GLOBAL EXPANSION As the world’s leading supplier of thermal processing services, UK-based Bodycote supports a large number of multinational businesses and niche players across industry sectors. Industry Europe looks at the continued success of the company.
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stablished in 1923 and based in Macclesfield in the north of England, Bodycote has steadily grown to become the world’s leading provider of thermal processing systems. Initially founded as a textile business at the heart of the UK’s flourishing textile industry, the Bodycote family utilised its entrepreneurial skills right from the start. Its strategic development toward the increasingly vital industrial requirements of the region and the country came in 1979 when the company decided to focus more on industrial applications, with tactical acquisitions including a heat treatment company and huge investment, boosting its overall capabilities. In the past 40-plus years, Bodycote has continued this dedication to industrial appli-
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cations and also its appreciation of the necessity of investment in order to stay at the top of its game. It has grown to become a global business with more than 170 facilities in 27 countries worldwide, so there are very few territories where Bodycote does not have a strong presence. It has long seen the value of investment in order to maintain and enhance its market-leading position, and provides a vital link in the manufacturing process for virtually all sectors.
Leading the way Today, as the world’s leading supplier of heat treatments, metal joining, hot isostatic pressing and surface technology, Bodycote has extensive experience in supporting large multinational customers and their supply
chains, as well as working closely with a number of niche local specialists. With a strong presence across a range of industrial sectors, the bulk of Bodycote’s activities (42 per cent) come from what it describes as ‘general industry’, which includes construction, mining and medical requirements such as implants, drills and tools. A further 26 per cent comes from the automotive industry, 20 per cent from aerospace and the remaining 12 per cent from the energy industry. In terms of projected growth, both the automotive and energy sectors represent clear positive targets for the company. The growth in the automotive industry in 2012 was significant, a key reason for which has been the new technologies and new legislation regarding the reduction of CO2
