Bairds and Scottish Steel
Bairds and Scottish Steel Ltd, pig iron and steel manufacturers
1938 William Baird and Co Ltd was reconstituted and the company’s Lanarkshire interests merged with the Scottish Iron and Steel Co Ltd of Glasgow to form Bairds and Scottish Steel Ltd, pig iron and steel manufacturers. This brought together Bairds' Gartsherrie works with Scottish Steel's Northburn Steel Works.
1947 Many of the company's assets were nationalised and the challenge of desegregating them from the rest of the company had caused extra work which delayed the AGM; acquired the limestone mines and works at Clippens of Shotts Iron Co; A. K. McIntosh was chairman; Andrew Reid McCosh was manager of Gartsherrie Works; he was elected to the board[1]
Between 1946 and 1951, the whole of William Baird’s coal, iron and steel interests were nationalised and the company began to diversify into other areas of business, including the textile industry
The nationalised enterprise, still under McCosh management, finally began rebuilding but only one furnace was constructed.
1951 Bairds and Scottish Steel was nationalised under the Iron and Steel Act; became part of the Iron and Steel Corporation of Great Britain[2]
The nationalised enterprise, still under McCosh management, finally began rebuilding but only one furnace was constructed.
William Baird and Co declined the chance to buy the works back on denationalisation.
1963 When a consortium, Iron and Steel Investments bought the company in 1963, the old Baird management withdrew. It was no longer viable and the new owners closed it in 1967.