A historic figure skating blade manufacturer based in the United Kingdom’s Sheffield area has increased production capacity by 30% and growth by 135% after a digital transformation program supported by a 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 program with the support of Plating Solutions, which Radcliffe-based BEP Surface Technology recently acquired.
The project optimized 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 Increased By 30%, with Ability to Scale 13% More
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.
“As a business, we live and die by the quality of our plating,” says Tom Cantwell, managing director of HD Sports. “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.
Cantwell says what they achieved in partnership with Plating Solutions far exceeded their customers’ expectations.
John Torr from Plating Solutions (left) and Tom Cantwell, managing director of HD Sports.“The quality of our blades now truly reflects our commitment to excellence,” he says. “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 specialized 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.
“HD Sports allowed Plating Solutions to implement best practices, using the highest-quality plating chemicals along with a regime of continuous testing and refinement,” Torr says. “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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