Debid Grinds Out Biggest Slice of Synthetic Diamond Market

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources Inc.; Houston, Texas). Completing the process of consolidating its industrial diamond production manufacturing facilities at Springs near Johannesburg, De Beers Industrial Diamonds (Debid) has included the opening of a new $1.4 million research centre in the largest and most advanced synthetic diamond centre in the world.

Debid closed its plant in Shannon, Ireland and diverted production from its German plant to the expanding South African factory early in 2001. In 2002, the operation will have the capacity to produce 120 tons per year of synthetic diamonds, which is a large slice of total world market production, which stands at 300 tons per year. Exports account for 99% of the Springs plant's production.

The production, processing, and marketing of synthetic industrial diamonds and related ultra-hard materials such as cubic boron nitride is the company's core business. These products find markets in the stone industry, building and road construction, oil well drilling, automotive part machining, and woodworking and are at the cutting edge of many other industrial applications.