Ceramics show brings kilns orders

Following the company's participation in Ceramitec 2006, Dragon and TCKilns said it had signed a new kiln order agreement on the stand and has secured other important new business.

Following the company's participation in Ceramitec 2006, Dragon and TCKilns said it was delighted to announce that towards the end of an extremely busy week in Munich, Germany, it signed a new kiln order agreement on the stand and as a result of its participation has also been successful in securing other important new business.

The first order was placed by Foseco, a world leader in products and solutions for improving foundry and steelmill performance and one of the best known names in the international steel refractories business.

This particular contract was gained following on from the successful completion of a total kiln plant installation carried out by Dragon and TCKilns for Foseco in China.

The unit ordered was a 48m3 specialist oven and in a fast turnround project is scheduled to be installed in August 2006.

It will be commissioned at Foseco Steel UK's Bonnybridge site in Stirlingshire, Scotland.

The Bonnybridge site manufactures the Deltek range of Carbon Bonded Ceramics (CBCs), developed by Foseco Steel to satisfy the critical demands of the continuous casting process.

Manufactured in a series of formulations - based on carbon bonded graphite with alumina, zirconia or magnesia - these products feature performance characteristics that are tailored to suit specific demands.

The complex formulations are held together by a unique bonding system specifically developed by Foseco Steel to improve the consistency and performance of the products.

The Deltek range of CBC products includes critical components such as ladle shrouds, submerged entry shrouds and nozzles, stoppers, tundish inner nozzles and a wide range of special shapes.

Products are formed using a specialised isostatic pressing process that provides the best combination of dimensional accuracy and consistent properties to even the most complex product shapes.

After signing the contract on the exhibition stand with the Foseco team, Adam Slater, director of Dragon and TCKilns said: "This is our first time as an exhibitor at Ceramitec and we are delighted to have secured such a prestigious order after only two days.

It already justifies our faith in the event and is obviously a ringing endorsement of our existing references in this field." Also confirmed as a result of negotiations undertaken at the exhibition has been an order valued at just under US$300,000 from Kutahya Porselen in Turkey for a fast fire decorating kiln for on-glaze and in-glaze porcelain.

Kutahya employs over 1,300 people these days and is recognised as one of the leading mainstream producers of quality porcelain tableware.

It operates on a 160,000m2 site and produces over 60 million pieces per annum under the 'Porselen' and 'Naturaceram' brands.

Exports form a strong part of the business and currently go out to over 40 countries, with the European Union and the USA accounting for the majority of overseas orders.

The company has continually sought to improve and expand its production facilities and works with the most advanced porcelain technology available in the world today.

Dragon and TCKilns reports that this particular contract was the subject of fierce competition from European suppliers, but one thing that Kutahya knew it could rely on was a good partner relationship and strong kiln performance - based on its previous experience over the past two years during which time DragonandTCKilns has installed four kilns at the company.

"These two repeat orders from existing customers tell their own story," said Slater.

"Exhibitions such as Ceramitec always result in a swirl of really tough bidding, but in the end the long-term relationships we are forging and the reliability and cost effectiveness of our systems pay dividends.

The inevitable comparisons are made and Dragon and TCKilns and its technical support are viewed favourably - this has proven to be the case once again in Munich.".

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