Have you ever wondered what it takes to be successful in ice skating? Well, apart from the punishing training, it also requires exquisite skating blades, which allow for the highest speed possible, while remaining easy to navigate through turns.
Enter HD Sports, the world-leading manufacturer of figure skating blades. With its roots dating back to the 17th century, this company has been known for exquisite craftsmanship and attention to detail. In the past six years, though, HD Sports has embraced high-tech manufacturing solutions to stay afloat in the segment. Namely, in collaboration with Plating Solutions, HD Sports modernized the manufacturing process, allowing it to increase operation efficiency and product quality while ensuring compliance with modern environmental standards.
Plating Solutions, an internationally recognized plating consultancy, lent its expertise to redesign the production layout for greater efficiency, implement cutting-edge automated systems for precision and speed, and leverage data analytics to refine decision-making. These changes helped HD Sports increase its production capacity by 30% and achieved 135% growth.
Further investments were made to upgrade power supplies, heating systems, and water processes. These enhancements not only improved resource efficiency but also aligned HD Sports with its sustainability goals, contributing to its net-zero ambitions. The company is now equipped to scale production capacity by an additional 13%, ensuring it can meet growing global demand.
However, a big focus was also put on improving plating chemistry. At the end of the day, HD Sports’ skating blades compete at the highest level, like the Olympics, so an improved plating chemistry could give it an edge over the competition. The company has been crafting blades from 1075 carbon steel for high strength, then applying nickel plating for a shiny finish and chromium for corrosion resistance.
Using new plating chemicals, Plating Solutions should improve on the overall quality of the blade. How much, it remains to be seen at the 2025 ISU World Figure Skating Championships and 2026 Winter Olympics, where HD Sports will showcase what it has been working on for the past six years.
“What we have achieved in partnership with Plating Solutions has far exceeded our customers’ expectations. The quality of our blades now truly reflects our commitment to excellence. It is a product used all over the world at the highest level of the sport, and it is made in Sheffield,” said Tom Cantwell, managing director of HD Sports.
Image credit by HD Sports
