Smith Holdings (Whitworth)
of Whitworth, Lancs
1955 Public company incorporated[1]
1957 Textile machinery maker[2]
1968 Subsidiary Promar Industries sold a jute processing plant[3]
1969 Formed a joint venture with Solar Industries called Smith-Solartex to take over the activities of Solartex of Burnley making evaporative and other driers and Tenterflex equipment. Acquired Robert Pritchard and Sons, maker of stainless steel equipment for the textile industry.[4].
1970 Had received orders for 2 plants using the ICI "Markal Process". Subsidiaries included F. Smith and Co (Whitworth), Stainless Steel Fabricators, Robert Pritchard and Sons.
1977 Closed the textile machinery plant in Rochdale and expanded the plant of Pritchard at Bury[5]
By 1978 was referred to as Smith Whitworth[6]
1987 Acquired Doctus Management Consultancy; the group was renamed Smith Doctus, a public company, but within a month the chairman had resigned[7]