The man who started it all!

Kilncare would never have existed if it wasn’t for ‘The Great Man’ himself.

Over 40 years of long hours and hard work later, we have a solid reputation for high quality, reliable kilns and second-to-none customer relations with a deep potteries background as well as being Britain’s one, true, glass kiln specialist company.

Brian now works his magic from home and continues to be truly irreplaceable in every respect. He ensures that the business stays running smoothly by taking care of all the accounts and invoices as well as figuring out and providing all new and old element specs, all while nagging at the rest of us down the phone all day to keep us in check!

The man, the myth, the legend!

Lee joined his father and Kilncare founder (Brian) here at Kilncare in 1985, when Kilncare was simply a service and repairs firm. After some years of servicing and repairing all around the country, Lee made the decision  that we start manufacturing kilns and started designing the very first versions of some of the kilns you use today!

Fast forward a few decades and as you can tell from his attire, you will still find him working day in and day out with the lads, ‘saving the day’ While also designing new kilns and searching for new ways to keep pushing us forward, among the many other things that he does to make sure that we remain the greatest that we possibly can be.

The latest of the Sherwins!

Jake started in 2015 and began being trained to wire panels at Kilncare whilst also undergoing his four year apprenticeship course in college in order to become a qualified electrical engineer, which then led to learning all the little bits of magic that are needed to be done in order to get a kiln ready for all of you guys!

Jake now runs our social media pages (Facebook, Instagram and TikTok) as well as getting your IKONs, Cub-Fusers and Pro-Fusers assembled, wired, tested and ready to go out the door! He has very big shoes to fill following in the footsteps of his dad and grandad, but he will undoubtedly get there!

The man who keeps the place running smoothly and keeps everyone firing on all cylinders, our manager, James!

James started in 2003 and spent a lot of time out on the road; delivering, servicing and repairing kilns on a regular basis! He became service manager in 2010 as a result of his consistency, knowledge and work ethic.

After a number of very successful years servicing and working in the factory, the very same traits previously listed led to James becoming manager in 2015. He has remained manager ever since. James always has and is still a key part of what makes Kilncare what it is known for: unrivaled quality, second-to-none customer service and real expertise.

The glue that holds everything together on our busiest weeks, Tash!

Tash quickly put an end to the age-old debate about if we really needed a secretary. She began by making sure to get the worst out of the way with by spending the first couple of months re-arranging thousands of files of element specifications that go back decades!

Answering phone calls, responding to emails, taking kiln orders and arranging deliveries are amongst the variety of jobs that she has taken on in the time that she has been here, which has really allowed the rest of the gang to continue firing kilns out of the door at a pace which has never previously been matched. 

Electrical expert and Service Manager, Rob!

Rob started in 2013 and was taught to wire panels, test kilns and service. After a number of years of doing just that, Rob was awarded the title of Service Manager; as a result of his expertise, impeccable work rate, faultless customer service.

Rob's week is now split between servicing, helping customers on the phone, and manufacturing. For the couple of days dedicated to servicing, Rob will either be found in his office formulating schedules for his upcoming jobs, or out on the road servicing. For the remaining few days of the week, he will be preparing all front-loading kilns for delivery, whilst figuring out the wiring for any new panels or specially designed kilns.

The joker of the team, Dean, A.K.A, Chi Chi!

Chi Chi joined in 2003 was imperative in the making of the first ever Hobby-Fuser prototype. He and Lee would spend hours perfecting what is now the world famous Hobby-Fuser,  ensuring that it was the most well built plug-in kiln on the planet.

Unfortunately, in 2023 Chi Chi was involved in a serious motorcycle accident that has left him a life long paraplegic, but this has not changed his unsatiable desire to enjoy life to the full.

Chi Chi has moved into office life and now runs our service department and general but vital office organising. We are proud of you Chi Chi.

Our most senior member on the manufacturing side of the Kilncare gang and Hobby-Fuser extraordinaire… Craig, A.K.A, Wag!

Wag joined Kilncare in 2008, concurrently with the absolute skyrocket in success of the Hobby-Fuser and was taught with haste about how to take a Hobby-Fuser from just an insulated frame to a truly unrivaled plug-in glass kiln, wrapped up and ready for you guys!

Due to Wag’s extensive background in manufacturing and engineering, his experience and skill leaves him as the go-to man for all jobs that require a steady hand, patience and accuracy, which some may shy away from; jobs like precision grinding with little margin for error, high quality welding that leaves neat and secure connections.

The gentle giant, Liam!

Liam finished college and promptly joined Kilncare in 2018 and received first-class guidance from the slick-handed fibre technician, Dean.

A few years on, Liam is now an essential part of the gang, he is responsible for ensuring that all Cub-Fuser and Pro-Fuser lids are flawlessly insulated, with the upmost care and quality that few could match. Furthermore, he is an exceptional team player and is always happy to offer a helping hand on busy days, whether it is in the form of further assisting Jake in getting the Cub-Fusers and Pro-Fusers assembled, or helping to get all finished kilns cleaned, wrapped and on a pallet ready for delivery!

 

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The man behind the exquisite bricking of most of our kilns, Anthony. 

Consequent to the release of the IKON, it was instantly apparent that we needed an extra man for the job, and that man, of course, was Ant!

Ant joined in 2020 and excelled in a multitude of tasks that were thrown his way. 

Since then, Ant has taken over the bricking of nearly all of our kilns and displays real skill and precision while doing so.  However, possibly Ant's greatest quality is his impeccable work rate that is a great example for anyone else, he is a real workhorse and doesn’t stop moving from the second he enters until the second he leaves!

Element winding wizard, Leo!

Orders for elements had been coming in thick and fast before Leo's arrival, which had created a lot of extra workload for the guys who wind elements (as well as keeping up with orders for kilns), so we brought in Leo for a short trial with Chi-Chi as his mentor.

Despite having to spend a full week with Chi-Chi, which is any sane person’s worst nightmare, Leo was still happy to join us! This could only mean that Leo would be a perfect fit for us so we offered him a place here without hesitation.

So, if you are ordering a kiln from us any time soon, from a Hobby-Fuser, to an Elite-Fuser, to an IKON, to a 55/180, there is a good chance that the elements that you’ll see will have been wound by the magic man himself!

With kiln orders rapidly ramping up, boosted even more so with the release of the game-changing IKON V61 GXR, an extra pair of hands on the refractory side had become imperative.

Just in the nick of time, Jason has swooped in and saved the day. His work ethic is second-to-none and he is already proving in such a  short time to be exactly what we've needed.

There is no doubt that in the years to come Jason will be a vital part of the Kilncare team and will continue to thrive and excel in his time here. That is if he can carry on putting up with Ant, of course!

Introducing the first member in the Cotton takeover, Dave!

Work continues to get busier and busier with no signs of slowing down any time soon, and Dave comes with a wealth of experience on the overall assembling of top-loading pottery kilns and is sure to be a huge asset to us here at Kilncare.

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Quickly following Dave in joining the Kilncare gang, his brother, Mark!

Dave had quickly shown himself to be a valuable asset here at Kilncare, and what better way to replicate his good work than with his brother? Mark and Dave have worked together for decades so, like Dave, Mark comes with plenty of experience on the refractory side of kiln making and will be another asset to us here at Kilncare.

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Two Cottons clearly weren't enough, so why not throw in a third? Dave's son, Wayne!

Orders for front-loading kilns are coming in thick and fast, and after bringing in two Cottons for extra hands on overall refractory work and top-loader assembly, a front-loading kiln builder was the only gap left to fill on the start of the assembly line. Dave and Mark happened to know just the man! 

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This whole Cotton takeover is starting to get out of hand, so we have had to put a stop to it with this one. Cotton number four and another son of Dave, Scott!
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Kilns certainly don't wire themselves, and with the latest three Cotton recruits we had more kilns than ever coming through that weren't going to wire themselves! 

Scott has come to us with almost two decades of electrical experience on kilns and is getting both front-loading and top-loading pottery kilns wired and ready for the door.

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Being the nephew of our ceramic kilns manager, Rob, the arrival of Andy continues to build on the family atmosphere that we have pursued since our conception.

Despite the baby face, Andy does have some experience in carpentry and working with tools which means we have been able to get him working on plenty of jobs in no time.

And to add to the experience that he already has and is due to pick up on the factory floor, we will also be starting Andy on an apprenticeship course and will hopefully have a qualified engineer on our hands in a few years time.