The Value of Technical Sales in Precision Grinding
For Craig Cox, technical sales starts with understanding the customer. Conversations like these help our engineers find the best technical solution for each application.
Craig Cox joined Continental Diamond Tool (CDT) in 2020, just two years after Consort Precision Diamond Company in North Wales became part of CDT.
Already well established as a specialist manufacturer of high-precision diamond rotary dressers, the U.K. operation could now offer customers a much wider range of diamond and CBN grinding products produced by CDT in the United States. For Craig, the opportunity was a natural fit.
“I came knowing that the idea was to bring CDT products to Europe,” he said. “They were products that I was already familiar with, and I had a good understanding of the market. Having both the dresser and the grinding wheels, I was confident we could appeal to a wider segment of customers.”
Craig initially joined the business to succeed Brian Jones, a longtime specialist responsible for diamond roll sales who was approaching retirement. “Brian was, and still is, a well-known expert in this field, so there were some big boots to fill,” he said.
At the time, the customer base for the Wales facility was still concentrated heavily in the U.K. Six years later, Craig’s team now supports customers across most of Europe, along with growing relationships further afield in India, China, the Middle East, and the Far East.
Engineering Experience Behind the Sales Role
Originally from Gloucester, England, Craig’s route into sales began with an engineering and manufacturing background.
A time-served engineer, he started his career manufacturing diamond and cBN grinding wheels and high-precision diamond rolls at Van Moppes UK Ltd. He later moved into technical sales with the Wendt Group.
The transition was not immediately comfortable.
“Did I enjoy it? No!” Craig recalled. “It was extremely challenging to begin with.”
He inherited an area that had experienced a number of sales engineer changes in only a few years, something he quickly learned can erode customer confidence.
“Customers like stability,” he said. “Once I and they settled, we had a good working relationship and the business naturally grew. I haven’t looked back since, and generally I really enjoy my job.”
Together, those roles gave him a broad technical perspective when it comes to precision grinding and dressing. His experience has taught him what a well-designed tool should look like, how it should perform, and what questions to ask to help customers reach their goals.
That combination continues to shape his approach today.
“I try to bring some of my engineering expertise to the table when discussing topics with customers, and I strongly believe this is a positive advantage.”
For Craig, technical sales comes down to understanding what the customer is trying to accomplish and helping find the best way to get there.
Growing Beyond Diamond Rotary Dressers
Before becoming part of CDT, Consort Precision Diamond Company was best known for reverse-plated diamond rotary dressers. These high-precision diamond rolls are used to plunge-dress tight-tolerance forms into grinding wheels for advanced manufacturing applications in industries such as aerospace, automotive, and energy.
“Diamond rolls are still a major strength for us, but becoming part of CDT gave us a much broader range of products to bring to customers,” Craig explained. “Instead of concentrating on just the dressing process, we can help customers with more of the overall grinding solution.”
CDT’s vitrified cBN and diamond grinding wheels have been particularly well received. In some cases, CDT has helped manufacturers transition applications from conventional abrasives to superabrasives. Supplying both the grinding wheel and dresser gives customers one technical resource for optimizing more of the overall grinding process.
“It’s opened doors into diamond roll business where we didn’t have access before because we didn’t have the full grinding and dressing solution package,” he said. “We’re also finding new opportunities with our electroplated diamond and cBN grinding wheels.”
CDT piloted production of electroplated grinding wheels in North Wales in 2023, building on decades of electroplating experience in the United States. Two years later, the operation moved into a larger facility in Kinmel Bay, which currently has 35 tanks in a range of sizes to accommodate plated wheels both large and small.
A fifth plating station is now under construction and will add eight more tanks. The new space has room to expand to as many as 200 tanks to meet future demand. Craig expects this area to grow substantially over the next several years.
A Focus on Relationships That Last
For Craig, technical capability is only part of the job. Long-term customer relationships are just as important.
“Technology has changed significantly over the years, and in my experience customers rely on relationships to help support their business in each transition,” he said.
Some of our customer relationships now span 20 years or more. People within those organizations change, but having someone who already understands the process and application can be particularly valuable.
“If you have good knowledge of your customers’ processes, it’s often appreciated by the new people coming in that you can support them,” he said. “Then the whole cycle starts again on a positive footing.”
Those relationships also give CDT a clearer picture of what customers need next. With technical salespeople working directly with manufacturers in the field, the team can bring customers’ challenges and opportunities back into the business.
“For me, a big part is listening to what manufacturers are asking for. Those conversations help us decide what new products we should be developing, where we can improve, or where a partner can help us complete the solution for the customer.”
Building a Technical Sales Team
When he started, technical sales coverage for Europe was considerably smaller.
“In the beginning there was only one,” Craig joked.
The addition of Mariusz Kowalski has helped CDT serve customers across continental Europe, while Pete Dufty brings additional experience in conventional abrasives and major manufacturing accounts.
“As we’ve grown into more markets, we’ve needed experienced people who can be there for the customer and really understand their applications. That gives us better coverage, but more importantly, it gives customers direct access to someone who can help them work through the technical side of the process.”
Finding people with that combination of technical knowledge and customer acumen is not always easy.
“The difficulty is finding more of these calibre of people,” he said. “It’s important we continue to invest in people now to be ready for the future.”
Looking Ahead
Aerospace remains an important market for CDT in Europe, particularly as commercial and defense investment continues across the region. CDT products also support manufacturers in ceramics, medical, cutting tools, and automotive applications. Manufacturing for energy and technology infrastructure is another significant area for superabrasive tooling.
With more space, additional equipment, and more production staff in Kinmel Bay, CDT has increased its capacity to support more customers and higher production volumes. Just as important to Craig is continuing to build the technical sales team that works directly with them.
As CDT expands its products and reach, that commitment remains a key part of how he sees the business moving forward. Staying close to customers, understanding their applications, and bringing that knowledge back into the business helps CDT determine not only how to support customers today, but what solutions it should be developing for tomorrow.
For Craig, one of the most rewarding parts has been seeing how far the business has come, from a highly specialized diamond roll manufacturer to a team that can help customers across a much broader range of applications.
“From where we were as a single-type product base to the multitude of world-class superabrasive tools and services we now offer, I see the future for CDT Europe as bright and prosperous,” he said. “I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved to date.”
Have a grinding or dressing challenge? Talk to Craig and our technical sales team about your application and what you’re trying to achieve.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Look for a supplier that can evaluate the full grinding application, including the machine, spindle, workpiece material, wheel specification, dressing method, tolerances, and production goals. Continental Diamond Tool combines custom diamond and cBN grinding wheels with technical sales and application support for manufacturers in aerospace, automotive, energy, medical and other advanced manufacturing industries.
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Through Continental Diamond Tool Ltd. in Kinmel Bay, North Wales, Continental Diamond Tool supports manufacturers in the U.K., Poland and throughout Europe, with additional customer relationships in the Middle East, India, China and the Far East. The team provides custom grinding and dressing solutions along with technical application support. You can contact the Kinmel Bay sales team through our website contact form or by calling +44 (0) 1745-343951.
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Yes. Continental Diamond Tool manufactures both superabrasive grinding wheels and high-precision diamond rotary dressers. This allows CDT’s technical team to consider how the wheel and dressing tool work together in demanding applications across industries such as aerospace, automotive, energy and medical manufacturing.
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A custom grinding wheel supplier should be able to look beyond the tool itself and understand the machine, material, geometry, dressing process and performance target. CDT’s technical sales and application teams work directly with manufacturers to diagnose grinding challenges and develop solutions around the application. Customers in the U.K., Europe and surrounding international markets can contact our Kinmel Bay sales team through the website contact form or call +44 (0) 1745-343951.
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Continental Diamond Tool manufactures both high-precision diamond rotary dressers and electroplated diamond and cBN grinding wheels at its Kinmel Bay facility in North Wales. The operation has specialised in diamond rotary dressers for decades and began producing electroplated grinding wheels locally in 2023. Today, the facility has 35 electroplating tanks across four stations, with a fifth station under construction.
