Kemet International

Kemet International Limited is a United Kingdom-based precision-engineering and industrial-technology company headquartered in Maidstone, Kent. Its core business is the development and supply of equipment, abrasive media, consumables, and process expertise for precision lapping and polishing. The company serves manufacturers and laboratories that require controlled surface finishes, close dimensional tolerances, and repeatable results across metals, ceramics, glass, semiconductor-related materials, tools, moulds, and other technically demanding components. The company was established in September 1938. Its original activities were connected with the aircraft industry and included importing equipment for precision work on ball-bearing races used in gyroscope manufacture. It also supplied woodworking machinery associated with production of the Mosquito fighter aircraft during the Second World War. This early connection with specialist manufacturing helped establish Kemet’s long-term focus on precision processes rather than general-purpose industrial machinery. A major development came in 1953, when Kemet began manufacturing diamond abrasive pastes. These products enabled manufacturers to achieve specified surface finishes with greater consistency and reproducibility. They were initially important in the production of moulds and tools for the expanding plastics sector, as well as in the finishing of hard materials and ceramics. Diamond compounds and slurries subsequently became a significant part of Kemet’s product portfolio and helped establish the company as a major British supplier in this field. During the early 1970s, Kemet developed metal-and-resin composite lapping plates. The technology broadened the range of materials that could be flat lapped and polished, including materials with different hardness characteristics. The company then established a dedicated flat-lapping division and introduced liquid diamond products and precision flat-lapping machines designed for production applications. These developments shifted Kemet from being primarily a consumables supplier toward a broader process-technology provider combining machines, plates, abrasives, process development, and technical support. Kemet’s activities are organized around four principal technical areas: flat lapping and polishing; tool and die applications; metallographic and petrographic specimen preparation; and ultrasonic cleaning using aqueous media. In addition to selling equipment and consumables, the company provides application training, customer-site and in-house courses, research and development support, and contract lapping for customers that prefer to outsource the process rather than purchase machinery. The company has built an international distribution and operating presence over several decades. Kemet Europe was established in the Netherlands in 1965, Kemet Australia in 1972, and Kemet Far East in Singapore in 1983. The business also established Kemet China as a sales company between 2002 and 2008 and entered joint ventures associated with Japan and South Korea during the same period. Singapore became an important regional development location, with dedicated facilities created in 2013 to support high-precision lapping and polishing process development for electronics customers in Southeast Asia and China. Kemet has maintained a significant emphasis on technical validation and quality systems. Its UK manufacturing operation obtained ISO 9001 certification for diamond lapping and polishing products in 1989, with certification later extended to composite lapping plates. The Singapore operation obtained ISO 9001 certification in 2000. The company has also invested in dedicated UK research and development facilities and later expanded its process-development capabilities to metallographic and petrographic preparation and aqueous ultrasonic cleaning. Kemet received the Queen’s Award for Export in 2009 and won southern regional categories of the…

Kemet International Limited was formed in September 1938 in the United Kingdom. Its first activities were associated with the aircraft industry. The company imported equipment for precision manufacturing, including machinery and small tools used in the fabrication of ball-bearing races for gyroscopes. It also supplied woodworking machinery connected with the manufacture of the Mosquito fighter aircraft during the Second World War. These origins placed Kemet within a specialized industrial supply chain serving aviation and precision engineering. In 1953, Kemet began producing diamond abrasive pastes. The products were developed to help manufacturers polish components to defined surface specifications while achieving repeatable results. Early applications included moulds and tools for the growing plastics industry, together with finishing work on hard materials and ceramics. The introduction of diamond pastes became an important step in Kemet’s transformation from an equipment importer into a manufacturer of specialized process consumables. During the early 1970s, Kemet developed metal-and-resin composite lapping plates. These plates made it possible to flat lap and polish a wider range of materials, including combinations with different hardnesses, to more demanding specifications. The company subsequently created a dedicated flat-lapping division. It expanded this activity with liquid diamond products and precision flat-lapping machines intended for production environments, establishing a more integrated equipment-and-consumables model. Kemet expanded internationally through subsidiaries and regional operations. Kemet Europe was established in the Netherlands in 1965, followed by Kemet Australia in 1972 and Kemet Far East in Singapore in 1983. The Singapore business later became a regional base for technical development and Asian market support. Between 2002 and 2008, Kemet established a sales company in China and entered joint ventures associated with Japan and South Korea. Quality certification became part of the company’s industrial infrastructure. In February 1989, Kemet International obtained ISO 9001 certification for the manufacture of diamond lapping and polishing products. Certification was later extended to its composite lapping plates. Kemet Far East obtained ISO 9001 certification in July 2000. These certifications supported the company’s emphasis on controlled manufacturing and reproducible customer processes. Over time, Kemet broadened its activities beyond conventional lapping consumables. Its operations came to cover four principal divisions: flat lapping and polishing; tool and die; metallographic and petrographic specimen preparation; and ultrasonic cleaning using aqueous media. The company also developed UK research and development facilities for optimizing customer processes and creating new products. Further process-development facilities were opened for specimen preparation and aqueous cleaning, while new Singapore R&D facilities built in 2013 focused on high-precision applications for electronics customers in Southeast Asia and China. Kemet also offers services alongside its products. It provides training at its own facilities and at customer sites, covering lapping and polishing techniques and applications. Its contract lapping service allows customers to outsource precision work when purchasing equipment is not appropriate. Contract lapping is included within the company’s ISO-certified activities. The company received the Queen’s Award for Export in 2009 and achieved regional recognition in the 2014 British Chambers of Commerce Awards. By the mid-2010s, Kemet and its subsidiary companies had developed a substantial international business, with operations and commercial relationships spanning Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, and China. Its modern identity is that of a niche precision-technology supplier combining abrasives, machines, plates, laboratory preparation systems, cleaning equipment, training, contract processing, and application engineering.

1. 2014British Chambers of Commerce regional awards

   Kemet won southern regional categories in the British Chambers of Commerce Awards.

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2. 2013Singapore R&D facilities expanded

   New Singapore research and development facilities were built to support high-precision lapping and polishing process development for electronics customers in Southeast Asia and China.

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3. 2009Queen’s Award for Export

   Kemet International received the Queen’s Award for Export.

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4. 2002Asian commercial expansion begins

   During the 2002–2008 period, Kemet established a China sales company and entered joint ventures connected with Japan and South Korea.

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5. 2000Kemet Far East receives ISO certification

   The Singapore-based Kemet Far East operation obtained ISO 9001 certification.

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6. 1989ISO 9001 certification obtained

   Kemet International obtained ISO 9001 certification for diamond lapping and polishing products; certification was subsequently extended to composite lapping plates.

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7. 1983Kemet Far East established

   Kemet Far East was established in Singapore, creating a base for the company’s Asian activities.

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8. 1972Kemet Australia established

   Kemet expanded its regional presence with the establishment of Kemet Australia.

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9. 1965Kemet Europe established

   The company established Kemet Europe in the Netherlands, extending its international operating structure.

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10. 1953Diamond abrasive paste manufacturing begins

    Kemet started manufacturing diamond abrasive pastes for reproducible polishing of moulds, tools, hard materials, and ceramics.

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11. 1938Company established

    Kemet International was formed in September 1938 and initially operated as an importer of equipment serving the aircraft and precision-engineering industries.

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Kemet International positions itself as a specialist provider of complete precision-surface-processing solutions rather than only a supplier of abrasives or machinery. Its offering combines engineered lapping plates, diamond media, machines, process-development facilities, training, and contract services. The brand is particularly relevant to industrial and laboratory users that need repeatable surface finishes, controlled tolerances, and application support for difficult-to-process materials.

• Diamond abrasive pastes and compoundsAbrasive media1953

  Kemet’s diamond pastes, compounds, slurries, and related liquid products are used to produce controlled and repeatable surface finishes. They support precision polishing of moulds, tools, ceramics, hard materials, and other components where conventional abrasives may not deliver the required finish or dimensional control. The product family is a foundational part of the company’s historical and current precision-processing proposition.

• Composite lapping platesLapping consumables1970

  Kemet’s metal-and-resin composite lapping plates were developed to process a broad range of materials, including materials with differing hardness characteristics. They are designed for flat lapping and polishing applications requiring improved planarity, surface quality, and repeatability. The plates are used together with suitable diamond media and lapping equipment in both production and specialist engineering environments.

• Precision flat-lapping machinesIndustrial machinery1970

  Kemet’s flat-lapping machinery is intended for controlled production and laboratory processes in which components must achieve precise flatness, parallelism, dimensional tolerances, and surface finishes. The machines form part of an integrated process offering that can include composite plates, diamond products, technical training, and application development.

• Tool and die solutionsTool and die finishing

  Kemet provides abrasives, equipment, and process support for tool and die applications. These solutions address precision finishing requirements for moulds, dies, and tooling, particularly where the final surface quality affects component performance, replication accuracy, or the quality of moulded products.

• Metallographic and petrographic preparation systemsLaboratory sample preparation

  Kemet’s metallographic and petrographic offering supports the preparation of material samples for examination and analysis. It includes preparation equipment, consumables, and process-development expertise intended to produce suitable surfaces for laboratory inspection of metals, minerals, rocks, and other materials.

• Aqueous ultrasonic cleaning systemsIndustrial cleaning equipment

  The company’s ultrasonic-cleaning division uses aqueous media to remove contamination from precision components and manufactured parts. The systems and related process support extend Kemet’s capabilities beyond surface finishing into preparation and cleaning operations required before inspection, assembly, coating, or subsequent manufacturing steps.

• Contract lapping serviceIndustrial services

  Kemet offers contract lapping for customers that require precision processing but do not want to purchase or operate their own equipment. The service is supported by the company’s lapping expertise and is described as being covered by its ISO-certified activities.

• 2013Expand Asian process-development capabilityStrategy

  Electronics customers in Southeast Asia and China required local support for high-precision lapping and polishing applications.

  What changed. Kemet opened new research and development facilities in Singapore focused on high-precision lapping and polishing process development.

  Aftermath. The investment increased the company’s regional technical-support and application-development capabilities.

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• 1989Formalize quality certification for core productsStrategy

  Kemet’s precision abrasives and lapping products served customers that required repeatable manufacturing results and documented process quality.

  What changed. The company obtained ISO 9001 certification for diamond lapping and polishing products and later extended certification to composite lapping plates.

  Aftermath. The certification strengthened the company’s quality-management framework and supported its positioning as a supplier of controlled precision-processing solutions.

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• 1970Develop composite lapping plates and production systemsProduct launch

  Demand for higher-specification flat lapping expanded across materials with different hardnesses and increasingly demanding dimensional requirements.

  What changed. Kemet developed metal-and-resin composite lapping plates and subsequently introduced liquid diamond products and precision flat-lapping machines for production applications.

  Aftermath. The initiative broadened Kemet’s business from diamond abrasives into integrated flat-lapping equipment and process technology.

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• 2014Kemet International wins regional British Chambers of Commerce awards

  Kemet won southern regional categories in the 2014 British Chambers of Commerce Awards, adding recognition for its industrial activity and international business performance.

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• 2013Kemet develops Singapore research facilities for Asian electronics applications

  The company established new research and development facilities in Singapore to support high-precision lapping and polishing process development for electronics customers in Southeast Asia and China.

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• 2009Kemet International receives the Queen’s Award for Export

  Kemet International was recognized with the Queen’s Award for Export, reflecting the international reach of its precision lapping, polishing, and abrasive-products business.

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1. Kemet International Limited
2. Kemet International official website