Whitecross Co:1935 Review
Note: This is a sub-section of Whitecross Co
Visit of the Iron and Steel Institute to the Iron, Steel and Engineering Industries of Manchester and District
The Whitecross Company Limited, Warrington.
The Company was established in 1864 as the Whitecross Wire Co, and was engaged in the manufacture of puddled iron and wire.
In 1885 the production of wire ropes was undertaken, and the Company's name was changed to The Whitecross Company Limited. Since that time the activities of the firm have changed from time to time, various other products being added whilst the iron furnaces and forges ceased to operate. Amongst the new activities may be mentioned particularly, wire ropes, in which branch the Company are specialists.
To-day the Whitecross Company controls works covering about is acres, and employment is given to some 1,300 work people engaged in the manufacture of wire ropes of all classes, copper and aluminium conductors, non-ferrous wires, wire rods, cold rolled steel strip, iron and steel wire in a variety of forms, barb wire, galvanized wire, "Armco" ingot iron wire with a guaranteed purity of 99.84% and wire netting.
Owing to the dumping in this country, during the past two or three decades, of the cheaper grades of mild steel wire, the Whitecross Company turned its attention to providing the special classes of wire not catered for by mass production methods. The Company operates a highly efficient rod mill, recently improved and brought up-to-date, for rolling the large variety of high class wire rods required.
In recent years special attention has been given to the manufacture of overhead conductors and cables, and the Company was privileged to supply very many miles of steel-cored aluminium conductor for various sections of the grid electrification scheme.
Wire rope construction is a particular branch in which the Company has been extremely successful. All descriptions of wire ropes are manufactured including—patent round and flat wire ropes for colliery winding gear, highest quality patent and plough steel ropes for mining and engineering purposes, aerial ropeways, tramway, lift, crane, logging, hawsers and other shipping ropes.
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