Innovation Excellence
Driving Progress Through Precision and Performance
At HEF NA, innovation is the foundation of our excellence. We don’t just meet industry standards—we redefine them. Through a relentless focus on advanced technologies, continuous improvement, and uncompromising quality, we deliver surface treatments engineered for peak performance. Our solutions are trusted across critical industries, from aerospace and defense to medical and industrial applications.
Certified to the highest standards, including ISO 9001:2015, AS-9100 Rev. D for aerospace, and ITAR compliance for military and defense applications, our processes ensure the durability, reliability, and precision today’s demanding environments require. With every coating, we turn challenges into opportunities for progress.
Turning Vision into Reality with Cutting-Edge R&D
At the core of HEF’s innovation engine is The Institut de Recherche en Ingénierie des Surfaces (IREIS)—our surface engineering research institute based in France. Think of it as the R&D powerhouse behind the next generation of materials and processes that shape how we move, build, and power the world. IREIS tackles real-world challenges head-on—from industry decarbonization to CO2 emissions mobility, boosting energy efficiency, and development of advanced manufacturing. Our mission? To help drive smarter, cleaner manufacturing and keep companies competitive in a fast-changing global market
Lab Innovations into Industrial Solutions
What sets IREIS apart is our ability to take innovations from the lab all the way to industrial scale. This is possible thanks to a wide range of specialized R&D and testing platforms located in Saint-Étienne and Andrézieux-Bouthéon. With advanced R&D platforms, including ICE-T for engine tribology, we’re equipped to prototype, test, and implement solutions that make a real-world impact.
Through this research, IREIS continually improves material surfaces, adds advanced functional properties, and pioneers new coating technologies and surface treatments. Our work spans a wide range of cutting-edge technologies, including:
- Tribology and friction reduction
- Thin-film coatings using vacuum deposition
- Laser surface structuring (in collaboration with MANUTECH-USD)
- Diffusion layers and functionalized powders
- Photonics coatings and hydrogen-ready surfaces
