Building on a legacy of innovation, Du-Co Ceramics remains committed to quality and precision
Du-Co Ceramics Company (Du-Co Ceramics) is a fully integrated, world leading technical ceramics manufacturer serving the global market for customers requiring precision fabricated ceramic components made from a variety of materials. Du-Co Ceramics’ diverse scope of markets and applications include, but is not limited to, aerospace, metalized components, electric heating, oil and gas ignition, load banks, medical heaters, and a variety of sensor applications.
As Du-Co Ceramics celebrates its 75th year in business, we catch up with Brel Saiber, Managing Director, Thomas Arbanas, President, and Desiree Geibel, Vice
President of Marketing, to learn more about the company’s evolution and its manufacturing footprint. “Du-Co Ceramics was founded by John Duke and Reldon Cooper in February 1949, who combined their experiences and knowledge to open their own business on the land that houses our Saxonburg facility even today,” Desiree opens.
“The story goes that my grandfather, Reldon, began working at Saxonburg Ceramics, the assets of which were later purchased by Du-Co Ceramics in 2007, as a young boy,” Brel elaborates. “Over time, he observed the workers using steel dies to make ceramic parts and even stayed after hours to learn more about the craft. When a die broke one day, Reldon decided to fix it for the factory owner and found himself well on his way to being a diemaker. Many years later, he used this experience and knowledge to partner with John Duke and establish his own business.”
Desiree confirms: “Located in a small town in rural Pennsylvania, Du-Co Ceramics is a thriving business built on the foundation of a legacy passed from generation to generation, and it has gradually gained strength and success with each owner. The Cooper family are proud to continue this legacy for generations to come, and extend this family approach to all employees, offering a positive working environment alongside competitive wages and several benefits.”
With two manufacturing facilities, a ceramic engineering department, tool and die facility, development labs, and comprehensive quality programs, the business is well-equipped to serve customers around the world. “Our processes include dry pressing, extrusion, roll compaction, toll spray drying, metallization, secondary machining, glazing, and both centerless and flat grinding,” Desiree explains. “Using our technical engineering expertise, we can also assist with designs and material selection, serving both high and low technical ceramic volume applications.
“We currently produce and ship around 20 million parts every month to countries across the globe from our two manufacturing facilities in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania and Monroe, North Carolina. Many of these parts are used in commercial or residential heating, heater cores, lighting, small or large appliances, automotive sensors, igniters, and many other electrical or thermal insulator applications.”
Thomas adds: “We are constantly looking at ways to improve our manufacturing processes, implementing solutions to increase efficiency and enhance quality, all of which help us continue to thrive. We currently have automation projects ongoing, and we’ve recently purchased our largest press, which will enable us to become even more fully integrated and expand our product offerings in the future.
“As a customer-driven company, many of our innovations have been developed by listening to our customers’ needs and wants. We also collaborate with various universities and other companies to stay ahead of any potential new product ideas and emerging market demands.”
With the aim of boosting its product portfolio, Du-Co Ceramics acquired Mitronics Products (Mitronics) in 2022. “The acquisition greatly enhanced the opportunity for us to better serve our customers by adding Mitronics’ product lines to our existing component portfolio,” Desiree explains. “Such product ranges include the highest quality ceramic insulators available on the market, with an emphasis on metalized steatite bushings, hermetic ceramic-to-metal assemblies, and glazed steatite insulators.”
Continuing the topic of acquisitions, Thomas reflects: “The Mitronics acquisition process was ideal, as Mitronics was a long-valued customer of ours and our companies shared a positive, longstanding relationship for many years. We built mutual trust over the years and as the owner neared retirement and looked to sell the business, we engaged in conversation to expand our offering and core competencies through acquisition. We’re fortunate to have experienced a seamless journey, and the Mitronics process will act as a great template for us when considering future acquisitions.”
While providing high-quality ceramic products is key to Du-Co Ceramics, great customer service is equally important. “We pride ourselves on a personal approach to doing business, providing direct contact between the sales team and the customer throughout the process, as well as real-time updates during production,” Desiree states. “This approach, combined with the superior quality of our products and our hard-working, diligent production staff, has been a recipe for success during our 75-year history.
“We’re always looking for opportunities to grow and expand the business while ensuring we can still deliver personal, direct interactions with our customers, as our company-wide mission is to maintain the quality and service our customers have come to expect,” she explains as our conversation draws to a close.
“It’s also vital that we expand our products and services to meet the ever-growing needs and requirements of our customers, both now and in the future,” Desiree concludes. “As we continue to implement the wisdom we have gained over the last 75 years, we expect to see Du-Co Ceramics flourish and thrive over the coming years.”