Armstrong Equipment
Makers of shock absorbers and pressed steelwork, of York
of North Humberside
1961 Armstrong Shock Absorbers changed its name to Armstrong Equipment[1] with subsidiary Armstrong's Patents Co
1969 Toledo Woodhead Springs accepted offer from Jonas Woodhead and Sons in preference to lower offer from Armstrong Equipment[2]
1970 New factory at Hull[3]
1972 Acquired Butterworth Autocom from Bracegirdle, and Walter Clare, makers of exhaust systems[4]. Acquired Apex Services (Nottingham) and Marler and Partridge[5] and Grant, Hector and Co of Northern Ireland[6]
1973 Armstrong Autoparts, a wholly-owned subsidiary, acquired Cleveland Brake Linings Ltd[7] and United Battery Services[8]
1975 Supply of parts to OEM represented only 25 percent of profits; had established a specialised fasteners business[9]. Acquired Huntfield Engineering[10]
1976 by now was of "North Humberside". 10th successive year of profits growth. In the past 3 years had brought together 160 automotive wholesalers in one group[11]
1976 Acquired Supra Masterparts[12]. Autoparts had increased its number of outlets by 100 and accounted for a quarter of sales[13]. continued development of vertical integration. Acquired Crane's Screw (Holdings) and 3 further purchases[14]
1977 New factory at Hull which would make exhaust systems and some products transferred from Beverley
1977 Acquired Crane's Screw (Holdings)[15]
1977 Acquired Ormond Engineering[16]
1978 Acquired the friction materials business of Gandy, part of BTR[17], Hillcrest Engineering[18], and Cornercroft of Coventry, light engineers in automotive and aeronautical engineering[19]
1979 Acquired Willenhall Radiator from Howard Tenens[20] and the Darlaston bolt manufacturing business of GKN Bolts and Nuts[21]
1979 December: Had made 5 acquisitions in past 18 months[22]
1980 The government rejected Armstrong's offer to take over the Meriden Cooperative on cost grounds[23]. Acquired Blackheath Stamping[24]
1981 Had made 3 acquisitions which would put the company in a position to make motorcycles; aerospace components was a developing line of business but profits for the whole group had collapsed[25]. Bought 75 percent of the equity of Britannia Computers of Dudley[26]. Response to downturn by making cut backs in number of factories, employees and stocks[27]
1982 "Armstrong, which makes exhaust systems for Austin cars, was sued by BL for infringement of copyright in the designs, and lost on every point".[28]
1984 Agreement with Benjamin Priest and Sons that their bolt making activity would be closed[29].
1984 Duport's subsidiary Anslow bought the Blackheath stamping division of Armstrong Equipment[30]
1986 The company won an appeal to the Law Lords against BL to be allowed to make replacement exhausts without payment of royalty to BL[31]
By 1986 Derritron was a wholly-owned subsidiary; one subsidiary made vibration test systems for aerospace, defence and related industries[32]
1987 Disposed of unprofitable businesses[33]
1988 Concentrated on motor suspension and industrial fasteners businesses; had sold 14 of 29 business in the past year; located in Coventry[34]
1989 Made a loss; Wardle Storeys made a take-over bid which was not successful partly because Caparo held 10 percent[35].
1989 Sold the suspension division to Tenneco because of the high development costs necessary to compete in the world market[36]
1989 Caparo Industries had built up 29.5 percent of the shares which it offered for sale but there were no takers; then made a bid for the company which was accepted[37]
Motorbicycles
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ The Times, Oct 25, 1961
- ↑ The Times, 6 November 1969
- ↑ The Times, Mar 07, 1970
- ↑ The Times, Jul 07, 1972
- ↑ The Times, Nov 03, 1972
- ↑ The Times, Dec 05, 1972
- ↑ The Times, Jul 03, 1973
- ↑ The Times, Sep 15, 1973
- ↑ The Times, Mar 07, 1975
- ↑ The Times, Oct 17, 1975
- ↑ The Times, Oct 21, 1976
- ↑ The Times, Jun 02, 1976
- ↑ The Times, Sep 10, 1976
- ↑ The Times, Dec 02, 1976
- ↑ The Times, Oct 24, 1977
- ↑ The Times, Mar 22, 1978
- ↑ The Times, Apr 18, 1978
- ↑ The Times, Jun 30, 1978
- ↑ The Times, Jul 07, 1978
- ↑ The Times, Mar 04, 1980
- ↑ The Times, Nov 19, 1979
- ↑ The Times, Dec 03, 1979
- ↑ The Times, Aug 01, 1980
- ↑ The Times, May 15, 1980
- ↑ The Times, Mar 26, 1981
- ↑ The Times, Aug 11, 1981
- ↑ The Times, Sep 24, 1981
- ↑ The Engineer 1982/04/08 and 1982/04/15
- ↑ The Times, May 02, 1984
- ↑ The Times, Sep 25, 1984
- ↑ The Times, February 28, 1986
- ↑ The Times, June 26, 1986
- ↑ The Times, September 25, 1987
- ↑ The Times, August 10, 1988
- ↑ The Times, January 07, 1989
- ↑ The Times, May 11, 1989
- ↑ The Times, November 09, 1989