CDS GROUP PROFILE

The CDS Group comprises all United Kingdom companies who specialise in providing a complete service to the Ceramics Industry through from initial conceptual design to the commissioning stage.

The company was founded in 1983 with the clear objective of providing the most comprehensive service possible to the Ceramics Industry and to introduce modern and technologically-advanced techniques to the drying process.

Since that time, partly due to the company's growing reputation for customer service resulting in substantial repeat business, and partly through its innovative Research and Development programme, CDS has grown to a stage where it is now possibly the

“largest specialist ceramic drying company in the world.”

Ceramic Drying Systems is structured into several different divisions ranging from Sanitaryware to Tableware and from Technical Ceramics to Heavy Clay products, each staffed by experts in that particular sector to offer the most comprehensive service possible.

A recent and most important addition to the company's activities has been in the field of concrete curing where CDS Concrete Curing Systems has made rapid inroads into the industry with new and advanced solutions to the production curing process.

Established in 1932, Bricesco remains the most established kiln manufacturing company in the UK specialising in the design, supply, installation and commissioning of the most advanced firing systems available to the ceramics industry worldwide. Bricesco is managed by a team of some of the most experienced kiln engineers in the world who between them encompass over 300 years experience in disciplines associated with kiln construction and operation with particular emphasis on customer product knowledge and experience.

Together with Bricesco Kilns, Thermic Designs was acquired from the Flare Group Plc in 1999 to add and compliment the CDS Group's existing range of products. Thermic built up a high regard and reputation for innovative design, quality and reliability before and during the time under Flare Group and has since added to that reputation. Particularly strong in the fields of advanced tunnel dryer design and mechanised casting techniques, for which the company is associated with Santech Designs, Thermic continues to expand and succeed and has proved an invaluable addition to the Group.

A relatively new addition to the Group, Kilns and Furnaces adds a further dimension with its expertise in kiln solutions for the pottery, studio, educational, craft, metals and glass markets. Trading successfully for over 50 years K&F are renowned suppliers and exporters of quality plant and machinery to these industries.

CDS Tuffplant, in association with Lambert G.T. Services Ltd is the leading UK supplier of glass tempering furnaces. Each furnace is custom built to suit the exact needs of every customer. The company's strength comes from a combination of over 60 years experience within the tempering industry, and the installation of over 150 various types of glass tempering systems world-wide. The company has two sites, one in Stoke-on-Trent, the other in Birmingham. Both have full manufacturing facilities. The Stoke site deals with overseas sales and customer liaison.

For the past few years the company has invested heavily in new technologies, with particular emphasis on ' Airless Processing'. Originally conceived for applications within the ceramics industry, the process has been developed and refined across many other industries and processes. CDS has now embarked on the full-blown development within the waste management sector, having established that airless drying technology has the ability to convert numerous domestic and industrial waste streams into added-value renewable fuels, waste volume reductions, recoverable energy and energy creation processes. 

Processes identified for use of the process include carbonising and torrification of wood wastes, where industrial and municipal solid wastes, scrapped vehicle fragment wastes and the like are currently sent to landfill sites for disposal when they could be converted into carbonised fuels and energy sources by an airless carbonising process.

Wood wastes can be converted into charcoal fuels products, while municipal solid waste, industrial waste and vehicle-fragment waste can be carbonised to effect a weight and volume reduction of around 80%.

Partners in these ventures include, Heat-Win Ltd, Edward Williams Holdings Ltd, The European Community, Future Energy Solutions, CERAM Research Ltd and CDS Projects Ltd . ................

The company's expertise is based on a large dedicated team of professional mechanical, electrical and ceramic engineers, who provide a combination of sound engineering practice with an in-depth knowledge of Ceramics and industrial manufacturing processes. In this way not only is product quality assured but also the design process is strictly in accordance with characteristics of the product, with many of the engineers being previously employed within the specific industries.

Manufacturing Policy

Whenever necessary and unlike many other suppliers to the Industry, CDS both designs and manufactures its products, ‘in-house' by its own engineering company, CDS Fabrications .

To ensure complete reliability over the process conditions, crucially, all control panels and control systems are also designed and manufactured within CDS.

The ‘Flexible' Approach