Potteries - Die Company Limited

News Updates

June 2008

Company Press Release –Senior Management Changes at The Potteries Die Co. Ltd.

The Company recently accepted the resignation of Nick Leake from his position of General Manager and has also agreed to waive the contractual notice period. Consequently Nick left us on Tuesday 2nd June, and having been a valuable member of the team for 20 years we wish him luck in his new venture.

At The Potteries Die Company we pride ourselves in supplying not only a quality product but also taking the time to personally assist you with your requirements, from initial enquiry, to after supply. This personal involvement with your business helps us understand your needs more clearly and minimises errors.

To facilitate this we are pleased to announce that Nick Cadman has been promoted to the position of Design Services Manager and will in that role not only oversee design, but become the main contact for a number of the customers that previously dealt with Nick Leake.

Similarly Jason Challinor who normally manages purchasing and other areas of facilities management will also become the main point of contact for some of Nick Leak’s customers. Obviously many of our customers already have long standing relationships with Alan Mountford, Alan Harrison, Barry Gidman and myself and it is not intended that this will alter.

Photos of all the management team plus a range of details of about the company are all shown on our website: www.potteriesdie.co.uk. Please do have a look if you want further information. All of us are here to try and assist in whatever way we can and if you have any queries do give one of us a call.

We look forward to continuing to work closely with you.

Yours sincerely

R K Dunleavy

Managing Director

Spring 2008 edition of CBI West Midlands Inbusiness magazine article

	WHAT’S BEHIND OUR NAME?
	SPOTLIGHT ON STAFFORDSHIRE
	by ROB HARRIS Chairman, The Potteries Die Co. Ltd.

This article appeared in the Spring 2008 edition of CBI West Midlands Inbusiness magazine

WHEN THE company was started in 1936, the first owners chose a name to emphasise their association with a part of Staffordshire that was famous throughout the world for supplying high quality ceramic goods – ‘The Potteries’. As precision engineers and toolmakers, they believed that their company’s name should also highlight an essential part of the ceramic production process – the ‘die’. Dies were used on presses for forming items like tiles, kiln furniture, tableware and bricks. Hence the company, located in Norton, Stoke on Trent was called The Potteries Die Company Ltd.

However, this choice of name, so relevant in the heyday of ceramic manufacture in Staffordshire’s can sometimes be misleading for the company’s potential customers in the 21st century. ‘Do they make colours or fancy pottery items?’ they may wonder. No, now as then we remain toolmakers and precision engineers dedicated to meeting the needs of a wide range of customers.

What has changed is how we achieve that objective.

Bespoke toolmaking in the 1930s required our employees to be skilled individuals, with an understanding of how to interpret customers’ ideas in order to take them through from design to reality. Utilising their expertise in using the best equipment available – a combination of shapers, lathes, planers and milling machines, they obtained the final level of accuracy to produce perfect tooling by long and arduous fitting work. Potteries Die has always had a policy of investing in “state of the art” machinery, capable of working to increasingly fine tolerances, and thus minimising the final fitting work and speeding up the production of the tool or component.

Optical slide readouts were introduced in the 1960s to help manual machinists achieve greater accuracy and were followed in the 1970s by digital readouts. The first on-site CNC miller entered service in 1981 and soon afterwards Optiform grinders were installed to enable precision form grinding to be achieved.

In the same decade the company began EDM (electrical discharge machining) with the use of a spark eroding machine, and within 10 years had a range of CNC spark and wire eroders. The EDM section continues to be an essential part of the company’s ability to undertake jobs fully in-house and our latest investment in new EDM machines, purchased from Sodick in Coventry has added the increased accuracy associated with linear motor technology and wire hole driller capable of producing holes as small 0.25mm diameter.

Over the last 20 years we have continued to develop our CAD /CAM facilities allowing the visual representation of customers’ ideas, the easy transfer of design details between us and our customers and the full automation of many of our machining operations.

Nevertheless, successful bespoke toolmaking still requires talented and skilled individuals. When asked how toolmaking has changed, Geoff Windsor, our longest serving fitter with almost 50 years service, said “Nowadays the work is more precise; delivery dates are very tight. It is now a very competitive market and this creates more pressure on the toolmaker to deliver the goods. The wide range of supporting machinery capable of working accurately and speedily is now essential to allow us to meet the expectations of our customers”.

It is a fundamental part of the company’s philosophy to spend time working closely with customers to understand and meet their needs precisely and to form mutually beneficial relationships. A team of over 20 experienced toolmakers, machinists and professional engineers continues to take pride in delivering the high quality of workmanship required to meet our customers’ specifications. The fact that the company has conformed to Quality Assurance standards since their introduction and is fully accredited to current ISO 9000 standards underpins this commitment to excellence.

Although it no longer fully reflects the wide range of work we undertake, in 2004 when we became part of pdc precision engineers ltd, we decided to retain our original name as a reminder of a long history that has always been synonymous with the highest quality of precision engineering, design and innovation.

You can find more information about the Potteries Die Company, an example of the techniques involved in moving customers ideas from design to reality and more detail on what we offer on our latest web site www.potteriesdie.co.uk which was commissioned at the beginning of 2008.

If you would like to discuss whether we can be of any assistance to you please contact our MD Bob Dunleavy or any of our team on 01782 534348 or request a brochure by phoning or e-mailing pdc@potteriesdie.co.uk

April 2007

Company Press Release – Further Investment in New Equipment at Potteries Die

We are pleased to announce the commissioning of 2 new EDM machines. The first of these is a Sodick AQ300L Precision Wire EDM using linear technology, so providing greater machining speeds, coupled with enhanced accuracy. This has been complemented with a high speed EDM hole driller, also from Sodick, which can produce holes in the range of 0.25mm and 3mm diameter. This is particularly valuable for inserting holes in materials which cannot be machined by traditional methods.

The capital investment within Potteries Die has now exceeded £100k since it became a part of pdc Precision Engineers Ltd.

Rob Harris, Chairman of pdc, stressed recently his commitment to continued investment in equipment that would strengthen The Potteries Die's efficiency and performance, so benefiting both the company and its many customers.

May 2007 – Magazine Article

AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE POTTERIES DIE COMPANY LTD.
by Robert Dunleavy

Robert Dunleavy joined the company in 1960 as an apprentice and became Managing Director in 2006.

He is also a director and part owner of pdc precision engineers ltd
of which the Potteries Die Company Ltd is a part.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Robert Dunleavy
Managing Director

For instance, some people mistakenly think we manufacture colours or clay pots!

In fact, the company name was chosen by the first owners to emphasise their association with that part of Staffordshire that was famous throughout the world for supplying high quality ceramic goods – ‘The Potteries’. As precision engineers and toolmakers, they believed that this new company’s name should also include that essential element of much ceramic production - the ‘die’, used on presses for forming tiles and bricks. Incorporated 70 years ago next month, The Potteries Die Company was located then, as now, in Norton, Stoke on Trent.

The company prospered by providing precision engineering and design expertise of the highest quality. Working with its famous customers it helped them introduce automation into their factories in the UK and at their subsidiaries overseas. Brochures in the company’s archives dating from the 1950’s track the changing course of Potteries Die’s production from designing and making dies to the latest automated machines, designed for tile gauging, fettling, and also “ concavity/convexity units”, exported to places as diverse as South America, Sweden, and New Zealand.

The Potteries Die Company has continued to prosper. Skills developed for the ceramic industry have been built upon and adapted to support new industries requiring bespoke precision engineering, either for maintenance or new projects. Spending time working closely with customers to understand and meet their needs in detail and to form mutually beneficial relationships remains a fundamental part of the company’s philosophy. Our team of over 20 experienced toolmakers, machinists and professional engineers continue to take pride in delivering the high quality of workmanship required to meet customers’ specifications. The fact that the company has conformed to Quality Assurance standards since their introduction and is now fully accredited to current ISO 9000 standards underpins this commitment to excellence.

Our name no longer fully reflects the wide range of work we undertake. However, in 2004 when we became part of pdc precision engineers ltd, we decided to retain it as a reminder of a long history that has always been synonymous with the highest quality of precision engineering, design and innovation. It is a name which has been relied upon by discerning customers for seven decades and one that the current owners intend will continue to represent the highest level of quality and service in the 21st century.

If you believe we can be of assistance to you please either contact me, Bob Dunleavy, or any of our team on 01782 534348 or request a brochure by phoning or e-mailing pdc@potteriesdie.co.uk.

July 2006

Senior Management Changes at Potteries Die Ltd

Rob Harris, Managing Director of the Potteries Die Co Ltd, announced that he was stepping down from the position following his move away from the area. Bob Dunleavy has agreed to take over as Managing Director and has promoted Nick Leake to the position of General Manager. Rob Harris will remain as a director and chairman of pdc precision engineers ltd

December 2004

Company Press Release – Investment in new equipment continues at Potteries Die. The new owners of the company are pleased to announce the purchase of new surface grinding machinery from XYZ which was installed earlier this month, over the last 5 years considerable investment has been made within the company on CNC Milling. This new investment confirms the new owners intention to continue developing the company to meet customers’ needs in the most efficient manner.

November 2004 – The Potteries Die Company has a new owner

A Message from the Board of “The Potteries Die Company Limited”

We are delighted to let you know formally about a change of ownership of The Potteries Die Company, which we believe will result in benefits to all our customers.

The previous owners of this company decided to retire during 2004 and we have recently achieved a management buy out.
A new company “pdc precision engineers limited” has been formed of which the directors of Potteries Die have the controlling interest. This new company owns outright the Potteries Die Company.

As you may know Potteries Die was incorporated back in the 1930’s to supply the ceramics industry with all types of dies and moulds. It now has an established reputation for quality of service within a wide range of industries that require customised precision engineering. However our long standing skills associated with die design and manufacture remain particularly strong, due to in-depth design knowledge and highly experienced, skilled toolmakers, several of whom have spent their working lives with us.

The Potteries Die Company has prospered by working closely and confidentially with many customers to develop tooling that maximises their manufacturing efficiency. Forming long term partnerships that are mutually profitable remains an essential part of our strategy. A number of companies have been with us for over 30 years, one for over 50.

The Directors are pleased to be part of a company management team that has extensive experience at senior level within both family businesses and large plcs. This helps us to better understand your problems and more able to assist you to find ways to meet your objectives.

Although not immediately apparent to customers we have embarked on a policy of implementing changes to increase efficiency within our company. One part of that improvement comes from feedback we receive and how we act upon it. Consequently we plan to arrange meetings with our customers so that we can be sure of providing a quality and cost effective service that will benefit both you and The Potteries Die Co Ltd operationally and financially.

Robert J Harris Robert K Dunleavy Edward W Keeling
Managing Director Works Director Financial Director & Company Secretary

November 2004