continued customer diversification. Big listed clients better get out their big chequebooks and key shareholders don't sell out too cheaply. An exciting future.
Very good research note. A very exciting future.
Bodycote has a market cap of £1.8bn and generates approx £300m of revenue from the aerospace sector. No detailed breakdown of which coatings generate this revenue except commentary that HVOF is high margin and high growth. Bodycote references many of the same customers and target customers as Hardide for HVOF. Anecdotal but shows potential market from a large surface coating provider's perspective. Hardide a far more superior product than HVOF. Hopefully we get some long waited customer wins in aerospace. An update would be appreciated at the end of September.
Hardide website now includes an investor presentation, links to all the Director's talk interviews and the website now references major clients. A big improvement! Videos are a great way of investor outreach. Would also be great if company can spell out 1) opportunity created by phasing out chrome 2) aerospace opportunity. There must be independent consultants who can spell out the opportunity for Hardide. Hopefully Hardide starts to announce contract wins on aerospace before too long.
Looking forward would be useful if someone or Hardide can paint the picture of the opportunity the hard chrome ban provides. Understand the ban comes into effect in September although there is scope for certain industries to apply for an extension. The competing technology is HVOF which cannot coat complex parts or internal surfaces given flame gun application. Hopefully hard chrome ban is a catalyst for further Hardide customer conversion which has been painfully slow. In the midst of European holidays so not expecting any news from Airbus during this period. Welcome any thoughts?
Great news. Stage is now set to convert opportunities to revenue. Impressive list of companies at the bottom of the announcement which will be direct targets. In the short term hopefully Hardide gets some quick wins plus continues conversion of oil and gas and other segments. I note Hardide have engaged IFC advisory so if they read these blogs keep up the investor relations push (presentations, web casts, institutional roadshows). Quite simply need more buyers than sellers. Exciting future.
Agree a few days of interesting trading. It has been a good few months and more to look forward to with new customers, Nadcap approval, aerospace sales, US sales, hard chrome phasing out, improved liquidity, positive cashflows, market cap creeping up and strong and patient strategics on the register. A lot of potential and just the start in my opinion. Don't sell too cheaply.
More good news which validates Hardide's strategy of expanding in the US. High profile clients reaffirm Hardide is a winner. Nadcap approval followed by aerospace conversion, more customers in the US and we will rapidly reach the inflection point where Hardide takes off.
Dibs, refer to financial statements. Hardide has a very clear strategy focusing on oil & gas, flow control, aerospace, industrial gas turbines, diamond cutting and other advanced engineering. There are many potential applications but management has prioritised those with biggest growth potential. Reality is aerospace potential could be very significant and long term. US is a huge coating market and physical presence will be a huge enabler plus airbus accreditation. Pace of revenue growth and customer conversion will increase.
More confirmation that Hardide technology is a winner.
Liquidity over the past months much improved. A very important part of the process of getting the value in Hardide recognised in the share price. When we start getting institutional buying then the fun really starts. Great having long term strategic investors on the register to support the company as we complete transition to profitability. Getting more research coverage, improved investor relations all part of the process of growing up. One step at a time and whilst customer conversation remains frustratingly slow I have conviction in the technology and it's potential. Airbus approval a huge enabler in speeding up the process of customer conversion. In my opinion, barring any major downturn in oil and gas, company has sufficient cash to see Hardide through to positive cash flow in 2018. A very exciting future and well done to Hardide team. Will be accumulating over the summer.
In the short term the interim results statement makes reference to revenue on subsea flow control equipment starting in 2H 2017 and reference to successful tests and commercial discussions with a high volume north American onshore drilling company. Whilst aerospace is a game changer, good to see more progress being made in oil and gas and flow control. Appreciate frustration that the £20m order from Airbus has not arrived just yet but important not to lose religion at the point where business is starting to get interesting. Key risk is a sudden down turn in oil and gas but speaking to my network they are all upbeat after industry near death experience 18 months ago.