China’s CISDI Group completes first local order since Sheffield move

The Chinese global engineering giant CISDI Group, which set up its European base in Sheffield to buy from local manufacturers, has placed its first order in the region - worth £190k at the Advanced Manufacturing Park.

CISDI UK, a subsidiary of China’s global engineering giant CISDI, opened its £2.2m offices at Victoria Quays in May with the aim of spending extensively in the Sheffield City Region.

The procurement and design company has to purchase a range of hi-tec, hi-spec engineering components for CISDI construction contracts around the globe.

CISDI’s first deal, for a remote strand condition monitor, a hi-tech quality control device to be used for a steel casting machine, has been struck with Sarclad Ltd on Whittle Way, Rotherham.

Sarclad is a global provider of technology-based products to help metal producers reduce manufacturing costs and improve product quality.

John Lester, CISDI UK managing director, commented: “We are delighted to be buying from Sarclad, a company with a vast amount of expertise in the metals industry.

“The order will be heading for China, where our parent company CISDI Group will incorporate it into a continuous casting plant it has won a contract to build for Sha Steel in Zhangjiagang, in the Jiangsu province.

“There will be further orders to come from that project and we hope to place as many as possible within the Sheffield City Region.

“CISDI UK has a further £1.3million of procurement and design orders from China to fulfil on components within our first year, particularly those made to such long tradition in the local area.”

Launched in 1977, Sarclad now supplies quality equipment to steel manufacturers and suppliers across 46 different countries. The company moved from Chesterfield to the AMP in 2012.

Richard Cowlishaw, Sarclad managing director, concluded: “Having CISDI located in Sheffield provides a direct link to the huge export market in China and will benefit not only Sarclad but other manufacturers and suppliers throughout the country.

“We feel proud and honored to have received the first order issued from its new Sheffield office.

“Our equipment will be used for measuring the critical parameters of a steel casting machine to ensure the highest quality of the cast steel slabs. It is custom-designed and manufactured entirely in the UK.

“The world-leading, hi-tech engineering equipment Sarclad offers satisfies CISDI’s requirements in many areas of the steel industry, from steel casting to inspection and the texturing of rolling mill rolls.”