Allied Steel and Wire
1981 British Steel forged a new £130 million joint company with GKN and bought out the steelmaking businesses of the ailing private sector group Duport. The Corporation followed this with the formation of a new steel company Allied Steel and Wire. This joint venture company of British Steel and GKN merged their interests in rod and bar production. Both companies held 50% each of the ordinary share capital.
Plants operated by the venture included GKN's Tremorfa Steel Works at Cardiff, its associated bar and section mills and the giant Castle Rod Mill, also at Cardiff. British Steel contributed its No. 2 rod mill at Scunthorpe.
Allied Steel and Wire's first chairman was Basil Woods, also a GKN director and its deputy chairman was Gordon Sambrook a British Steel director.[1] Alan Cox was its chief executive.[2]