Make UK Defence, the national not-for-profit, member owned defence trade association, part of Make UK – has welcomed HMG Paints as its newest member.

Make UK Defence champions and celebrates the UK’s defence and security industry and provides an opportunity for collaboration between SME’s and the defence industry. HMG Paints, the UK’s leading independent paint manufacturer, brings its portfolio of Def Stan coatings and bespoke paint and coating formulation services to the group.

All of HMG’s Defence coatings, including its Def Stan 80-225 system, are Made in Britain accredited, which means the company can provide fast delivery, something which has become increasingly important to its customer base over the last few years.

“We’re looking forward to working with the Make UK Defence team and their members,” said Alan Sharples, HMG Defence sales manager. “Already in our early connections with members, we’ve heard how members have struggled to acquire paints and coatings, which are often imported from abroad, and HMG are keen to build partnerships to help fulfil paint requirements for future projects”

HMG Paints will be attending the DVD2022 exhibition in September, where Made UK Defence members and non-members can meet the HMG team face to face. The attendance at the show will allow engineers and specifiers to discuss in person their defence coating requirements.

This includes the identification of Def Stan or NSN number or even developing bespoke solutions for OEM and manufacturers projects.

“By working closely with the sector and freeing up the agility and dynamism of SMEs we can cross-pollinate the success of the defence sector to maximize economic gains, seize export opportunities and build greater supply chain resilience. This will place an innovative defence sector at the forefront of helping address the many challenges society faces,” said Andrew Kinniburgh, director at Make UK Defence.

“We’re exceptionally proud to be a British paint manufacturer in an industry dominated by multi-national enterprises,” Sharples added. “All of our products are made right here in Manchester, and this allows us to quickly service our customers paint and coatings requirements.

“With more and more paint manufacturers offshoring production and decision making we feel HMG can provide a unique offering to both OEMs and SMEs within the defence market,” Sharples added. “Since 2019 we have been working alongside a number of new partners to assess their coatings needs and support them directly by supplying a range of Def Stan and bespoke paints coatings along with on-site technical support.”

Following an increase in demand for its Def Stan 80-225 product range and the product is now stocked and available for immediate dispatch across the UK. The HMG products in this range are free from Chrome VI, meet low VOC requirements, and are IRR and CARC resistant.

Alongside Defence Standard products, HMG produce a wide range of approved high-quality coatings for practically every purpose for the defence industry. Made in the UK, HMG’s product range is suitable for equipment such as containers, trailers, vehicles, bridges and armor.