Lecturers and Instructors
Dr John Hancock
Dr Hancock is a graduate of the Ceramics Department at Leeds University and obtained his Ph.D. at the Refractories Department of Sheffield University. He has worked for British, French and South African refractory manufacturers but, in 1983 joined with Dr John Cannon to form an independent refractory consultancy company with clients including both refractory manufactures and end users.
Dr Hancock has worked for both UK, French and South African refractory manufacturers in the laboratory and consulting in the field to end users. It was however, only while working as an independent Consultant that he gain insight into the real world of refractories and wrote the book 'Practical Refractories'. Dr John's historical background as a Consultant resulted in a unique Training Course which is aimed at presenting a better understanding of refractories and their role as industrial linings.
Dr Hancock has numerous licensees in North & South America, Europe, UK, Australia and South Africa in the abrasion resistant range of refractories namely: ACTCHEM (originally developed for SASOL). He also has licensees in North America and the UK for acid resistant castables and the latest technology of single component mixes. As a result, he frequently travelled around the globe and exchanged information on refractory problems and new technology.
Mr Darrol Biggs
Darrol obtained his National Diploma in Ceramic Technology at Pretoria Technikon. He has attended numerous refractory courses around the globe including brick masonry and is also a certified API 936 Refractory Inspector.
Darrol joined the C&H Group in 1991 and has work in the capacity as a refractory technician in the laboratory and site QA during installations on maintenance shutdowns and new projects. In 1998 Darrol formed CHB, an independent 3rd Party Refractory Inspection company and is currently the Managing Director. CHB services include Consultancy, Inspection, Testing and In-House Refractory Training for HPI and Petrochemical clients around the globe. Visit CHB Inspections for more information.
Darrol Biggs has 30 years global experience in the field of Refractories and travels around the globe as a Refractory Specialist in the field of Refractories for HPI & Petrochemical. He is also the co-founder of The Refractory HUB, an online platform for the global refractory industry.
Register your company and email address on the Refractory HUB for increased global exposure and stay up to date with newsletters and industry developments at: The Refractory HUB
