Sales Skyrocket by 960% on Plated Products at CDT's Engineering Center in North Wales
(Left to right): CDT Finance Manager Michaela Lawton, Conwy County Borough Council’s cabinet member for Sustainable Economy Cllr Nigel Smith, and CDT Production Manager Justin Hughes.
Sales of new Electroplated grinding wheels launched by a precision engineering company in North Wales have rocketed by 960 per cent.
The success of the Electroplated line has put Continental Diamond Tool (CDT) in Kinmel Bay – which supplies blue chip companies like Rolls Royce and Tenneco – on course for considerable growth in sales volume over the next three years.
The niche company is best known for the design, development, and delivery of diamond-encrusted rotary dressers, with tolerances of down to 1,000th of a millimetre in terms of accuracy.
The team in Kinmel Bay began making Electroplated grinding wheels and other electroplated products in a small way in the third quarter of 2023. By last summer, soaring demand led the company to invest £250,000 in new, cutting-edge equipment.
Conwy County Borough Council helped make the upgrades possible by securing £100,000 in funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for CDT.
Production capacity will be increasing again later this year when the American-owned company moves to a new production site less than half a mile away on the Tir Llwyd Industrial Estate.
At 30,000 sq ft, the new building is three times the size of CDT’s current home and will see the workforce doubling from 40 to 80 over the next few years.
The company expects Electroplated products to outsell rotary dressers within a few years as orders continue to increase.
This surge has already created two new full-time jobs, with recruitment underway for two more positions.
Finance Manager Michaela Lawton said: “We always had high hopes for the Electroplated products, but no one really expected to hit 960 per cent growth year on year from when we launched the new line.
“The fact that we have been able to buy this new equipment means we can respond to the demand which is fantastic.
“We have been able to adapt quickly and increase our capacity. The funding that came via Conwy County Borough Council helped massively. We’re incredibly grateful they facilitated this grant.
“We export 50 per cent of our turnover, with Electroplated grinding wheel deliveries reaching as far as Europe, the Middle East, Thailand, and Indonesia.
“Going forward we see enormous potential for this product line. We expect our Electroplated grinding products to overtake our Rotary dressers in sales in two to three years.
“The interest is there, and we can respond to that. The market is huge, and we are well-placed to take a big share.
“Our parent company in America have put rocket boosters under CDT with their investment in technology and talent. The fact that we’re moving to the new premises makes all this possible— it’s going to escalate our growth on a huge scale.
“The leadership at CDT is very ambitious, and we have the perfect synergy and a great working relationship,” Michaela remarked. “The entire team is focused on growing our capacity to deliver the best superabrasive solutions for advanced manufacturing across the world.”
Cllr Nigel Smith, Conwy County Borough Council’s cabinet member for Sustainable Economy, who is one of three councillors who represent Kinmel Bay on the authority, said: “Having a company of this calibre in Conwy, particularly in my own town of Kinmel Bay is fantastic.
“I’m really pleased that the funding we’ve been able to source for the company from the Shared Prosperity Fund has enabled them to buy this new equipment and grow the company so spectacularly, with the opportunity for 40 further jobs.
“Among the recruits will be apprentices, so there will be opportunities for our young people to find high skill, well paid jobs on their doorstep. It’s brilliant.
“It’s a real feather in Conwy’s cap that we have a company that supplies high-end, blue-chip companies like Rolls Royce, Tenneco and others across the world.
“CDT’s continued investment is a big vote of confidence in Kinmel Bay and Conwy and the dedicated workforce we have in the local area.
“They are going to grow the economy here in Conwy and in Wales generally. It’s something we need to be proud of.”
Equally delighted is Justin Hughes, CDT’s production manager, who worked for the original company before it became part of Indiana-based Continental Diamond Tool Corporation six years ago.
Our CDT team in Wales has been upgrading and expanding its plating technology to mirror the cutting-edge, 500-tank plating lab at our U.S. headquarters—delivering the same level of precision and innovation worldwide.
Justin said: “Seeing those orders coming in gives you a real buzz and where we are going to be in 12 months is phenomenal. It’s very exciting.
“The potential is huge and the more people we can give jobs to, the better. These are jobs that are at a premium in an area like Conwy.
“That’s one of the reasons we’ve done our best to keep things as local as we can – a lot of the staff can walk or cycle to work.
“We have an experienced and highly skilled team here in Kinmel Bay and in the United States, which has made the transition to Electroplated grinding products a lot easier.
“The partnership with our American owners has been a seamless blend of two well-matched teams with complementary skills.
“They have taken as much knowledge from us as we have taken from them. They are very supportive, and we get lots of transatlantic cooperation.
“I am incredibly excited for the future here. It’s very busy, there’s lots of work to do and I like it like that, and all our employees are equally excited.”
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.