CDT Targets Growth in Eastern Europe with Sales Presence in Poland

Company NewsCDT Ltd (UK)
Written By Stacy Viggiano

Continental Diamond Tool is targeting major sales growth in Eastern Europe after launching our first sales force in Poland.

Leading the team is Mariusz Kowalski, our new Sales Manager for Poland, who is spearheading a drive for new orders on behalf of Continental Diamond Tool (CDT).

CDT supplies precision tooling for Tier 1 aerospace and automotive companies, specialising in designing and producing high‑spec grinding wheels for advanced manufacturing processes. Our product range includes diamond‑encrusted rotary dressers, accurate to within one‑thousandth of a millimetre.

We have also ramped up the manufacture of new electroplated grinding wheels and tools thanks to a £250,000 investment in cutting‑edge equipment at our Kinmel Bay location.

CDT sees huge opportunities to supply new customers in the rapidly developing engineering sector in Poland and other Eastern European countries.

The move is part of a £4 million expansion that will triple production and double our workforce in Kinmel Bay to 80.

As part of the strategy, we will move later this year to a new 30,000 sq ft factory—three times the size of our current premises—less than half a mile away on the Tir Llwyd Industrial Estate.

Mr Kowalski graduated with a Master of Science from Warsaw University of Technology, specialising in Mechatronics Engineering, which combines mechanical, electrical, computer engineering and robotics to create innovative and complex systems.

Before joining CDT he spent most of his career at Fanar, a Polish leader in machining‑tool manufacturing, where he rose through the ranks and developed new grinding and welding processes.

Now representing CDT from Łomianki—about 20 miles west of Warsaw—he said:

“The new plant in Kinmel Bay will generate more products and a larger production volume, putting us in a perfect spot to support what’s happening here in Poland.

“The Polish market in terms of advanced manufacturing in particular is the fastest-growing in Europe with aerospace companies like Pratt and Whitney and General Electric already in Poland and the country has its own rapidly growing engineering sector which we can service.

“Poland is also attractive to European Union countries like Germany and France because it has a well-educated and skilled workforce, lower costs and is more flexible.

“It also has between 30 and 40 tool-making companies and that’s a market we are also focusing on along with the automotive sector.

“Poland has a lot of engineering companies popping up every day and they’re growing fast.

“I believe that in 10 years’ time Poland could be a world leader in high tech for aerospace, automotive and the medical science industries and CDT can be part of that.

“With our modern factory in Kinmel Bay due to come on line later this year and our operation in the USA in five years’ time we could be looking at a market worth £80 million to the company.

“It is early days for us here in Poland but every day we learn more and make new contacts.

“It’s a fast developing country. Twenty years ago we had 20 per cent unemployment but now it’s below five per cent and the economy is booming.”

CDT’s European division is also seeing business boom, with sales of our new electroplated grinding products rocketing by 960 per cent over the past two years.

We expect electroplated products to outsell rotary dressers within a few years as orders continue to increase, and the move into Poland should only boost demand.

We already export 50 per cent of our turnover from the U.K., with electroplated grinding products reaching beyond Europe into the Middle East, Thailand and Indonesia, and sales forecast to overtake rotary dressers in two to three years.

The Kinmel Bay operation was founded as Consort Precision Diamond in 1984, specialising in diamond‑encrusted rotary dressers and grinding wheels.

CDT acquired and rebranded the business in 2018; our global headquarters are in New Haven, Indiana.

We are one of only two similar companies in the U.K., supplying sectors that include aerospace, automotive, medical and semiconductors.

Our products are used in Boeing 777 and 787 Dreamliner aircraft, as well as the Airbus A330–A380 range, whose wings are made at the Airbus factory in Broughton, Flintshire.

Managing Director Jeff Wirth said:

 “Strategically, appointing the team in Poland was a very important move because it’s the next step in our expansion in Europe.

“Poland’s economy has been transformed in recent years and it’s now a manufacturing powerhouse so this is perfect timing.

“For many years Germany was the engine of Europe and now Poland has taken that mantle.

“Poland is booming and growing. They have a great workforce and a great work ethic and the investment they have made over the past 20 to 30 years has paid off.

“Our operation there is being integrated into the company at a time when we are going to be moving into the new factory which will enable us to triple our production capacity, with new products coming on stream.

“Mariusz will be at the forefront, ensuring that our clients in Poland receive top-notch service and support. His expertise and dedication are key to navigating this phase of growth.

“It’s a really exciting time for CDT – watch this space.”

Continental Diamond Tool Limited (CDT Ltd.), based in Kinmel Bay, Rhyl, U.K., is the European subsidiary of Continental Diamond Tool Corporation, headquartered in New Haven, Indiana, U.S.A. For more than 40 years, CDT Ltd. has been a leader in diamond rotary dresser technology, originally operating as Consort Precision Diamond. Since joining CDT, the company has expanded its product line, delivering high-performance diamond plated grinding wheels and other premium superabrasive products to customers worldwide.

Stacy Viggiano
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