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.

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, is the leading independent 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 20 years experience within the tempering industry, and the installation of over 50 various types of glass tempering systems world-wide. The company has two sites, one in Stoke-on-Trent and one overseas. Both have full manufacturing facilities. The Stoke site deals with overseas sales and customer liaison.

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