Bodycote plc provides heat treatment and thermal processing services internationally. It operates in two business areas: Aerospace, Defence & Energy; and Automotive & General Industrial. The company offers heat treatment services, including altering the microstructure of metals and alloys, such as steel and aluminum to impart properties comprising surface hardness, temperature resistance, ductility, and strength; metal joining services consisting of electron beam welding, HIP diffusion bonding, hydrogen brazing, induction brazing, and furnace/vacuum brazing; and hot isostatic pressing (HIP) services, including isostatic pressing and HIP supporting services, as well as Powdermet technology, a manufacturing process used in the production of complex components using powder metallurgy. It also provides surface technologies, which are used to prolong the working life of components and protect from environmental factors, such as corrosion and abrasion. The company's surface technologies include anodising, flame and combustion spraying, high-velocity oxygen fuel coatings, plasma spray, electric arc wire, vapor phase aluminide, liquid and ceramic coatings, and thermochemically formed ceramic coatings to enhance corrosion protection and wear resistance. It serves automotive, aerospace and defense, energy, and general industrial markets. The company was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Macclesfield, the United Kingdom.