Architectural Aluminium
1965 Formation of a joint venture between Pillar Holdings and Alcan Industries, initially called United Aluminium Building Products, to exploit the use of aluminium in buildings in the UK; Pillar transferred to the new company its holdings in Holoplast, Quicktho Engineering, Ajax Aluminium and Airlight Aluminium Windows[1]
1966 The company was renamed Archital[2]
1967 Sold most of the one-off curtain walling contracts as part of a strategy to reduce capacity in the aluminium fabrication industry[3]
Crittall-Hope[4] acquired Architectural Aluminium Ltd, makers of custom-made curtain walling systems, part of the Pillar Group.
1967 In order to address problems, in Archital, the remaining contracts and factory were transferred to Alcan and Pillar's holding was transferred to Mellowes and Co, a subsidiary of Pillar; Mellowes acquired Alcan's holdings in the company in exchange for 25 percent of Mellowes[5]
1968 Pillar retained in Archital the manufacture and sale of windows, entrances and shopfronts[6]
1968 Pillar closed 3 loss-making metal window companies including Archital but formed a new window frame company Archital Luxfer[7]