Diamorph Hob CerTec celebrates its 20th anniversary

Diamorph Hob CerTec of Horni Briza (Czech Republic) is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The renowned manufacturer of ceramic refractory rollers was set up as a joint venture in 1995 by Heinz Pöhlmann and Keramika HOB/Lasselsberger Group. Originally called Hob CerTec, its first public outing was at Tecnargilla 1995 in Rimini.

In 1997 the company unveiled the world's longest ceramic roller with a length of 5200 mm and diameter of 200 mm, a record that the company itself beat in 2008 when it began producing 6 metre rollers. The company has continued to develop highly innovative products over the years, including the Superringroll in 2001, the Correctorroll in 2003, the Hyperroll in 2004, the Hyperroll Dense Nano in 2012 and the Hyperroll Dense Nano XXL in 2014, which is used on the new SITI kilns.

When Lasselsberger sold its stake in 2011, the company was entirely acquired by the Swedish company Diamorph Bearing, a spinoff from the department of materials chemistry at the University of Stockholm. Since 2012, the company has traded under the name diamorph hob certec s.r.o.

The company's CEO is Heinz Pöhlmann, who also holds a 10% stake in Diamorph Bearing and is supported in the management team by managing directors Jan Roubal and Fredrik Svedberg.

Despite the stagnation in the roller market, Diamorph Hob CerTec successfully closed 2014 with a 5% increase in sales and 10% growth in EBIT. Thanks to strong demand for the new Hyperroll Dense rollers, it has reported 20% growth in the first half of 2015 compared to the same period in 2014 and is confident of maintaining double-figure growth in the current year.

The company currently produces more than 400,000 rollers a year and has an export share of around 95% with sales in 34 countries.