Justin Hughes the Production Manager at the Kinmel Bay site and Jordan Donnelly, Vice President of Plated Products, inspect a plated wheel at the new building.

At Continental Diamond Tool, we’re entering a new phase of growth in North Wales to better support our plated product customers with faster turnaround times and expanded capabilities at our Kinmel Bay site.

Over the past year, we’ve invested more than £1 million locally to scale our operations, and we’re now moving forward with the next stage of our expansion. Through this investment, we’re committed to supporting the North Wales economy by working with local contractors and suppliers throughout the buildout. As the project progresses, our customers will benefit from increased capacity, faster lead times, and expanded production capabilities.

Our new site in Kinmel Bay, located in the same industrial park as our previous facility near Rhyl, is three times the size. We selected this location to retain our highly skilled local workforce—an important factor as we continue to scale production. Just six months after opening, we’re already seeing the impact.

A major benefit of this move is the space to grow our electroplating capabilities. Our plating department in Kinmel Bay has recently received 30 additional electroplating tanks from the United States, adding to our existing infrastructure. This marks the first phase of a much larger rollout.

“We have just taken delivery of around 30 electro-plating tanks of various sizes, including one large mother tank from the United States,” said Production Manager Justin Hughes. “The new equipment will double our capacity and give local contractors templates to build us more. Once everything is installed, we’ll be effectively four times the size over the next two years.”

We have plans to install up to 200 tanks, increasing our electroplating capacity by approximately 400%. This proprietary technology will allow us to produce more high-value, high-demand products across multiple industries.

As global manufacturing continues to evolve, we’re seeing increased demand driven by more complex materials, supply chain pressures, and changing production requirements. Superabrasive tooling plays a role in nearly every manufacturing process—from aerospace to medical devices—and that need continues to grow.

“Superabrasive tooling is part of nearly every manufacturing process,” said Jordan Donnelly, Vice President of Plated Products. “From aerospace to medical devices, many industries rely on diamond electroplated tools.”

As materials become more advanced, they are also becoming more difficult to machine. That’s where we come in.

“Materials are changing,” Jordan added. “As they become more sophisticated, they’re also harder to machine. That’s what we’re here for—we customize our grinding wheels to handle those challenges.”

For us, this investment goes beyond supporting our customers—it’s also about strengthening the local supply chain. Much of the work associated with our expansion has been carried out by contractors in North Wales, keeping investment within the region and supporting long-term economic growth.

“We have kept much of our spending within North Wales, so this investment directly benefits local suppliers,” said Justin. “I grew up here and still live in the area, so it means a lot to me to keep that investment local. We want our success to carry through the community and support long-term growth in North Wales.”

We’ve been part of the Kinmel Bay community since acquiring and rebranding Consort Precision Diamond Company in 2018. Justin’s father was among the founders of the original company, long before it became part of CDT. Today, Justin carries on that legacy. The team in North Wales brings decades of experience, a strong work ethic, a willingness to learn, and a drive for growth that aligns closely with our core values.

Our team in Kinmel Bay has long been recognized for its expertise in diamond rotary dressers, including pioneering reverse plated dresser technology in the 1980s. That legacy of innovation continues today as they expand into electroplated grinding wheels.

While we’ve only been producing electroplated grinding wheels at this facility for the past 18 months, the product line is already on track to become a leading offering there.

“The growth in demand has been phenomenal,” Jordan said. “We currently have a small share of the superabrasive plated products market in the UK and Europe, which means there is significant room for us to grow.”

With expanded capacity, our Wales operation will be able to produce a broader range of tools—from small grinding pins to large-diameter wheels—used in applications ranging from aerospace engines and automotive systems to medical devices and prosthetics.

“Customers come to CDT for tools to produce all sorts of things — from heart stents to turbines and everything in between,” Jordan said.

This plating lab expansion is part of a £4 million investment into the Kinmel Bay facility, where we expect to double our workforce to approximately 80 employees in the coming years.

“The electro-plating product line has the potential to keep growing and become the largest product in Kinmel Bay,” said Jordan. “I’m happy to see that everyone here is up for the challenge.”

“We’re doubling the capacity here with the tanks that have just arrived and we’ll begin installing them soon.”