February 26, 2011 Lapidarian Excellence

Volume 14 | Issue 1

Ohio-based Diamond Products is no diamond in the rough. Its attributes are quite apparent and profound. The company is a North American jewe

Located in Elyria, Ohio, Diamond Products manufactures its market’s best coring drills, cutting tools and grinding machines.

Products are made with the strongest crystals. This provides clients with tools that demonstrate the highest level of durability. They exhibit the ability to withstand the most intense temperatures. The inherent octahedral shape increases tool life and offers customers faster cutting. Further, they demonstrate high-impact strength against steel and hard aggregate.

These advantages helped Diamond Products become a world leader in the manufacture and distribution of diamond tools and equipment. Versatility is another measure of success: The company boasts the broadest range of wet and dry diamond blades and diamond core bits. Plus, it offers the largest selection of core drill rigs, concrete saws, masonry and block saws and wire saws, along with highway grooving and grinding equipment. The company also manufactures custom concrete trucks and specialty equipment for clients’ unique job requirements.

In North America, Diamond Products is not only one of the largest manufacturers of diamond tools; it’s also one of the best.

“We sell to distributors and pro cutters throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. Our main focus is to ensure that the customer gets the best diamond tool bits, or diamond tipped tools and the equipment that it runs on,” says Jim Palmer, Diamond Products’ marketing and trade show manager. “Beyond that, we focus on optimal customer service and our ability to customize almost any diamond tool, and then to get that innovation to the customer as quickly possible.”

60-PLUS YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
Diamond Products, which is located just west of Cleveland, has roots that date back to 1945. “Dan Moller founded the company, and the Moller family is still involved in the company’s operations,” relates Palmer.

The business was originally named the Pennsylvania Drilling Company, and it began by manufacturing diamond bits for mining applications. Nineteen years later, in 1964, it changed its name to Diamond Products, to better define its purpose. By this time, the company began focusing on diamond core bits and drilling machines for the construction industry. In the subsequent 46 years, the company expanded its product line to include diamond blades, grinding tools, concrete saws and drill rigs for the construction and stone industry. Recently, Diamond products added specialty equipment and grooving, grinding, and slot cutting equipment to its ever-evolving product line.

During its growth, the company had 12 employees in the 1970s. Today, it has more than 300. “We’re now the second biggest player in our market,” adds Palmer.

INTERNATIONAL PARENTAGE
Diamond Products is now owned by the Tyrolit Group, which is a leading manufacturer of grinding, cut-off, sawing and drilling tools. In turn, Tyrolit, which is based in Austria, is part of the international Swarovski Group. Tyrolit has more than 4,000 employees, and it encompasses 28 production facilities in 13 countries. Further, Tyrolit has sales offices in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, China, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Finland, France, the United Kingdom, India, Indonesia, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, Thailand, the Czech Republic, and the United States. The parent company’s brands have earned a leading position in the global arena.

Diamond Products itself has three buildings closely situated in Ohio. “Our main diamond plant is a 42,000-square-foot facility, and our equipment plant measures 51,000 square feet,” reports Palmer.

Further, Diamond Products sells through a network of 15 different warehouses spread out through North America and the world. “We have a good quality control team, and we deploy certain machines to test our equipment, to make sure they run perfectly when they go out the door,” says Palmer.

Specifically, the network includes locations in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec in Canada; and in Massachusetts, Maryland, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Georgia, Florida, Oregon, California and Texas in the United States. The company also has locations in Mexico.

In addition to offering its customers the widest selection of diamond tools and products in the industry, Diamond Products supports what it sells through its customer service, technical service and import/export departments.

“Our main differentiation includes care for the clients and our ability to customize,” says Palmer. “Our motto is ‘whatever it takes.’ And that translates into our customer service and our ability to quickly react to our customers’ needs. Those are not just our major focuses; they are our most considerable strengths.”

Customers reside on the distributor and professional sides. “The distributor side involves a lot of rental houses and small supply stores. The pro side includes the professional concrete cutters that do that kind of work every day.”

EXTENSIVE PRODUCT LINE
“Our main product is diamond blades, and we also do core bits,” relates Palmer. “Most of our competitors import the core bit, but we make our own, right here in the United States. We pride ourselves on that. We do import some diamond blades – some of the lower end economy blades – but nearly all of our equipment is made in Ohio.”

As far as diamond blades, Diamond Products offers wet diamond, dry high-speed, specialty, dry turbo, wet masonry and tuck point blades, as well as small diameter blades for electric saws and cup grinders, dry walk behind blades and tile blades.

The company’s core bit line includes wet core, dry core and specialty bits. The saw line includes portable walk behind, small walk behind, medium walk behind, hand held, masonry and tile saws. It also includes floor grinders, wall and wire saws, power units and polishing tools.

“We also offer core rigs and abrasives,” adds Palmer.

Diamond Products markets its concrete, masonry, pavers, block and specialty saws and the diamond blades that run on them under its CORE CUT™ brand label. Core drill rigs and diamond bits that run on them are marketed under the CORE BORE™ brand label.

GOING GREEN
Like its parent company, Diamond Products not only works on developing the most effective and economic products, it also seeks to produce the most ecologically friendly solutions. Indeed, Diamond Products works closely with Tyrolit on an excellence in manufacturing program. This program examines all procedures including safety, costs, quality and environmental responsibilities.

Product manufacturing is currently at 75-percent recyclable. Further, all grinding, dust and wet sludge is captured and picked up by a recycling company and turned into ingots where it is used in foundry applications, the company reports. This environmental responsibility carries over into shipping pallets. All are reused when possible or hauled away to be made into mulch. In addition, fluorescent light bulbs and batteries are picked up and recycled; and the coolants used are people-safe and environmentally friendly and recycled by running through filters and used again.

Diamond Products’ environmental responsibility even extends beyond its products. It deploys a RightFax program that supplements regular faxing, saving paper and toner. The program allows the user to fax directly from a computer to a fax machine. Also, company literature is converted into digital files, so it can be emailed and downloaded on the company Web site, again saving paper and ink. Toner used in company offices is gathered and sent to a recycling facility. Literature that does find its way into the print format is printed by companies certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, who uses recycled paper.

RESPONDING TO TRENDS
As with everyone else, Diamond Products keeps a close eye on the economic climate. “Still, even with the economy the way it is, we haven’t fared too badly,” reports Palmer. “Last year we experienced slight growth. This year, we’re looking at more positive trends towards growth. To weather the storm, we cut back on a few non-essential elements – particularly in marketing, where we had to do away with some of our giveaway items. As far as the factory and production, we had to make slight cuts, but even those have returned to previous levels. What it comes down to is that we just made ourselves more efficient when it comes equipment, processes, products and resources.”

Another trend that Diamond Products keeps an eye on is the import of Asian products. “The impact of this is that the cost of some diamond blades declined. So, we’ve responded by offering lower end items, too, without sacrificing quality.”

In the meantime, Diamond Products is ratcheting up its marketing efforts. “We’re upgrading marketing tools such as our Web site and the exhibit booth that we display at trade shows. We’re updating our look.”

But enhanced marketing means nothing if it can’t be attached to the best product – and Diamond Products offers the best and the newest. “We’re always trying to be more innovative, to come up with products that no one else offers. And when we’re not developing new products, we’re enhancing existing products. But we’re always coming up with something new. For instance, this year we introduced some larger in-line saws and some specialty diamond blades.”

That’s just one way how Diamond Products managed to establish itself as a one-stop shopping source for diamond blades, saws, rigs and bits. The other ways involve world-class technology and materials and, of course, maximized customer service.

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