Foundry Services
Foundry Services Ltd, suppliers of materials to the foundry industry, of Nechells, Birmingham (laboratory) and Drayton Manor, Tamworth (factory).
1931 Eric Weiss moved from Germany to England, borrowed £250 and set up the company to provide products for treating molten metal in the foundry industry[1].
1932 Company turnover of £2,405[2]
1933 Dr Kossy Strauss, a chemist, joined the company and subsequently was responsible for many of the new products and processes developed by the company.
1945 Minerals Separation acquired the fluxes manufacturing business of Foundry Services Group of Birmingham[3]
1951 Foundry Services Ltd had considerably expanded its range of products for foundries under the brand Foseco; representation for these products was being strengthened in other countries[4].
1953 Minerals Separation acquired half of the shares in the parent of Foundry Services Ltd and acquired J. W. Jackman and Co which would be largely complementary to FSL[5].
1961 Minerals Separation transferred all the Birmingham manufacturing operations to the Foseco group, of which Minerals Separation owned 80%[6].
1961 Manufacturing and selling licences for the world were in place for Profax process, for producing high quality insulation for the steel and allied industries.
1964 Minerals Separation sought a separate quotation for Foseco of which it owned 77%[7]. Foseco owned 70 trademarks, 220 patents and had 375 applications for patents pending[8]. In the event, 45% was floated[9].
1969 The Foseco group had grown so much since it was floated that it made to sense to take over Minerals Separation since the 2 companies shared similar aims and had the same chairman; the new company was called Foseco Minsep[10].