A fast-growing North Wales engineering company is celebrating record sales after opening a new state-of-the-art factory.
Continental Diamond Tool (CDT) has officially unveiled its 30,000 sq ft plant on the Tir Llwyd Industrial Estate in Kinmel Bay which is three times the size of its old site just half a mile away.
The move is part of a £4 million expansion plan which will see a 100 per cent increase in production capacity and a doubling of the workforce to 80 staff over the next couple of years.
There have already been benefits for the local economy because most of the contractors used for the fit-out of the new factory are based on the same industrial estate.
Bosses say demand is booming for the ultra-precise industrial tooling they make for the aerospace, automotive and oil and gas sectors, including blue chip customers like Rolls Royce, General Electric and Tenneco.
Founded in 1984 as Consort Precision Diamond, the firm was turbocharged after being acquired by CDT in 2018.
Nick Viggiano, the parent company’s President, attended the official opening along with senior executives who travelled over from the American headquarters in New Haven in Indiana.
He said: “This is a very proud moment to come over here and see how things have been transformed, from the factory it was before to this new space. This is wonderful.
“I think the employees feel it, and you can see in their faces they enjoy working in this new environment. I am sure we will see a great return on our investment.
“The people here are willing to try new things and push to the next level. The commitment of the team in Kinmel Bay has been a big reason behind the investment.
“We like to press forward fast and have fun doing it. I think it’s going to go really well.
“The introduction of our new electro-plated products has been a big success, and I expect they will outgrow everything else we make in this building in the next five years.”
As well as expanding the product range, CDT is breaking through into new international markets in the Middle East, Mexico and Poland where new sales teams have been established.
General manager Troy Giachero said: “One of the main reasons for our success here is the way the Welsh workforce has dovetailed with their American colleagues. Team work is everything.
“You have to invest in the people and invest in the training. We have a lot of experts on both sides of the Atlantic and the combination of those two has enabled us to grow at the pace we have.”
He added: “One thing I’m particularly proud of is that the electric, the plumbing and the air supply for our machines was all provided by contractors on this very industrial estate.
“All the money we’ve put into this building in fitting it out was invested locally and will stay in this area, so this has helped out the local community and Wales as a whole.”
Support from the Welsh Government and Conwy County Borough Council has been key, with £100,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to help purchase new equipment.
Council Leader Cllr Charlie McCoubrey said: “It’s really impressive to see such high tech industry in Kinmel Bay, bringing really well paid jobs into this area.
“We know that SMEs are vitally important in Conwy and to see an organisation like this growing organically is fantastic with their products being exported across the world.”
It was a sentiment echoed by Cllr Nigel Smith, Conwy Council’s cabinet member for Sustainable Economy, who represents Kinmel Bay on the authority.
He said: “This investment by the American owners is most welcome. To see the transformation here today is absolutely amazing.
“There’s huge potential for growth because CDT are international market leaders. The future is very exciting for the town of Kinmel Bay, the county of Conwy and for North Wales.”
The honour of cutting the ribbon to officially open the new factory went to long-serving production manager Justin Hughes who masterminded the transfer of 100 tonnes of equipment to the new site.
He said: “We really hit the ground running when we moved here. The move from one building to the other was so smooth because we used the right people to do the job and the team went above and beyond to make it happen seamlessly.
“We’ve also had brilliant support from our American colleagues who have done this kind of thing before in the States so we really benefited from the lessons they had learned.
“We are already reaping the benefits. Our order book is the highest it has ever been and it’s only going in one direction and doing so very fast.
“We have more investment coming down the track, expanding our capability with the electro-plated lines. We now have space to keep on growing.”
Among the VIP guests were two of the original company’s founders, Steve Noakes and Peter Hughes, Justin’s father.
Sadly, one of the other founders, Dave Morris, the former managing director, passed away recently.
Mr Hughes said: “When the company was acquired, Dave was made up and he would have been absolutely over the moon to have been here today. He would have been so pleased.
“I’m also delighted to see how successful the company is and I am particularly proud of the part Justin is playing. He loves it and I am so chuffed for him.”
