North Wales precision engineering company Continental Diamond Tools (CDT) is targeting major revenue growth in eastern Europe after launching its first sales force in Poland.
Heading the team is its new sales manager for Poland, Mariusz Kowalski, who will lead a drive for new orders for Kinmel Bay-based CDT.
The American-owned business, which supplies tier one aerospace and automotive companies, specialises in designing and producing high spec grinding wheels for advanced manufacturing processes.
CDT sees significant opportunities to supply new customers in the developing engineering sector in Poland and other eastern European countries.
The move is part of a £4m expansion that will triple production and double the workforce to 80 in Kinmel Bay.
As part of the strategy, the operation will be moving later this year to a new 30,000 sq ft factory that’s three times the size of its current premises less than half a mile away on the Tir Llwyd Industrial Estate.
Mr Kowalsk, 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
“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.
CDT is also seeing business booming with sales of its new electroplated grinding products rocketing by 960 per cent over the past two years.
The company expects electroplated products to outsell rotary dressers within a few years as orders continue to increase and the move into Poland is only forecast to boost demand.
Around half of its sales are derived from exports with electroplated grinding products reaching beyond Europe into the Middle East, Thailand, and Indonesia with 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 the manufacture of diamond-encrusted rotary dressers and grinding wheels.
It was taken over and rebranded in 2018 by CDT which has its headquarters in New Haven, Indiana.
The business – one of only two similar companies in the Ƶ – supplies a range of manufacturing sectors, including aerospace, automotive, medical and semi-conductors.
Its products are used in Boeing 777 and 787 Dreamliner aircraft, as well as the Airbus range A330-A380 whose wings are made at the giant Airbus factory in Broughton in 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.”
