Catalogue description Tees Import Company Limited Records

BS/TIC/1. Corporate Records
BS/TIC/2. Share Records
BS/TIC/3. Financial and Accounting Records
BS/TIC/4. Operational Records

Tees Import Company Limited

The Tees Import Company formed in 1919 and was Registered on the 3rd October of the same year, 7000 shares being issued and the registered office located at the Midland Bank Chambers, Exchange Square, Middlesbrough. It was established by seven major iron and steel companies in the Teesside area, with the aim of securing a regular supply of iron ore from Europe, especially Spain, without needing to use local agents, instead dealing direct with the merchants using their own Purchasing Agent. The seven companies involved were Bell Brothers Ltd., Bolckow Vaughan & Co. Ltd, Pease and Partners Ltd., Whitwell & Co. Ltd., Sir Bernhard Samuelson Ltd, Linthorpe Dinsdale SmeltIng Co. Ltd. and Tees Furnace Company with each of the seven providing one Director for the board.

By 1922 poor trading conditions had forseen the stoppage of imports of ore by the company, and by 1930 it was mooted that the company should be liquidated due to inactivity. At this point Dorman Long and Co. Ltd., and it subsidiary Dorman Long Holdings Trust Ltd. took over the running of the company, after initially securing a foothold in the company after inheriting Bolckow Vaughan's shares following the take over of that concern in 1929. This take over of operations was completed with the intention that the Tees Import Company would then purchase ore and pig iron from the new parent company, this being facilitated by leasing storage space for the ore at South Bank.

Throughout the 1950's several changes of shares took place within the Dorman Long group of companies, to Dorman Long (Steel) for example, but control of the company remained with Dorman Long and Co. Ltd, with figures such as Ellis Hunter and E.T. Judge presiding over affairs.

In 1964 the company's Memorandum and Articles of Association were altered to allow the company to import animal, and vegetable oil and wharfage for this purpose was secured on the Tees in the South Bank area. With the nationalisation of steel producing companies and their subsidiaries, the control of Tees Import Company was taken by British Steel Corporation and continued so until it was dissolved on the 31 March 1970 following the issue of The Steel Companies (Dissolution) (No.1) Order 1970.