CDS Group and Ibstock: Supporting Advanced Ceramic Manufacturing at Nostell
CDS Group is proud to share a new video produced with Ibstock, highlighting our work at the new Ceramic Facades facility at Nostell.
The video features insight from Ibstock and CDS Group, showing how a technical drying challenge was developed into a practical, engineered solution for a modern ceramic manufacturing environment.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
During the development of the Nostell facility, Ibstock needed to dry ceramic products within a constrained footprint while supporting the wider requirements of production planning, process efficiency and long-term product quality. Their team approached CDS Group with the challenge of taking a wet ceramic product through to a controlled dry product, while ensuring the solution could integrate effectively into the building and manufacturing process.
CDS Group worked with Ibstock to develop two different types of dryers for the facility. The project included five chamber dryers, each with individual temperature, humidity and airflow control, loaded by AGVs as part of the wider automated process. A further two tunnel dryers were also developed to help reduce product moisture from around 2% to below 0.5%.
For Ibstock, one of the key outcomes highlighted in the video was the reduction in drying time. In the early stages of the factory development, the process was based around a 48-hour drying cycle. By choosing the CDS system for this scheme, Ibstock explains that it has been able to reduce that cycle by nearly 24 hours. This supports improved production planning, a shorter time between starting and finishing a product run, and greater overall manufacturing efficiency.
The video also highlights the importance of energy efficiency in ceramic and building product manufacturing. Dryers and kilns are energy-intensive processes, and reducing energy use is a major focus for manufacturers working to lower the embodied carbon impact of their products.
At Nostell, the CDS system supports this by using surplus waste heat from the kiln to pre-heat the fresh air entering the dryers. Instead of bringing in air at ambient temperature and heating it entirely through conventional means, the system makes use of available heat from elsewhere in the factory. This approach helps reduce energy demand by integrating the drying process with wider factory infrastructure.
This type of integration is central to CDS Group’s approach. Our work is not simply about supplying drying equipment in isolation. It is about understanding the product, the process, the site constraints, the energy opportunities and the operational goals behind each project.
In the video, Ibstock also notes the importance of heat recovery and heat exchangers in supporting its journey towards products with lower embodied carbon and reduced impact on natural resources. This reflects the wider direction of the ceramics and construction products industries, where manufacturers are looking closely at how process efficiency, automation and energy recovery can support more sustainable production.
For CDS Group, the project demonstrates the value of combining specialist ceramic drying knowledge with practical engineering, site collaboration and long-term support. From initial technical conversations through to design, installation and commissioning, our team worked with Ibstock to deliver a solution suited to the product, the footprint and the performance requirements of the facility.
Ibstock describes the installation as smooth, with knowledgeable CDS Group teams on site and a solution that helped them rethink how their products could be dried. For CDS Group, this is exactly where our expertise adds value: helping manufacturers approach complex process challenges differently and develop systems that fit the needs of the production environment.
We would like to thank the Ibstock team for their time, support and collaboration in producing this video.
Watch the full video below to see how CDS Group supports advanced ceramic manufacturing through engineered drying, heat recovery and process efficiency solutions.
Find Out More About Our Ceramic Drying Systems | cds-group.co.uk/ceramics
Watch the video on our YouTube channel | youtube.com/watch?v=8bPPT_cJ2vM