About Us

Who We Are

Almath is a Newmarket, Suffolk based leading British manufacturer and global exporter of Alumina crucibles and ceramic refractory products. We specialise in high purity alumina crucibles and hold a wide range of items in stock for speedy delivery.

We also offer a range of other ceramic materials, we can design bespoke products with our in house drafts team, we offer precision machined parts to extremely tight tolerances as well as the more everyday use furnace ware.

Our Approach

All of our products are based on high standards of quality and blending the best mix of materials to ensure that high temperature testing can continually and consistently be carried out within the Almath brand of crucibles and refractory products.

We ship our products across the world hand have a no hassle policy with regard to returns and replacements, as we are so sure of the quality of our crucibles. We offer a range of extended services including laser engraving and custom made products. Please get in touch to find out more.

Why Choose Us?

We have a friendly “can do” attitude, and work with our customers to give you quality and consistency that you can depend on. Tailoring orders to requirements means we currently have many long term customers on our database.

We manufacture and supply direct to customers and with 1000’s of standard crucibles and refractory products held in stock, can offer lead times that allow you to get on with your work!

Staff Profiles

Get to know us

Michael Misson

Director

Michael is our director, and his job involves overseeing the day-to-day operations of the business, and doing a bit of everything!

He has been the director of Almath for the past 15 years, but worked within Almath with his father and other family members previous to this. Michael grew up in Suffolk, but has lived in the USA and the Netherlands, and loves travelling and experiencing new cultures and places. Prior to working at Almath, Michael worked in mechanical engineering, aircraft fabrication and as a special needs nurse. He loves red wine, electric cars, motorcycles, and boats!

In January, he spent 3 weeks sailing from Tenerife back to Portsmouth, and he enjoys sailing at any chance he gets! Michael is very sociable, and he likes the more challenging items we produce, and working with the engineering and production team to figure out how to overcome challenges and innovate to further improve and expand our product range. He has 2 sons, Owen and Oscar and is hoping one of his sons will send him home from work for good one day (eventually), and take over, so Almath can remain a family owned and independent business.

Ian

Business Development Director

Ian is our business development director, and his job involves working with customers to find solutions to their requirements, ensuring that our website is up-to-date with our latest products and services and looking for new opportunities where our products can be used.

He started working at Almath in August 2022, and he enjoys working as part of a dynamic and flexible team. He says that “As Almath are relatively small, it means we can adapt quickly to meet customer requirements – it is always great to receive feedback from our customers telling us how we have helped solve their problems!”.

He holds a degree in Materials Science & Engineering, and over 20 years’ experience in the ceramics & glass sector. He loves Italian food, has a dog called ‘kinda’ and enjoys running. Fun fact – he met his wife on an Italian TV show!

Elliott

Quality Control Manager

Elliot is our quality control manager, and everyday is different for him, as it depends on what Almath are producing at the time and what is due to be dispatched.

He joined the team in March 2023, and was an instant fit, as he had worked with our director Michael many times in his previous job. Elliot has 28 years of experience working in the laser industry and has helped Almath to further develop and expand our laser services to offer a wider range of services.

He has around 200 giant African land snails, and is a founding member of the band – Isle ‘ave a Shanty – we recommend listening! He has also sung and recorded an album at the legendary Abbey Road studios in London.

Danny

Head of Engineering

Danny works in CAD design, CNC programming, wire cutting, ceramic fabrication, turning and milling aluminium laser cutting and 3D printing (a bit of everything!).

He has worked at Almath for 8 years now, and his favourite part of his job is problem solving and sharing skills with colleagues. One time at work he spent the entire day trying to fix the dd CNC lathe, only to find out it was ‘broken’ because the emergency stop button was on! Danny’s favourite drink is Captain Morgan tiki rum, he has a Siamese fighting fish called Kratos, and he’s piloted and done somersaults in a Tudor aeroplane! How cool!

Dr Tim

Materials Processing Director

Tim is our material processing director, and he works with the team to develop new materials and processes, in addition to working with customers to develop ceramic components for them.

He started working at Almath in March 2024, and he enjoys making crucibles and components that enable customers to do their developmental work. His favourite food is a meatball subway, and he is the men’s & mixed captain for his tennis club. Tim is also training for his first hydrox event in November.

Fun fact – he is allergic to tigers!

Dr Yu Yu

Materials Researcher

Yu is our material researcher, and her role includes creating advanced ceramic products with exceptional mechanical or conductive properties for use in a range of industries. She started at Almath in March 2022, and she likes the friendly atmosphere!

She has been conducting research on ceramic materials since 2017 in university, and her favourite food is spicy snail rice noodles. She shares a funny story about work… once, the flange end of the tube furnace shot into the wall, leaving a hole, all because of a blocked valve and a never-ending stream of Argon. Now there are three holes in that wall, but it’s still standing….

Arek

Ceramic Technician

Arek is one of our ceramic technicians, and his job involves loading and unloading furnaces, quality control, preparing products (grinding, cutting, measuring), packing and sending products to customers and furnace checking and repairing. He started working at Almath in 2015, and his favourite drink is coffee. He enjoys growing fruit and vegetables, cycling, playing squash and spending time with family.

Jody

Apprentice Mechanist

Jody is our apprentice mechanist, and he is responsible for programming, setting up and running the CNC machinery. He started in September 2021 as a slip caster, and despite finding it difficult at first the more he practiced the skills developed, and he now loves it! His favourite part of working here is that everyone is always in high spirits. He loves ramen, he spends a lot of time at the gym and if it’s sunny you can always find him in a beer garden!

Deren

Ceramics Technician

Deren is a ceramics technician, and a usual workday for him would be to look through orders, and work through the most important ones. He also designs and machines parts and uses the isostatic press. He began working at Almath in March 2023, and before this he worked in landscaping. His favourite food is oriental, favourite drink is apple juice, and he has a betta fish called noodle. He was born in Mauritius and has a twin brother called Daren, and a sister called Sharone.

Maggie

Office Manager

Maggie is our office manager, and her job involves invoicing clients, updating customers on order progress, and ensuring all bills are paid promptly. She’s often the friendly voice on the end of the phone! She started at Almath in January 2017, and has been a key part of the team ever since. Maggie loves long country walks, Ipswich town football club and a Chinese with a good glass of wine! Before Almath, she worked in a bank for 30 years, giving her great experience in finance. A fun fact is that she was nicknamed Jumbo by the nurses when she was first born, being a large baby at 10 ½ lbs!

Sandra

Master Caster

Sandra works in casting, and her job involves making slip, slip casting, finishing, and organising the production of ongoing orders. She started working at Almath 16 years ago and enjoys how satisfying the process of casting is. She loves most foods that start with a C – such as cheese, chocolate, cake, crisps etc – don’t we all!! She likes scaring Deren (our ceramics technician), and her and Tianna had a great gotcha moment when she faked a heart attack after Deren tried to scare her, he fell for it and his face was worth it! She enjoys socialising with friends, gardening, and doing crafts.

Laura

Casting Technician

Laura is a casting technician, and her day-to-day work involves casting, mould making, slip making and finishing. She started working at Almath in 2009, and her favourite thing about working here is the people (and the big tea urn!). She loves Japanese food and prosecco, and she has 2 cats, 2 rabbits and 2 kids – clearly has a thing for the 2s!

Tianna

Small Casting

Tianna is a production assistant, and her job includes making slip, casting crucibles and finishing. She started working at Almath in July 2023, and her favourite part of the job is working (and gossiping) with her colleagues. Her favourite food is carbonara, and she has a dog, cat, and chickens! She enjoys running and playing board games, and her favourite place to visit is the Greek islands.

Annie

Marketing and Admin

Annie works in marketing and admin, and her job involves writing quotes, managing the social media, and writing our e-shots (and doing stuff like this!). She started at Almath in October 2023. She loves walking her dog, baking, and travelling. Annie is half American and has family across the USA. Before Almath, she worked as a gymnastics coach in New York. Her favourite food is ice cream or fruit, and her favourite thing to bake is chocolate chip cookies!

Jacqui

Administrator

Jacqui works in admin, and her job involves sending quotes, invoicing, and entering sales orders. She has worked at Almath since December 2021, and her favourite part of working here is that no two days are the same. She has a Romania st dog called Suki, and she loves taking Suki for long walks. Her favourite food is chocolate – there is usually a supply of chocolate digestives on Jacquis’ desk!

THE LAW OF BUSINESS – JOHN RUSKIN (1819 – 1900)

“There is hardly anything in the world that someone cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price alone are that person’s lawful prey. It is unwise to pay too much, but it is also unwise to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money,that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything because the thing you bought is incapable of doing the thing you bought it to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot… It can’t be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder it is well to add something for the risk you run. And if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better.”