Surface coating group combines expertise & reputation

Norman Hay says that by combining the two companies' technical expertise and market knowledge, the group creates a dynamic force in the coating and surface finishing industry. The Coatings Group will be headed by Lee Shelton, Group Managing Director, who joined Norman Hay in 2000.

Based in Cleveland, Ohio, SIFCO ASC has operations in three further US states, the UK, Sweden and France, as well as partners in Europe, South America, Canada and Asia. Surface Technology, headquartered in Coventry, covers the whole of the UK through seven sites and has plants in Australia and China. In addition to helping the two businesses expand locations, the creation of the Coatings Group will also ensure the company maximises its reach in existing markets such as oil & gas, automotive, aerospace and power generation.

Used for enhancing, repairing or refurbishing critical components, the SIFCO Process can now be easily adopted into manufacturing production lines thanks to the company’s recent investment in developing workstations to automate the SIFCO Process. Lee believes that with the support of Surface Technology, a wider scope of opportunities can be established, providing manufacturers across many industries the opportunity to meet their goals of both increasing quality and productivity and consolidating their supplier base.

Significant investments are being made into recruitment, such as the recent appointment of a European Sales Manager and a Design Engineer on the robotics side, along with refurbishment of existing facilities and equipment.

“Since acquiring the SIFCO ASC business in 2012 and bringing the business into the Norman Hay Group, a number of synergies have emerged. The leadership team at Norman Hay feel that now is the right time to formalise this collaboration by bringing some of the best talent in the industry together under one umbrella. In doing so, we will identify applications and ways of working which will ultimately benefit our customers’ processes,” commented Lee Shelton. “Our knowledge and expertise are unrivalled. The industries in which we are most prominent are heavily regulated, such as aerospace, automotive and also oil & gas. Customers in these sectors need reassurance that they are dealing with suppliers who are technical experts driven by the most robust standards and processes to meet highly demanding specifications. We now have more engineers and Quality Managers in our group than ever, with a combined service of 243 years.”

Vic Bellanti, Chief Executive, Norman Hay, concluded: “We already receive requests from customers to offer a wider range of services in order to keep their supplier base to a minimum and now, through our Coatings Group, we offer an enhanced one-stop, multi-coat, capability. The team will now be selling the combined capability of the Group rather than one individual company.”