Hardide Coatings USA now aerospace ready

12 July 2018

Hardide plc

("Hardide" or "the Group" or "the Company")

Hardide Coatings, USA, now aerospace ready with award of

AS 9100D certification

Hardide (AIM: HDD), the developer and provider of advanced surface coating technology, is pleased to announce that it is now certified to coat aerospace, defence and space industry components in the USA.

The Company's production facility in Martinsville, Virginia has been awarded the aerospace standard AS 9100D quality management standard by global certifying body, Lloyds Register. This follows the award of the AS 9100D certification to its UK production site in Bicester, Oxfordshire in December 2017. This award strengthens Hardide USA's potential to generate significant new contracts with blue chip defence and aerospace manufacturers across the region.

Revision D of AS 9100 includes an increased focus on senior management commitment, risk management and product safety requirements. It is a complement to ISO 9001:2015 quality management standard and is specifically designed to meet rigorous aerospace industry requirements and enhance product safety and quality.

Philip Kirkham, CEO of Hardide commented: "We are very proud to have achieved this exacting standard which opens up the North American aerospace market to us. We have recently added to our business development team in the US and now have a dedicated North America VP of Business Development who will concentrate on high-tech markets in the region, including aerospace. We are already involved with several major military and civil aerospace players with early stage tests and development programmes underway.

This award illustrates our commitment as a company to reach the very highest levels of quality and to continuously improving our processes and facilities."

Notes to editors:

www.hardide.com

Hardide develops, manufactures and applies advanced technology tungsten-carbide coatings to a wide range of engineering components. Its patented technology is unique in combining, in one material, a mix of toughness and resistance to abrasion, erosion and corrosion; together with the ability to coat accurately interior surfaces and complex geometries. The material is proven to offer dramatic improvements in component life, particularly when applied to components that operate in very aggressive environments. This results in cost savings through reduced downtime and increased operational efficiency. Customers include leading companies operating in oil and gas exploration and production, valve and pump manufacturing.