Beruflich Dokumente
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South-east facing side of Pressed Steel's Cowley site in January 2007[1][2] now home of MINI
Plant Oxford
Contents
2 Independence
o 2.1 Cowley, Theale, Linwood I
4 Diversification
o 4.1 Domestic Refrigerator Factory
o 4.2 Railway rolling stock, Linwood
o 4.3 Beagle Aircraft
5 Notes
6 References
o 6.1 Further reading
William Morris's all-steel Fifteen-Six saloon with Budd / Pressed Steel body
William Morris had recognised the potential of pressed steel car bodies being developed by
Budd Corporation in U.S.A.and wanted them for his own cars. The new joint venture initially
supplied car bodies[5] to Morris's Morris Motors with its plant located alongside the new
Pressed Steel plant across what became the A4142 spanned by a special bridge between
plants.
This was several years after Andre Citroen was co-operating with Budd in France for building
Citroen car bodies.
The venture was not a success. In May 1930 it was announced that arrangements had been
concluded to place the Pressed Steel plant under British control.[6] Operations had not
gathered pace as expected. Many difficulties[note 1] had been encountered. The British steel
industry was unable to provide steel sheets large enough for the Budd machines and, once
they came available, in any case American supplies were still 25% cheaper than local
supplies. Tycoons William R. Morris and Edward G. Budd were unable to settle their
differences.
Budd took his troubles with Morris to the High Court which decided in his favour and in June
1930, by a resolution of the shareholders supported by an order of the High Court the
directors of Morris Motors Limited were obliged to retire from the Pressed Steel board, with
the share interests of Morris Motors either taken over by other interests or surrendered to the
company.[7] This was followed by the announcement of a reduction of Pressed Steel's capital
from 1.6 million to 1.2 million.[8] Morris lost the capital he had invested and the right to
appoint directors, Pressed Steel was now free to supply other customers.[9]
In the coachwork exhibition at the 1931 Olympia Motor Show alongside the products of
Salmons, Thrupp and Maberly, Windovers etc. Pressed Steel Company displayed bodies of a
Twelve-six Harley de luxe Austin saloon, a Hillman Wizard 75 de luxe saloon and a 12horsepower six-cylinder Rover Pilot. Readers of The Times were told the bodies were made
in four pieces, the back, two sides and the front. The doors were also stamped in one. These
all-steel bodies were said to give the cars lightness with great strength, more room inside and
better visibility.[10]
Independence
Cowley, Theale, Linwood I
At the very end of 1935 Budd agreed to sell their controlling interest to British interests and
then Pressed Steel was fully independent[11] having from mid-1930 also produced car bodies
for Morris's competitors.[12][note 2]
The degree of completion of Pressed Steel's finished product varied widely. In some cases
unpainted stampings are shipped to the customer's plant for finishing and assembly. Other
customers are sent their bodies fully assembled, painted, trimmed and glazed.[9]
Industry consolidation 1953
MG Magnette ZA
Standard Steel Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn with Pressed Steel pressings 1953
When compared with USA and France the British automotive industry then had little vertical
integration. Britain's "Big Five"[note 3] looked to their body suppliers. In the spring of 1953
Briggs Motor Bodies, American like Budd, had the bulk of its British operation swallowed by
Ford. The following autumn The British Motor Corporation acquired Fisher & Ludlow.
Fisher & Ludlow supplied Standard-Triumph who were then obliged to take control of the
relatively small Mulliners but that took a few more years to develop and Mulliners was to
close at the end of 1960. Pressed Steel stood alone as the only remaining independent
supplier of mass-produced car bodies in Britain.[9]
In December 1953 Pressed Steel Company Limited was able to advertise: "The largest press
shops in Europe with over 350 power presses working with pressures up to 1000 tons . . . a
factory area at Cowley alone more than half the size of Hyde Park . . . Here, indeed, with its
12,000 and more workers, is one of Britain's greatest industrial enterprises."
Factories: Cowley, Oxford. Theale, Berkshire. Linwood, Scotland.
Head Office: Cowley
London Office: Sceptre House, 169 Regent Street W1.
Manufacturers of bodywork and pressings for many of the most famous names in the
British motor-car industry, including Austin, Daimler, Hillman, Humber, Jaguar,
Lanchester, Morris, Morris Commercial, M.G., Riley, Rover, Singer, Wolseley.[note 4]
The largest body manufacturers in Britain and pioneers in Britain of pressed steel
bodywork and unitary construction in quantity.
Manufacturer of Prestcold refrigerators, steel railway wagons, agricultural implements
and pressings of all types.[13]
Names to which pressings were supplied not included in the above list include RollsRoyce and Bentley, Alfa Romeo, Volvo, Vauxhall.
Swindon, Linwood II
Tooling
Pressed Steel was a major manufacturer of press tooling for Morris, Hillman, Rover and
Rolls-Royce and car companies across the world including Vauxhall, Alfa Romeo etc.[9]
commission that an internal document drawn up while negotiations between BMC and
Pressed Steel were in progress set out the terms and assurances to be offered to customers
including that the continuance of supply of bodies or tools to customers other than BMC
would be subject to BMC's own requirements. The Commission subsequently obtained
assurances that allocations will be made to all customers on a pro rata basis.[9]
In 1965 Pressed Steel was acquired by the British Motor Corporation (BMC)[14][15] and BMC
set about combining Pressed Steel with its existing body making subsidiary Fisher and
Ludlow, acquired by BMC some twelve years earlier, thereby creating Pressed Steel-Fisher
(PS-F).[16] At the time of the merger Pressed Steel was the largest independent manufacturer
of car bodies and car body tooling in the world [1].
In the third quarter of 1966 BMC completed its takeover of Jaguar Cars[17][18] On 14
December 1966 BMC shareholders approved the change of its name to British Motor
Holdings (BMH) and it took effect from that moment.[16][19]
Early in 1968 BMH merged with the Leyland Motor Corporation (LMC) to form the British
Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC),[20] By this time PS-F had become the world's largest
independent car body and car body tool manufacturer, and supplied bodies and tools not only
for the British motor industry but also for Volvo, Alfa Romeo and Hindustan Motors.[9] Under
BLMC the Pressed Steel-Fisher business became the Pressed Steel Fisher division.
In 1975 BLMC was nationalised and became British Leyland Limited.[21]
Cowley
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2013)
Swindon
When BMW acquired Rover Group in 1994 they became owners of the Swindon pressing
plant. Although BMW disposed of much of Rover Group's assets in 2000, they retained the
Swindon pressings plant and set up a subsidiary, Swindon Pressings Limited (SPL), there in
2000. SPL now provides most of the body panels and body sub-assemblies for the Mini
models produced at Plant Oxford in Cowley, at what was the Pressed steel site.[22]
Linwood
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2013)
Theale
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2013)
Diversification
Domestic Refrigerator Factory
Under the Prestcold name Pressed Steel supplied refrigerators for the home, industrial cold
rooms and marine installations. The Domestic Refrigeration Factory (DRF)it was publicly
acknowledged the product of the first four years was not reliable[4]started in 1933 and was
located within the Cowley site for many years before transferring to Swansea in a
government sponsored regeneration scheme, an ill fated venture with Rolls washing
machines. As a supplier to entrepreneur John Bloom's company when Rolls Razor went into
liquidation in July 1964 Pressed Steel was owed $1,200,000.[23] So ended Prestcold domestic
appliances.
Industrial refrigeration supplied on a large scale to supermarkets and food retailing groups[9]
was to continue for many years operating out of the Theale site nr. Reading.
Beagle Aircraft
British Executive and General Aviation Limited. In 1960 Pressed Steel was persuaded by Sir
Peter Masefield to invest in light aircraft through the formation of its Beagle Aircraft
division. Beagle was sold to the government in December 1966. This venture lost Pressed
Steel about 3M.[24]
Beagle's facilities at Shoreham-by-Sea were purchased with their take-over of Miles Aircraft
and those at Rearsby with Auster.
Notes
It took some considerable time to gain the confidence of customers and to accustom
workmen to a class of work which they had never done before.
Steel sheets used:
1926 720 tons
1930 13,300
1935 30,900
and in 1937 they were running at the rate of 50,000 sheets per annum.
Employees at Cowley works (annual average)
1926 873
1930 1,300
1935 2,950
on 28 April 1937 there were 4,322 employees
Address of the chairman to shareholders. Pressed Steel Company. The Times, Saturday, 22
May 1937; pg. 19; Issue 47691
Olympia Motor Show, October 1932. Pressed Steel, stand 172. All-steel bodies are
well represented by the display of three production models: Hillman Wizard 65 saloon,
Austin light twelve-six Harley saloon, 12 hp 4-cylinder Humber. They are made in four main
parts, each part being stamped by a giant press into the required shape from sheet metal.
The Olympia Show. The Times, Thursday, 20 October 1932; pg. 9; Issue 46269.
BMC Ford GM Rootes Standard-Triumph
1
References
1.
Geoffrey Tyack, Oxford: An Architectural Guide OUP, 1998, ISBN 0198174195
M Stratton, B S Trinder, Twentieth Century Industrial Archaeology, Taylor & Francis,
2000, ISBN 0419246800
Offer for sale of shares - Pressed Steel Company Limited. The Times, Tuesday, 7 April
1936; pg. 21; Issue 47343
Address of the chairman to shareholders. Pressed Steel Company. The Times,
Saturday, 22 May 1937; pg. 19; Issue 47691
Deliveries have commenced. Morris Motors (1926) Limited. The Times, Friday, 13
May 1927; pg. 24; Issue 44580
Mr. Thomas And Motor Industry (SMM&T). The Times, Friday, 2 May 1930; pg. 16;
Issue 45502
(Roan Antelope Debenture Issue). The Times, Wednesday, 11 June 1930; pg. 19; Issue
45536
Legal Notices. The Times, Friday, 11 July 1930; pg. 4; Issue 45562
The British Motor Corporation Ltd. and the Pressed Steel Company Ltd. A report on
the merger 25th January 1966, The Monopolies Commission, HMSO
Coachwork At Olympia. The Times, Monday, Oct 19, 1931; pg. 18; Issue 45957
Pressed Steel Company.The Times, Friday, 10 January 1936; pg. 19; Issue 47268
Pressed Steel Company of Great Britain, Company Results. The Times, Saturday, 3
May 1930; pg. 21; Issue 45503.
The Illustrated London News 19 December 1953
B.M.C.-Pressed Steel's Defensive Merger The Times, Friday, 23 July 1965; pg. 17;
Issue 56381
B.M.C. Gets 89 p.c. Of Pressed Steel The Times, Friday, 10 September 1965; pg. 15;
Issue 56423
"Pressed Steel-Fisher: Europe's biggest body-building group". Autocar. 127. Vol. nbr
3730. 10 August 1967. pp. 6364.
Jaguars To Join Up With B.M.C. 18m. deal to strengthen front against Detroit The
Times, Tuesday, 12 July 1966; pg. 1; Issue 56681
90PC OF JAGUAR TAKE BMC The Times, Wednesday, 14 September 1966; pg. 18;
Issue 56736
British Motor Takes That New Label The Times, Thursday, 15 December 1966; pg.
17; Issue 56815
410m British Leyland group to storm the world market The Times, Thursday, 18
January 1968; pg. 17; Issue 57152
Government takes over the restyled Leyland, British Leyland today joins the ranks of
nationalized industries The Times, Monday, 11 August 1975; pg. 13; Issue 59471
"New era under BMW". The Car Industry in Swindon. SwindonWeb.
"The Doomsday Book". Time Magazine. 4 September 1964. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
http://www.pilotfriend.com/acft_manu/Beagle%20Aircraft%20Ltd.htm
1.
Further reading
"The British Motor Corporation Ltd. and the Pressed Steel Company Ltd. A report on
the merger". Competition Commission (UK). 1966. Retrieved 2006-06-06.
Bardsley, Gillian. Issigonis: The Official Biography. Icon Books. ISBN 1-84046-7789.
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