|
DSF is an independent company based in Derbyshire in the United Kingdom and is in the business of refractory manufacture and mineral processing, supplying to a wide range of heat containment industries. The company was established over 100 years ago as the Derbyshire Silica Firebrick Company, mining local mineral deposits to manufacture refractories for use in the production of town gas. Through the 1960's, the business diversified into supplying other industries including steel, glass and cement and the company named DSF Refractories.
In 1987 DSF Refractories Ltd was acquired by forehearth manufacturer British Hartford-Fairmont Ltd to support their business in the glass industry. DSF quickly expanded its own supplies to the glass industry, and opened many significant export markets whilst operating within the BH-F group.
In June 1993, DSF was bought out from the BH-F parent company by a team including the then board of directors and backed by the Bank of Scotland. The company was renamed DSF Refractories & Minerals Ltd to reflect the growing importance of processed minerals to the business.
In August 2003 the continued independence of the company was assured by a new management buy-out, with a focus on continued developments and increases in production capacity based on our successes in special refractories and high quality processed minerals. For the first time in the company's history the local management had a controlling interest in the company.
In the first seven years of the buy-out significant investment has been made in a new 1700.C kiln; the largest intermittent kiln in Europe firing to this temperature, and a state of the art automatic block grinding machine which more than doubles our grinding capacity. Further investment has seen a doubling of capacity to fire large blocks and in 2009 we have installed further firing, cutting and grinding facilities.
In 2008 a Chinese subsidiary company was formed and DSF Refractory Materials (Tianjin) is now in full production with casting, firing and grinding facilities all in operation manufacturing large blocks and complex refractory shapes for Glass Industry.
| 
