By the 1950s, the company had already established itself in a variety of applications and was actually rather successful with every venture and business idea it had in its arsenal.
Linings, clothing, flying suits, waterproof livery – anything to do with protection, padding, cushioning, coating and insulation was BWT’s core expertise. It was inevitable that the company would start producing items for aircraft and soon enough, BWT was manufacturing highly effective, secure and innovative insulation panels, electrical heater mats, lightweight ducting and other products for the aerospace industry.
1950’s
By the 1950s, the company had already established itself in a variety of applications and was actually rather successful with every venture and business idea it had in its arsenal: linings, clothing, flying suits, waterproof livery – anything to do with protection, padding, cushioning, coating and insulation was BWT’s core expertise. It was inevitable that the company would start producing items for aircraft and soon enough, BWT was manufacturing highly effective, secure and innovative insulation panels, electrical heater mats, lightweight ducting and other products for the aerospace industry.
As our increasing expertise coincided with the ‘Golden Age of Air Travel’ of the ‘50s and ‘60s, BWT was coming up triumphant within the UK business territory. Aerospace would become the core of our business by the mid ‘50s and thus the production of garments was ceased. The focus was now squarely on the future of aerospace and how best to serve it. One of the main protagonists of the time – and for several decades later – was Arthur Dudley, also known as AD, a BWT engineer and the brains behind several innovations for the aircraft industry.
One of the first things he pioneered was a de-icing device, using a wire element wrapped around an Araldite-type resin core, encapsulated with the same resin with screwed brass rods used as connectors. Next, he developed large plates for foot warmers and curved shapes for fitting around oil-reservoir tanks for hydraulic gear. AD became a familiar figure in the design sections of all the aircraft manufacturers and eventually manufacturers would come to him to solve their problems. One of his biggest achievements was the production of light-weight ducting, adopted widely within the aerospace industry.
It is worth mentioning that what sets BWT apart is its unique manufacturing process: we use thermoplastic rather than thermoset technology which allows our products to be lighter, more durable and more flexible, while also offering fire retardant properties. The engineer to whom BWT and the entire aerospace industry owes this capability to is Arthur Dudley. This thermoplastic process has rightfully since been known as Plastics Dudley or PD.
We are currently recruiting for a number of positions at our modern facility in Cheshire. If you have a desire for a rewarding and satisfying career in the aerospace industry please click here for more information. 
