HMG Paints not only specialises in coatings for automotive use, but also supplies paint and a variety of protective coatings to a wide variety of industries. Coatings supplied by the Manchester based company have been painted on fleets of commercial buses, protected the British Starchaser rocket and have been used by film studios on a number of movies.
Prodrive uses hundreds of litres of paint every year on its race and rally cars on a variety of surfaces, including carbon fibre composite, aluminium, steel, and plastics.
HMG Paints has over 80 years’ experience of developing and manufacturing highly specialised coatings for all substrates and will be fully utilising the modern research and development facilities located in Manchester. Prodrive will be working alongside HMG Paints, as a technical partner, on a number of projects to ensure superb colour quality and the effective coating of these surfaces.
“It was important to us to have a partner who could match the exact colours demanded by our sponsors,” said Richard Taylor, Prodrive Business Development Director. “We will also be working with HMG on a weight reduction program that will minimise our paint and coatings usage, as ultimately every gram we can shave off the weight of the car gives us a performance advantage.”
The experienced paint technicians at HMG Paints will also be working alongside Prodrive on a number of other coatings projects. “We are working to significantly enhance the appearance of the cars using unique pigments, producing even more vibrant and eye-catching colours,” said Steve Crossman, Business Development Director at HMG. “Together, we are also developing new heat management coatings for the vehicle interior and exterior, and an advanced lotus effect treatment that will reduce the amount of mud and dirt that clings to the car during a race.”
The partnership has already got off to a flying start with the Aston Martin Racing team claiming a thrilling victory at the 6 hours of Silverstone World Endurance Championship event in both the GTE Pro and Am classes.
HMG Managing Director, John Falder said: “We have often driven past Prodrive on the M40 and have followed their success on the track and stage. It is a great privilege to know that the next time we watch the Aston Martins at Le Mans and the MINI on the stages of the World Rally Championship, that they will be gleaming in paint developed and produced by us here in Manchester.”