160 years supplying the industry
The James Durrans Ltd. & Sons was founded in the British town of Penistone in South Yorkshire over 160 years ago (1863–2023) and since its foundation, the company has never strayed from its manufacture of carbon-related products. The materials contribute towards or form part of many things we take for granted in our daily lives. Durrans products play a part in producing everything from basic iron and steel castings to the brake linings and brake pads used in millions of cars and trucks to filters for cooker hoods, white paint pigments and even jet engines.
Today the group has annual sales of nearly £ 73 million, employs some 220 people and has nine manufacturing sites worldwide. Four of the latter can be found in the UK, at Thurlstone in South Yorkshire, Bilston in West Midlands, Brancepeth in County Durham and Scunthorpe in Lincolnshire. Each site has a particular specialisation and together they make a range of products, including recarburisers and refractory coatings, metallurgical and petroleum cokes, coal and anthracite blends, synthetic and natural graphites, forging lubricants and machined graphite components.
A global network of agents and distributors is backed up by the support of experienced manufacturing and technical staff. Today the Durrans Group is one of the world‘s leading producers of carbonaceous materials.
History
19th century
| 1847 | James Durrans I, Huddersfield, England began trading and registered as a currier |
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| 1863 | James Durrans Ltd. as a company was founded by James Durrans I in Thurlstone near Penistone for the production of blackings |
| 1867 | 6th December - a Patent was taken out; 18th December James Durrans I died |
| 1890 | James Durrans II took over the running of the business |
| 1897 | James Durrans III joined the business and sales grew extensively; however he died young in 1908 at the age of only 33 |
20th century
| 1922 | James Durrans IV took over the business of the company from his father |
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| 1923 | Phoenix Works badly destroyed by a fire but could be rebuilt in a short space of time |
| 1928 | The first sales representative was employed |
| 1934 | “No. 10 Blacking”, a technical ready mixed product was developed and seen as a major breakthrough in the foundry industry and indeed for the company; accordingly the business grew rapidly |
| 1937 | Plumpton Mills purchased from Z. Hinchcliffe & Sons Ltd. |
| 1939 – 1945 | By the end of the 2nd World War, production had doubled, supported by the fact that German competitors were unable to supply the market. New export markets in Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway were established. As a result a 2nd grinding plant was installed |
| 1958 | James Durrans entered the recarburisers market, which included a new graphite crushing plant built at Plumpton Mills |
| 1960 | Following the death of James Durrans IV, his sons Geoffrey and Richard took control of the company |
| 1964 | Standard Pulverised Fuels taken over |
| 1966 | William Cumming & Co taken over |
| 1974 | James Durrans GmbH established in Willich, near Düsseldorf, Germany |
| 1991 | Carl Dellmann acquired in Germany, renamed to James Durrans GmbH, achieved ISO 1900 accreditation |
| 1999 | Durrans RMS formed in South Africa |
21st century
| 2002 | Acquisition of PMC Carbon and formation of Carbon International Ltd. in Scunthorpe |
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| 2003 | James Durrans (Tianjin) Coatings Ltd. formed in China |
| 2006 | Rebuildung of the present production site at James Durrans GmbH; specialisation in the manufacturing of coatings |
| 2007 | Property expansion at the Willich location; increase of the storage capacity |
| 2011 | Acquisition of Karlsruhe factory in Germany; new Chinese factory completed Extension to the Willich site with the acquisition of an extra storage facility |
| 2013 | Opening a new head office in Penistone to coincide with 150 anniversary of the company Regional sales and technical support office opens in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| 2014 | The GmbH acquires the Environmental certification standard according to ISO 14001:2004 |
| 2016 | Sale of the plant in Karlsruhe |
| 2017 | Increase in production capacity with the GmbH - second mixer installed |
| 2018 – 2019 | Installation and commissioning of an internal calcination facility in Sasolburg, South Africa |
| 2019 | Extension of the Penistone site with the installation of two FE-free micronising jet mills |
| 2022 | Investment at the Penistone site with the installation of the third FE-free micronising jet mill Modernisation of the laboratory at Penistone, UK Property/Land expansion (46,500 m²) at Sasolburg, South Africa + construction of a brand-new laboratory Installation of roof solar panels at Sasolburg, South Africa |
| 2023 | Completion of the production plant for coatings of our partner company Pine Pacific Corporation Ltd. in Bangkok, Thailand The Ltd and Carbon International obtained ISO 45001 accreditation for occupational health and safety management |