Catalogue description Records of Wheway PLC, Birmingham.

Records of Wheway PLC, Birmingham, including corporate records, share records, accounting and financial records, legal records, operational records, marketing records, staff and employment records, and personal papers of the Wheway family.

1826- 2005

Born in 1826 in Nuneaton, Job Wheway (1826-1903) was the youngest of three sons. He found his way to Walsall where he learned the trade of the blacksmith. He married and with his wife, Eliza, had 3 daughters and in 1857, a son, Sydney Benjamin (1857-1944).

Living in Newhall Street, Caldmore, Walsall, Job Wheway built a blacksmith's hearth in the brewhouse and used it as his first forge for creating small hand forgings. With his wife's help the business prospered and they moved to larger premises at 38 Sandwell Street, Caldmore.

Throughout the 1860s the business continued to grow and outgrew the Sandwell Street premises. At some time during this period Job Wheway took the opportunity to take over the trace halter chains and cart hames manufacturer, 'John Webster and & Son', in Green Lane, Walsall. This site became known as 'Birchills Hame and Chain Works'.

Having finished his education at Queen Mary's Grammar School, Walsall, c1877, Job Wheway took his son, Sydney Benjamin, into the business and it became known as 'Job Wheway and Son'.

In 1894 the father and son bought cart hame manufacturer 'S Marsh & Son' of West Bromwich, for £100. This subsidiary became known as 'S Marsh & Son Patent Hame Works'. Within a few years the Green Lane Factory and S Marsh & Son Patent Hame Works, West Bromwich, were the largest of their kind in the country.

In January 1899, at the age of 73, Job retired and gave the business in its entirety to Sydney Benjamin. Sydney Benjamin and his wife Mary had five sons; Sydney Gell, later to be a Director of the company; Harold Job, forced to retire early from wounds sustained in WW1; William Reginald, later to be MD of the company; George Doughty, who became a barrister and played no part in the firm; Charles Gell, who later managed the S Marsh & Son Patent Hame Works subsidiary in West Bromwich. The family were appointed on numerous occasions to the positions of 'President of Walsall Chamber of Commerce', 'Justice of the Peace', and Mayor of Walsall.

Sydney Benjamin travelled widely in search of business - Australia, the US, Canada, many European countries, New Zealand and Africa. In 1900 he invested huge amounts of money in installing plant to produce 'chain welded by electricity'. By 1902 the new plant was in production and the first electrically welded chain ever to be produced in the UK was despatched from the Green Lane factory.

In 1910 the firm produced the dog trace chains for Captain Scott's Antarctic Expedition. These are still thought to be buried under the ice.

In 1912 Sydney Benjamin acquired competitor 'James Gnosill & Son', a Walsall-based cart gear manufacturers.

The outbreak of World War One caused a tremendous increase in demand for hames and harness gear as the army was still very dependent on horse-drawn transport for supply wagons and gun carriages, and the Wheway factories were put on war footing. The work force was increased to 450 and the working day was extended from 7am to 8pm. Production of hames was soon at 600 pairs per week with harness gears to match.

By 1917 Sydney Benjamin was 60 years old. He made the firm a joint stock company and made his third son, William Reginald, joint Managing Director with himself. The firms name became 'Job Wheway & Son Limited'. By 1920 the two brothers, William Reginald and Sydney Gell, were effectively running the company, William Reginald as MD, Charles Gell managing the S Marsh & Son Patent Hame Works subsidiary.

Hame trade was declining as the motorcar industry grew. Car bumpers were not fitted as standard and had to be bought separately, and so the S Marsh & Son Patent Hame Works started to produce them. William Reginald visited Sir Herbert Austin at Longbridge to introduce his bumpers but arrived in an American car and was allegedly asked to leave. Manufacturers soon started to fit bumpers as standard, signalling the end of the bumper trade for Job Wheway & Son Ltd.

In 1925 the S Marsh & Son Patent Hame Works at West Bromwich, closed due to a shortage of work, and all hame production was concentrated on the Green Lane factory. The firm continued on full employment producing its range of high-specification products right through the depression of the late 1920s and early 30s.

In 1939 Job Wheway & Son Ltd took over hame-maker, 'Parkes & Gnosill' of Regent Street, Walsall. All hame production was transferred to the Parkes & Gnosill factory, leaving the Green Lane factory to concentrate on chain production.

The outbreak of World War Two generated an increase in demand for high quality chain. The firm was put under control of the Admiralty and production was rapidly increased. Amongst other things the firm produced chain flails which were fitted to booms projecting well in front of tanks in the North African desert. The flails were used to detonate land mines. The firm also produced anchor chains for the many Sunderland Flying Boats stationed around the coast.

In August 1944 William's eldest son, William Derek, was killed on active service. He had worked for the family firm, in the non-skid tyre chain section, for a year after leaving school. He volunteered for the Fleet Air Arm in 1942 and he was killed just 2 years later. In October of the same year Sydney Benjamin Wheway died at the age of 88.

In 1948 the UK coal industry embarked on a massive mechanisation programme. The new machines needed very high quality chain both to transport the coal in armoured conveyors and to haul the machines themselves. The firm found good long-term markets in supplying mining chain both in this country and abroad.

In 1949 the Wheway family decided to form the firm into a public limited company. 760,000 Ordinary one-shilling shares were offered at three shillings each. The offer was quickly taken up and the firm floated on the 30th Sept 1949.

The Wheway firm was also influential in the development of industrial standards and specifications. In 1950 a British Standard Specification (BS1663) was published with the firm's participation. It detailed a grade 40 chain made from a higher carbon-steel, some 33% stronger than chains previously manufactured. In 1959 another British Standard Specification was published, again with the firm's full participation (BS3113). This BS specified a Grade 60 chain made from alloy steel of twice the strength of pre-war chains. By 1981 a third British Standard Specification was published (BS4942) in conjunction with Wheway. This BS specified a Grade 80 (now known internationally as Grade T).

In September 1957 William Reginald Wheway died aged 65, after 48 years and 8 months service with the firm. His brother, Sydney, also died in the same year. William Reginald Wheway's son, Robert A Wheway (known as Robin), was appointed as Chairman and Joint Managing Director, and Sydney Gell Wheway's son, Sydney W P Wheway (known as Tim), joined the Board of Directors.

In 1959 an informal partnership with Glasgow-based chain makers Watson & McLean began. Watson & McLean made heavier sized chain whilst Job Wheway & Son Ltd concentrated on the lighter sizes. The co-operation was formalised in November 1959 when the Board of Job Wheway & Son Ltd instructed 'Neville Industrial Securities Ltd' to make an offer on behalf of the Company to the shareholders of Watson & McLean Ltd, to acquire the whole of the issued share capital of Watson & McLean in exchange for shares in Job Wheway & Son Ltd. The two firms amalgamated into one and became 'Wheway, Watson & McLean Limited', the name shortening in 1965 to 'Wheway Watson Ltd'.

The Board of Wheway Watson & McLean Ltd did not support Mr R A Wheway as Chairman and a decision was eventually reached that Mr R A Wheway would step down as Chairman and Managing Director. In 1966 the two Wheway cousins, Robin and Tim, both left the firm, thus terminating its one hundred year association with the Wheway family.

Around 1960, Wheway Watson & McLean Ltd became a Holding Company controlling the three trading companies which formed the Group, namely, 1) Job Wheway & Son Ltd 2) Watson & McLean Ltd, Govan, Scotland 3) Mechanical Equipments Ltd, Morley & Leeds, Yorks, which had been acquired in September 1959.

In 1961 Wheway Watson & McLean Ltd made an offer for the share capital of Weldless Chains Ltd, finally acquiring the company in 1962.

In September of 1964, in order to facilitate the establishment of separate testing and repair depots in the Midland and London areas, a new, wholly owned subsidiary was registered under the name of Wheway Watson (Midlands) Ltd.

In December of 1964, Wheway Watson & McLean Ltd purchased the whole of the issued share capital of Carr Bros. (Engineers) Ltd of Beckenham, Kent. The name of this company was subsequently changed to Wheway Watson (London) Ltd. The purchase created a convenient test base for the area.

In 1965 American company 'Columbus McKinnon Corporation', who were in-part engaged in chain making, took a substantial holding in, what was now named Wheway Watson Ltd. Part of the deal was the provision of advanced chain making machines which kept the firm abreast of the latest technology. The firm's name was amended to 'Wheway Watson (CM) Ltd' to acknowledge the new situation.

The firm continued in business and on October 1st 1974 its name changed to Wheway Watson Holdings Ltd and from this date the three trading divisions of the company operated as subsidiary companies. The subsidiaries had their own boards of directors and company offices located at Walsall, Warley and Kingston-Upon-Thames.

In 1975 the subsidiary companies were listed as;

§ Wheway Watson (CM) Ltd

based at Walsall, this was the former Chain Division of the Company

§ Felco Hoists Ltd

hand and electric hoists marketed under the Felco brand name

§ Wheway Watson (ME) Ltd

this subsidiary comprised the six units originally operated under the General Division.

By 1978 the firm's head office transferred from Hillington, Glasgow, to Erdington, Birmingham.

Further restructuring occurred in 1980 with the formation of seven separate operating companies under the Wheway Watson Holdings Ltd title;

§ Holdings

§ Chain Division

§ Hoist Division

§ Marine Division

§ Forging Division

§ General Division

§ Lifting Engineering Division

During this period, UK and Worldwide recession occurred, and demand from the National Coal Board was vastly reduced. As a result, in 1981, in order to cut costs, the head office in Erdington was sold and the firm moved to smaller premises.

In 1982 the company re-registered as a public limited company and became Wheway Watson Holdings PLC.

The Chain Divisions and, to a lesser extent, the Hoist and Mechanical Handling Division, were major suppliers to the National Coal Board and accordingly were affected by the ban on overtime imposed by the National Union of Mineworkers in October 1983, which developed into a strike in March 1984. The firm adopted practices of short-time working, changes in working practices, and redundancies to try and keep afloat.

By 1984 two of the six units of the Mechanical Handling Division were the subject of management buy-outs and were sold at a loss.

In November of 1984 Wheway Watson (CM) Ltd commenced trading as a wholly owned subsidiary in its own right. However, by 1985 50% of this chainmaking operation was sold to German manufacturing group Becker Pruente GmbH, and Wheway Watson (CM) Ltd became known as Wheway Becker.

By 1985, as a result of the difficulties caused by having business based predominantly within one sector during the recession, Wheway Becker moved into the product design, distribution, service and manufacturing businesses. Non-manufacturing businesses were estimated to account for some 40% of turnover and 45% of profit during the year. Markets served were widely spread with six industries accounting for 10% or more turnover, with none above 24%. Sales to the mining industry as a percentage of total turnover fell from over 50% to approximately 14%.

In September of 1985 the forging operation of 'Arthur Edge & Co Ltd' were acquired from McLeod Russel PLC, Glasgow, in exchange for 11,300,216 ordinary shares.

By 27 September 1985 the firm's name had changed once more, to Wheway PLC, and was listed as having the following wholly owned subsidiaries;

HOIST AND LIFTING COMPANIES

Felco Hoists Ltd

Loveridge Lifting Services Ltd

MARINE LASHINGS COMPANIES

International Lashings Systems Ltd

ILS (America) Incorporated

TRANSPORT COMPANY

W Hughes & Sons (Old Hill) Ltd

FORGING COMPANIES

Shakespeare Forgings Ltd

Arthur Edge & Co Ltd

Thermal Processing (Midlands) Ltd

ENGINEERING COMPANY

Shakespeare Engineering UK Ltd

In June 1986 Wheway PLC acquired 'D F Bevan (Holdings) PLC'.

As a result of continuing acquisition and rationalisation programmes, the principal activities of the group changed and were placed into three categories; design, manufacture and merchanting.

In 1987 Wheway PLC's entry into the environmental fields of Clean Air and Environmental Engineering was initiated by the acquisition of the Wright Air Conditioning Group.

In 1990 Wheway PLC sold their remaining 50% shareholding in Wheway Becker, signalling the end of 200 years of the firm's involvement in the chain making industry. This area of the business was incurring heavy losses.