Record Quarter For Welding World Leaders

First quarter 2004 sees record sales for Huntingdon Fusion Techniques (HFT), the world leaders in weld purging and welding accessories, signalling good times for the fusion welding industry.

This follows on from a year in which the company's sales grew at the fastest rate since the 1980s.

Managing director Darren Sewell comments, "Last month's figures prove that the worldwide recovery is well under way.

The manufacturing and process industries, both of which play big parts in our business, are investing in new projects and in plant and equipment." HFT's products are used in every industry throughout the world, mainly in the welding of stainless steel, titanium and nickel alloys and chrome.

This is one of the most specialised areas of welding, a sector which has seen a general global decline over the past decade.

However, Huntingdon's markets, including the food and aerospace industries, remain competitive and innovative.

"Around the time of Weldex 2003 in the UK, many were forecasting an upturn in an industry which has seen its fair share of stagnant or even falling sales," continues Darren.

"Our intelligence supported this but suggested that it would be 2004 before any significant progress was felt." Industry-wide, enquiry levels have been climbing but the trend is translating into orders in many areas.

"We are uniquely placed to see what is happening in this industry worldwide and it is good to see the investment in techniques, equipment and cost reduction by our customers being rewarded." One area to have seen investment across the welding industry is that of training.

"Although the trend, as in every industry, has been to de-skill and remove manual processes, welding still benefits from well-trained operators with the knowledge and experience to make a difference to quality and productivity.

Where many industries are paying the price for employing automation without adequate quality fall-backs, welding associations and societies in a number of markets have ensured that training and education remain high on the agenda." Darren also pays tribute to publishers and exhibition organisers in the welding sector.

"Unlike many industries, we have a flow of information that is both technical and practical.

Information providers have resisted the temptation to move downmarket and there remains sufficient good material upon which to make the best-informed decisions." Huntingdon Fusion Techniques Limited is based in the UK with a global network of distributors.

It's world-famous products include Argweld purging kits and equipment, Purge Monitors for precise monitoring of Oxygen levels, MultiStrike tungsten electrodes, Weld Backing Tape, Trailing Shields and the Pipestoppers range.

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