When it comes to composite and metallic technology, Polar Technology Management Group is king. Initially, the business focused more on the motorsports sector, but its capabilities have since broadened to encapsulate aerospace, defense, medical, energy and everything in between.
Polar Technology was established in 2012, but the idea for the business actually formed long before that, when founders Mike Dewhirst and Scott Roberts began working together. Following its formation,
the business added brands SST Technology and Lentus Composites to the ranks.
Today, the group operates with the aid of more than 250 employees based in a 180,000 square foot facility in Eynsham, UK. The business also celebrated a recordbreaking year for revenue in 2023 and hopes to be toasting to another at the end of 2024. This is testament to the ingenuity and consistent development that Polar Technology is renowned for.
“There’s genuine innovation here at Polar Technology, which flows from the top down,”
Polar Technology Management Group operates on the leading edge of composite and metallic technology, where it seeks to create enabling technologies for a more sustainable and healthier future. Managing Director Paul Janes revealed more on the latest solutions, during an in-depth interview with Inside Sustainability. Report by Imogen Ward.
said Managing Director Paul Janes. “We hold around 35 patents in a range of areas, and that intellectual property really dominates everything we do.”
Thinking inside the box
Determined to retain its innovative flair while having a positive impact on the progression to greener, cleaner fuels, Polar Technology recently developed the ‘Hydrogen in a Box’ solution.
In recent years, hydrogen has developed into an increasingly viable fuel source
across many industries, including aviation. As a significant player in global emissions, the aviation industry is seeking new solutions to help tackle its carbon footprint.
Although hydrogen is a great alternative t o standard aviation fuel, it does come with its own drawbacks; the most significant of which is storage. That is where Polar Technology’s ‘Hydrogen in a Box’ solution comes into play.
“When compared to other hydrogen storage solutions on the market, ‘Hydrogen in a Box’ is designed to have greater volumetric efficiency,” explained Mr Janes. “We minimised the amount of wasted space within the vessel, which allowed us to increase the volumetric efficiency by 25 per cent – allowing users to carry 25 per cent more fuel within the same amount of space.”
Best of all, the design allows for maximum efficiency and flexibility. This is because Polar Technology’s customers will not just be getting a storage vessel, but one with its own mounting solution and manifold
solution for all the valves. In theory, this means all customers would need to do is plug it into a fuel cell.
Of course, like any project, the development of Hydrogen in a Box presented its own challenges. However, according to Mr Janes, this was actually positive for the company: “The obstacles and challenges have actually been a huge advantage for us, because it enabled us to become thought leaders within the space.
“We’ve made discoveries that a lot of other companies haven’t even reached yet, and that is due to the amount of analysis and testing we carried out for each material choice and design variant.
“By debuting ‘Hydrogen in a Box’, we can show our customers what we are capable of, and we have already had interest from other industries looking for their own bespoke hydrogen storage solution.”
An example of this comes from earlier this year, Polar Technology began working with hydrogen fuel cell manufacturer Intelligent Energy, which was looking for a hydrogen storage cylinder for its fuel cell technology.
“When paired with our lightweight cylinder solution, Intelligent Energy’s fuel cell can triple the range of a UAV or drone,” commented Mr Janes. “The cylinder also
boasts a class leading 7.5 per cent weight efficiency, and it perfectly highlights just what our technology can be capable of.”
Flying high
Sticking with the theme of flight, Polar Technology has also attracted significant attention thanks to its ongoing collaboration with Ultima Forma. With an anticipated 10,000+ eVTOL aircraft deliveries expected by 2040 (all of which will be reliant on
multi-blade rotor assemblies), Polar Technology and Ultima Forma are working together to improve the thermal and erosion resistance of carbon fibre composite material.
“We are applying Ultima Forma’s electro-deposited erosion protection layer to our carefully designed aerofoilshaped composite components,” explained Mr Janes.
It is hoped that, with this pivotal development, the solution could provide the performance and safety advantage required to meet the demands of eVTOL flight, among other applications in the aerospace sector.
Ensuring a better tomorrow
Everything that Polar Technology has achieved so far has been done with the help of a strong base of employees, suppliers and customers. The company operates with
a clearcut approach rooted in collaboration, and it strongly believes in constant communication and engineering support to ensure success.
“That chain of communication works both ways and is absolutely crucial in developing the best possible product,” said Mr Janes. “Our supply chain continuously communicates with us to ensure they are meeting our needs and minimising their environmental impact in line with our own internal expectations and targets.”
Where sustainability is concerned, Polar Technology has recently celebrated the recertification of its ISO 14001 documentation. Having passed the audit with flying colours, the engineering business attributed this success to the hard work of its quality team.
Polar Technology also continuously updates its environmental policy to guarantee every element of the business is accounted for. The group uses low energy equipment wherever possible, has applied
a full-rounded waste hierarchy across the entire organisation and constantly monitors its process in order to reduce waste.
Given its size and diverse capabilities, over the years, Polar Technology has found itself competing with smaller companies and much larger conglomerates. With such hardy competition, the business works hard to ensure it stands out against the crowd. Polar Technology successfully addresses the main challenges that face the industries it serves by focusing on four key themes –creating products that save fuel, reduce emissions, improve efficiency and build healthier futures.
“All of the industries we work within are progressing towards a shared goal of net zero by 2050, and that will require some fairly seismic shifts,” revealed Mr Janes, in conclusion. “Enabling technologies for a sustainable and healthier future is rooted in our overarching vision and ethos.” n
