Approved Business LogoApproved Business Logo
List your company Login

Approved Business uses its own and third parties’ cookies in order to improve your experience and our services. These cookies provide a better performance, enhanced features and enable certain functionalities. You can obtain more information and learn how to change the configuration of your browser, including how to block some cookies, in our Privacy Policy. However, you should know that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on the site and limit the services we are able to offer.

Company details for:

William Hughes Ltd

Submit press release
(0)
WilliamHughes_Logo
0196...

Station Road,
Stalbridge,
Dorset,
DT10 2RZ,
United Kingdom

Quick Links:

Products / Services

Design

Design

Every spring or wire part produced by William Hughes is custom-made to suit a particular application. Customers involve us at an early stage in each and every wire-based project so that problems of space, performance, material and cost can be addressed at the outset of the design process.

Our design and application engineers enjoy state-of-the-art facilities for the in-house design of products and machine tools.
Springs

Springs

It’s a spring thing

Whatever the season, William Hughes can tailor-make a spring that is perfect for each and every application.

Whether you’re working on satellites or submarines, toys or telephones, we’ll be able to design and manufacture all the springs and wire parts your product requires.

Our team of highly skilled and experienced engineers specialises in development and prototype activity while our comprehensive production facilities enable us to meet all standard specifications in a minimum of time, satisfying orders for millions of units a month as necessary.
Wire Forms & Assemblies

Wire Forms & Assemblies

Wire forming, bending and assembly is a major part of our business. If something can be made out of wire, we’re the people to make it.

If you have a 2D or 3D wire form that involves twists, turns, spirals, protrusions, indentations or just plain bends, we have both the expertise and the state-of-the-art automation to provide exactly what you need.

We also have the facility to design and manufacture tools, jigs, and gauges in-house, which means that not only can we test designs for feasibility before manufacture, but it also greatly reduces the lead time compared to outsourcing.
Aerospace

Aerospace

In 2009, the UK aerospace industry generated revenue in excess of £22 billion. This amounts to the largest aerospace income in Europe, and is second only to America globally. Around 9000 companies are involved in aerospace work around the UK, but it is the south of England that has become the established home of the UK aerospace industry with companies like Honeywell, BAe Systems, Eaton Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Meggitt and M.E.L Aviation.
PCB Test Points

PCB Test Points

PCB Test Points & Terminals

Prototype work and volume production


Our PCB test points and terminals feature a large loop for easy probe attachment or to facilitate the clipping on of other components. They are ideal for components which need frequent replacement and are also suitable for raising hot components above the surface of the PCB.

A glass bead in a choice of eight colours for identification purposes ensures a snug fit on the board. White, yellow, black, brown, blue, pink, red and green are available ex-stock with other colours to meet special requirements. The unique shape of the test point will not damage through-plated holes during assembly yet prevents any movement prior to soldering.
Passivation

Passivation

William Hughes offers a state-of-the-art automated passivation plant with novel functionality in that there is no manual ‘dunking’ of component baskets from station-to-station, as with traditional systems. Instead, the plant performs a ‘fluid transfer’, moving chemical solutions from holding tanks into the main processing unit as required, thus helping to prevent damage as parts do not move. The entire process is automatic and PLC controlled.
ISO Class 7 Cleanroom

ISO Class 7 Cleanroom

William Hughes’ new 80m² cleanroom is constructed to Class 7 standards in accordance with ISO 14644-1 which is the equivalent to a Class 10,000 cleanroom using the Fed Stan 209E.

The cleanroom ensures that hydraulic, LOX (liquid oxygen), oxygen and other critical components can be cleaned to the most demanding quality standards, approvals and specifications. It incorporates an inspection dark room so that parts can be viewed under ultra-violet light.
Automotive

Automotive

William Hughes started to supply the automotive industry nearly 30 years ago. Now it forms the largest part of our business, but our success has not been lightly won. It has been achieved by constant investment in new technology, the support of a highly skilled and dedicated workforce and by adhering to the highest quality standards.

Our global customer base includes Johnson Controls, Lear Corporation and CTS (global oem suppliers to the automotive industry). Also Proseat, Fehrer and such smaller companies as The Seat Design Co. and CAB Automotive which specialise in low volume production for the luxury car market.
Fine Wire

Fine Wire

Stockists of Fine Wire
Piano Strings

Piano Strings

We supply sets and single strings for manufacturers, tuners, and reconditioners for all types of piano including upright, grand, concert grand and square grand. Plated or polished steel music wire, single or double covered, German, Continental or English loops.
Nosag Polska

Nosag Polska

Nosag Polska, previously part of the DEFTA Group, was acquired by William Hughes in 2017.

Based in Tychy, southern Poland, Nosag Polska is a major manufacturer of seat mats, wire frames and bent wire parts, predominantly for the automotive industry. This makes the Company a perfect fit, providing us with a manufacturing hub with easy access to mainland Europe and the Baltic States.

Nosag is a leading supplier to all major car interior and car seat manufacturers in Europe, enjoying a reputation for service and quality similar to our own..

Cataphoretic Paint Line (KTL)

Cataphoretic Paint Line (KTL)

A new cataphoretic paint line has been installed at our factory in Plovdiv, Bulgaria and is proving ideal for interior automotive products. Offering high corrosion resistance and anti-squeak properties, this facility is well-suited to automotive seating as well as a variety of other applications.

William Hughes Bulgaria

William Hughes Bulgaria

Since we opened our Plovdiv factory in 2004, our production capacity in Bulgaria has grown by leaps and bounds, largely due to our ideal geographical position and the ease with which we can deliver into central Europe.

Our original 2000 square metres now stands at 6,500. Our work force has more than trebled to 200 skilled employees, even allowing for the fact that we have added automation-handling robots for secondary processes and collaborative robots for packing and repetitive tasks.

The Plovdiv factory now houses over 50 CNC wire bending machines along with 9 injection moulding machines for over-moulding projects.

About us

In its core disciplines of bespoke spring and wire form design and manufacture, William Hughes can call upon a capability and expertise well beyond almost any other company operating within the same field.

With factories in Stalbridge, Dorset and Plovdiv, Bulgaria, each benefitting from a multi-million pound investment in plant and machinery together with the recent acquisition of Nosag Polska in Poland, William Hughes combines modern technology with traditional skills to bring products to market in the most refined, cost-effective and timely way possible.

These products comprise a broad range of compression, tension and torsion springs, wire forming including simple and complex 2D and 3D wire forms, printed circuit test points and terminals, and specialist wire sales.

Throughout the past two centuries, the success of William Hughes has been based on the traditional virtues of a family firm - commitment to its customers, concern for quality and service - allied to continual improvements in production and technology to meet the precise specification of each individual requirement in the most appropriate way.

The resources provided by William Hughes are amongst the most extensive and sophisticated in Europe, with the capability of fulfilling orders, however large or small, with equal facility, and an established administration and distribution function that ensures continuity of supply, rapid delivery and competitive prices on every single item.

The variety of springs and wire forms available is almost infinite in a choice of metals which is nearly as wide including stainless steel, brass phosphor bronze, beryllium copper and nickel-chrome alloys.

PROTOTYPING
William Hughes has many years of design and manufacturing experience and can offer its customers a rapid design and prototyping service in a range of materials. This service is particularly suited to the aerospace and automotive industries where small quantities are required for test and evaluation with the capability to move to volume production once a final design is agreed.

SUB-ASSEMBLIES
Through the 90’s the company expanded to includes the manufacture of sub-assemblies. These sub-assemblies are still based on wire but techniques have been developed such as welding, punching, pointing, chamfering, nibbing, threading, clipping and many more that add value to the product for our customer. Through the next decade we expanded our range of in-house surface treatments to include shot peening, ultra-sonic cleaning, KTL black coating, painting, Delta-Tone™ and nylon coating.

OUR EUROPEAN OPERATION
In 2004, sensing the need to address the challenge of an expanded Europe, William Hughes set up a purpose-built factory near Plovdiv in Bulgaria, the better to compete in an increasingly cost-conscious market and also to facilitate speedy delivery into its many customers in mainland Europe. Today our Plovdiv factory has twice doubled in size and is currently around 6,500 square metres.

Our work force has more than trebled to 200 skilled employees even allowing for the fact that we have added automation-handling robots for secondary processes and collaborative robots for packing and repetitive tasks.

The Plovdiv factory now houses over 50 CNC wire bending machines along with 9 injection moulding machines, both vertical and horizontal, for over-moulding projects utilising rotary and fixed platens.

UK EXPANSION
Further expansion took place in 2008 with the acquisition of the springs and wire form business of Baumann Springs and Pressings (UK) Ltd.

NOSAG POLSKA
Nosag Polska, previously part of the DEFTA Group, was acquired by William Hughes in the autumn of 2017.

Based in Tychy in southern Poland, Nosag Polska is a major manufacturer of seat mats, wire frames and bent wire parts, predominantly for the automotive industry. This makes the Company a perfect fit for William Hughes with our complementary manufacturing facilities in Dorset and Bulgaria but providing us with a manufacturing hub with easy access to mainland Europe and the Baltic States.

Nosag is a leading supplier to all the major car interior and car seat manufacturers in Europe. The Company enjoys a reputation for service and quality similar to our own which has led to a smooth transition of ownership and opportunities for both operations to benefit from the experience and expertise of the other.

PRECISION SPRINGS FOR THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY
William Hughes specialises in the manufacture of precision, high specification springs and its modern manufacturing facilities, together with state of the art spring measurement systems, are ideally matched to the exacting requirements of the aerospace industry.

Springs manufactured by William Hughes are used in vital items of aerospace equipment including oxygen systems, access hatches and the solenoid valves used to control the hydraulic and cabin pressure systems.

William Hughes is an approved supplier to many leading companies in the aerospace industry and is an audited and approved supplier to Honeywell. Other customers include BAE, Eaton Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Meggit and M.E.L. Aviation.

To meet the specifications for high temperature performance, many springs for the aerospace industry are manufactured in exotic materials such as Nimonic, Inconel and Ni-span. These expensive materials are more difficult to work than conventional materials and William Hughes has the machinery and expertise to use these materials with high accuracy and minimum wastage.

For critical applications it is essential that any lubricants and debris from the manufacturing process are removed from the spring before it is despatched to the customer and William Hughes offers an ultrasonic cleaning process to meet aerospace standards for cleanliness.

William Hughes Ltd is Nadcap accredited for heat treatment, room temperature tensile testing (materials testing laboratory) and chemical processing.

QUALITY ASSURANCE
Our aim at William Hughes is to meet and exceed the expectations of our customers in every way adhering to principles of continuous improvement and zero defect. Quality systems to ISO 9001:2000, ISO/TS 16949:2002 the latest automotive standard and AS9100 for aerospace ensure consistency and accuracy of supply.

A SECURE FUTURE
Each year the company invests in new plant and equipment to the tune of 10-15% of turnover with the medium and long term strategy of positioning itself as a volume supplier of quality products to demanding customers for generations to come.
....

William Hughes Ltd Website
View Website

Images

William Hughes Ltd
William Hughes Ltd
William Hughes Ltd
Springs, compression springs, torsion springs
Springs
Wire forming
Aerospace wireforming
Wireforming automation
Automotive bent wire
Copper coils
Piano strings
Latest wire forming machinery
Square torsion springs
Plasma welding
Automotive wire forming
Test point beads
Car seat frames
Double torsion springs
Precison measurement
Fine wire
Threaded link hooks
Wire form assemblies
William Hughes Ltd
William Hughes Ltd
William Hughes Ltd
Springs, compression springs, torsion springs
Springs
Wire forming
Aerospace wireforming
Wireforming automation
Automotive bent wire
Copper coils
Piano strings
Latest wire forming machinery
Square torsion springs
Plasma welding
Automotive wire forming
Test point beads
Car seat frames
Double torsion springs
Precison measurement
Fine wire
Threaded link hooks
Wire form assemblies
William Hughes Ltd
William Hughes Ltd
William Hughes Ltd
Springs, compression springs, torsion springs
Springs
Wire forming
Aerospace wireforming
Wireforming automation
Automotive bent wire
Copper coils
Piano strings
Latest wire forming machinery
Square torsion springs
Plasma welding
Automotive wire forming
Test point beads
Car seat frames
Double torsion springs
Precison measurement
Fine wire
Threaded link hooks
Wire form assemblies

Articles / Press Releases

03/04/2025 - William Hughes expands aerospace quality programme Following the successful deployment of an in-depth quality assurance programme mandated by a major global aeroengine customer, William Hughes Ltd., a leading spring and wire form manufacturer, is expanding the project’s impressive operational outcomes and best practices to other areas of its manufacturing operations.
14/10/2024 - Spring Capabilities What goes into making a successful spring? A lot more than you think! And getting the perfect balance across all the many inputs is what sets William Hughes apart from its competitors.
02/10/2024 - William Hughes celebrates twenty years of growth and customer success at its class-leading Bulgarian factory William Hughes is delighted to announce that its state-of-the-art Bulgarian fabrication facility is celebrating its 20th anniversary of operation.
17/05/2024 - William Hughes expands bus bar capabilities, knowledge and capacity to cater for growing market demand Following a number of highly successful projects last year, leading spring and wire form designer and fabricator, William Hughes Group, is investing in and expanding its busbar research, design, test and CNC fabrication operations.
30/08/2023 - Significant investment keeps automotive supply chain agile and just-in-time William Hughes, a specialist manufacturer of springs and wire components, has adapted quickly to a serious increase in demand from a tier-one automotive seating customer, thanks to a major new investment in robotic welding cells and associated tooling and fixtures.

Brochures

January 2011 Newsletter
March 2012 Newsletter
Nadcap Heat Treatment Certificate
Heat Treatment Scope of Accreditation
AS9100 Revision C & BS EN ISO 9001 2008 Certificate
Nadcap Passivation
Passivation Scope of Accreditation
BS EN ISO 9001 2008 (UK)
BS EN ISO 9001 2008 (BG)
WH Cleanroom
WH Springs And Wireforms
William Hughes Bulgaria Poland Insert

Request a Quote

You are likely to receive better quality responses if you enter a detailed description.

Related Categories

Aerospace Components
Assembly Press
Bent Wire
Bespoke Assembly Machine
Bespoke Design
Bespoke Design Services
Bespoke Engineering
Bespoke Test Machine
Chemical Passivation
Circuit Board Hardware
Coil Springs
Component Marking Machine
Compression Springs
Cone Springs
Copper Coil
Custom Design Springs
Design Engineering Services
Dynamometers
Electronic Test Equipment
Gearbox Test Machine
Heavy Duty Springs
Laser Marking Machine
Leak Test Machine
Lite pressure springs
Manufacturing Machines
Passivation
PLC automation
Precision springs
Spiral springs
Spring design
Spring manufacturers
Spring supplier
Springs
Tension springs
Terminal pins
Terminals
Torsion springs
Ultrasonic cleaning
Ultrasonic cleaning services
Wire Distributors
Wire Form Springs
Wire Forming
Wire Forms
Wire Wound Components
Wired Cable
Wiring Accessories
Wiring Assemblies
Wiring Looms
Visit website

Industry sectors

Architects & Designers Banking & Insurance Beauty & Hair Building & Construction Dental Education Energy Efficiency & Sustainability Healthcare Horticulture & Agriculture Hospitality & Leisure Industrial Information Technology Instrumentation Laboratories Local Authority Processing Retail Security & Facilities Management Storage Handling & Logistics Veterinary

Company details, products & services featured within this site, are listed in good faith and do not imply endorsement or recommendation by Approved Business Ltd. Similarly, all views and opinions expressed are those of the contributing organisations and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Approved Business Ltd, or its employees.

Navigation

Home
List Your Company
Identify Your Visitors
SEO
Website Design
Email Marketing
Video & Social Media
Gift a Tree
Reviews
Articles
FAQ

Quick Links

Site Map
About Us
Terms & Conditions
Contact Us
Blog
SEO Brighton
SEO Maidstone
SEO Sevenoaks
SEO Tonbridge
SEO Tunbridge Wells
SEO Uckfield

Approved Business ©2025 All Rights Reserved

|

Created with by Key Element
Cataphoretic Paint Line (KTL)

Cataphoretic Paint Line (KTL)

Stockcode: null

A new cataphoretic paint line has been installed at our factory in Plovdiv, Bulgaria and is proving ideal for interior automotive products. Offering high corrosion resistance and anti-squeak properties, this facility is well-suited to automotive seating as well as a variety of other applications.

View product on company website