Insulation Equipments
Insulation Equipments of Britannic Buildings, High Street, Erdington, Birmingham, 23. Telephone: Birmingham Erdington 2293-4-5. (1947)
1939 August 26th. Incorporated as a Private Limited Company. The Founder and Managing Director was Alfred George Snell of Georgian House, Monmouth Drive, Sutton Coldfield; Director was E. C. Rooker, 14 Darnick Road, Sutton Coldfield.[1]
1940 Advertising for staff.[2]
1942 By this time the business manufactured Laminated Plastics which were advertised and promoted at trade fairs. Laminated Plastics, its manufacture and assembly into various products, was the core of IE's business between the years 1942 and 1945 substantiated by its advertisements and regular attendance at British Industries Fairs during this period. In this time during World War 2, IE's advertisements contained examples of the patriotic doctrines with philosophies for a successful outcome to the war. '... THE ENGINEERING OF THE END of the axis powers is becoming more clearly decipherable on the Walls of Time ...' and 'These specialised Materials so essential to the life of the Nation in Wartime will become of increasing importance to the fabric of Peacetime...'.
1947 Listed Exhibitor - British Industries Fair. Manufacturers of Fabricated Plastic Parts for the General Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aircraft and Allied Industries. Designers and Fabricators of Decorative Plastic Units for the Building, Furniture, Shipbuilding, Shopfitting Industries, etc. (Earls Court, 1st Floor, Stand No. 842) [3]
1947 In post-war Britain, local authorities were keen to encourage industries to their areas. IE took advantage of this and in circa 1947 moved their full production facility and their administrative activities of management, secretarial and draughtsmanship, etc., from Erdington to Oswestry in Shropshire. A brand new factory and office building was constructed on a site next to an existing council owned housing estate. Once complete, a workforce of up to 300 was eventually employed with full canteen facilities provided.
In Oswestry, the Directors were A. G. Snell (Chairman & Managing Director), G. R. J. Gillings, A. D. Walker, N. W. Sabin and R. E. Beckett FCA.
IE manufactured products in plastics, glass-fibre and wood for Architects; Government Departments; Railways, Ship and Bus Builders and Hospitals. For example, the output required innovative moulding techniques to produce railway carriage roofs, ship port and starboard lights, milk vending machine fascias; joinery manufacture with veneered surfaces produced high quality furniture such as counters and worktops installed in the Birmingham Bull Ring new indoor Shopping Centre, bespoke medicine cabinets for hospitals were designed and made, new adhesive processes were developed to fabricate timber sectional floors for metal freight containers being strong enough to bear the load combined with the forklift truck weight.
1966 Alfred George Snell died. The principal Shareholders were his wife: Florence Snell, and their daughters: Iris Gillings and Joyce Walker. Chairman and Managing Director was Gilbert R. J. Gillings. There was a decline in the company's fortunes over the next six years.
1972 The company was bought¬out in its entirety by H. Millar and Co of Birmingham.
1974 Advertisement. 'We are a medium-sized company engaged in the manufacture of special purpose joinery...'.[4]
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Birmingham Daily Gazette - Tuesday 29 August 1939
- ↑ Birmingham Mail - Friday 08 March 1940
- ↑ 1947 British Industries Fair p145
- ↑ Liverpool Echo - Wednesday 24 July 1974