Materials supplier says that the strong performance of its new architectural hardware division helped offset difficult US market

Heywood Williams has announced that 2006 results would be in line with expectations despite a difficult second half in the US.

The materials supplier said that a new architectural hardware division had offset a downturn in the US manufactured housing market and the weak US dollar.

The acquisition of Carlisle Brass Group in October for 拢48m formed the basis of the architecture hardware division. Heywood Williams said that the integration of Carlisle Brass was ahead of plan and that it had performed above expectations. It said that it expected the strong performance to continue into 2007.

Heywood Williams said that the UK doors and windows division had performed ahead of 2005 levels and that the home improvement market had shown 鈥榬easonable levels鈥� of activity.

The firm said that the fall in the number of manufactured housing units built in the US, from 130,000 to 118,000, would impact its North American business.

The firm will announce its results on 13 March.