---
title: "Hardware Payment Practices Report 2021"
date: 2022-04-12T00:00:00+00:00
url: https://paymentcheck.co.uk/blog/reports/hardware-payment-practices-2021
description: "Hardware Payment Practices Report 2021 - Payment practices analysis from PaymentCheck"
category: "Reports"
---

# Hardware Payment Practices Report 2021

# UK Hardware Sector Outperforms Average on Payments, but Wide Disparities Persist

## The Numbers

*   Companies analysed: 42
*   Average PaymentCheck Score: 68.3/100
*   UK average PaymentCheck Score: 50.0/100
*   Difference between Hardware average and UK average: 18.3 points
*   Top PaymentCheck Score: 98.9/100 (AICO)
*   Lowest PaymentCheck Score: 27.4/100 (CHELTON LIMITED)
*   Regional averages range from 98.9 to 80.3, excluding "Unknown" locations

## What Stands Out

The UK hardware sector shows a substantially better payment performance than the national average, but this overall positive picture masks considerable variations between companies; the top payer's score is over three times higher than the lowest. While West Midlands boasts the highest average, it's based on just one company (AICO) achieving a near-perfect score, so it's not necessarily representative.

## Best Payers

1. [AICO](/company-search/02544399/aico) - 98.9/100
2. [INTEL CORPORATION (UK) LIMITED](/company-search/01134945/intel-corporation-uk-limited) - 95.27/100
3. [BOSE LIMITED](/company-search/01187672/bose-limited) - 93.46/100
4. [AIRWAVE SOLUTIONS LIMITED](/company-search/03985643/airwave-solutions-limited) - 91.7/100
5. [BLACKBERRY UK LIMITED](/company-search/04022422/blackberry-uk-limited) - 89.66/100

## Worst Payers

1. [CHELTON LIMITED](/company-search/00896823/chelton-limited) - 27.4/100
2. [WESTON AEROSPACE LIMITED](/company-search/04740406/weston-aerospace-limited) - 33.7/100
3. [LEVITON MANUFACTURING UK LIMITED](/company-search/02340157/leviton-manufacturing-uk-limited) - 34.17/100
4. [ABACO SYSTEMS LIMITED](/company-search/02151516/abaco-systems-limited) - 35.15/100
5. [QUALCOMM TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL, LTD.](/company-search/03665875/qualcomm-technologies-international-ltd) - 36.3/100

## Regional Patterns

While the West Midlands appears to be a haven for prompt payments with its average of 98.9, it's solely represented by AICO's high score and therefore shouldn't be viewed as an indication of a regional trend. South West (82.7 avg) and Scotland (81.1 avg) are the next strongest after removing regions that contain just one or two companies, implying slightly better payment practices compared to the national average.

If you're facing late payments, remember you can use a [late payment calculator](/free-late-invoice-calculator) to determine what you're owed.

Despite a sector average of 68.3, suppliers should be wary of accepting payment terms from companies like Chelton Limited, as their score of just 27.4 indicates a significantly higher risk of late or non-payment.