South Yorkshire Times January 18, 1969
South Yorkshire Industrial Review
Showing Enterprise and Confidence.
Industry continues to expand in South Yorkshire, nurtured by initiative and hard work. in this Industrial Review the “South Yorkshire Times” highlights some of the firms who are playing a major role in making the area a prosperous one.
The coal industry is booming, with the South Yorkshire Area of the N.C.B. making record profits, but where once there were just pits there are now also manufacturers of textiles and plastics, transport firms ready to take goods to the far corners of Europe and beyond, and other new industries.
Let no-one doubt the industry of South Yorkshire’s workers. At a Bolton factory workers have achieved all-time individual production records for the whole of their group factories, as well as more than doubling production in a year!
A Wath transport firm, formed only ten years ago, now travels the roads on both sides of the Iron Curtain and may soon be extend its activities to the Middle East.
And local authorities who are aiming for further diversification of industry are earmarking more, more sites for new industries.
N. Corah Ltd, Bolton on Dearne
Over the past year production at the Bolton factory of N. Corah Ltd., has more than doubled, and girls have achieved all time individual production records for the whole of the Corah group of factories.
Miss ND. C. Pottage, personnel officer at the Bolton factory told the “South Yorkshire Times” that last week 10,690 dozen garments were produced, in comparison with about 4,000 dozen at this time last year.
The number of employees has also increased to 450, and although school leavers are included in the 130 extra staff over the year, employees between 15 and 50 have been taken on and all have been given a full training at the factory.
Production of fancy knit garments has now been stopped at the Dearne factory, but the girls employed in this field have been re-trained and work on other types of garment and particularly interlock has rapidly expanded.
Although the factory has not actually been extended the layout has been changed enabling the building to be used to its maximum capacity, and to provide the extremely high production rate
J.T. Hanby & Sons, Mexborough
The Mexborough based business of J. T. Hanby and Sons Ltd., have been supplying local farmers, sportsmen and pet owners since it was formed, 21 years ago.
The firm have their headquarters and warehouse at Bull Green, Lower Church Street Mexborough, with branches in Mexborough Market, Wombwell and Armthorpe.
Although they stock a few pets, Hanby’s deal mainly in pet foods and medicines and are the sole area agents for Old Hand, an important brand of pigeon medicine.
On the haulage contracting side of the business, two lorries carry their goods and one transporter takes pigeons for the annual inland races. Local fishermen can obtain their fishing tackle, licences and bait at the shops.
“There has been a slight increase in farm sales, more in raw materials than in foodstuffs,” said Mr. Len Hanby, Director and Secretary. “Farmers are making up their own food from our materials.” Hanby’s are merchants for pig, poultry and cattle food and stockists for Ward Flour and compounds.
For the gardener, the shops supply fertiliser and gardening requisites.
Hanby’s, who stock £12,000 worth of goods, ensure prompt attention from their staff of 15 employees.
Danish Bacon Company, Kilnhurst
The Danish Bacon Company (Wholesale) Ltd., Carlisle Street, Kilnhurst, is the local branch of the Danish Bacon Company Ltd. The Company was founded before the turn of the century and is the largest of its kind in the British Isles.
D.B.C. “Service” with Bacon is considerable. With 43 factories in Denmark within the D.B.C. Group, twice per week shipments of fresh landed Nicoll are received and kept in “all-the-year round controlled temperature storage. Strict rules in hygiene, clothing, tools and personnel in handling bacon are observed when assembling and delivering bacon in their up-to-date fleet of special delivery vans
Deliveries are made within the branch area every day, Monday to Friday.
The most comprehensive service for processing bacon is provided. A side, sides, or pieces of bacon can be delivered flat, boned, rolled, metapress rolled, jointed, sliced, steaked, smoked (light, medium, or heavy), cooked or roasted to the customers’ requirements.
The Danish Bacon Company Ltd., are specialists in all other provisions. They also offer a very large range of provisions and groceries of high quality under their own label, “Maid Marian.”
Not only is a very efficient competitive service given to the retail trade, but the same is given to the catering trade. The company have a special catering department at the branch and many catering establishments take advantage of this.
Thomas Hill Ltd., Kilnhurst
The order book position at Thomas Hill of Kilnhurst is very similar to the position at this time last year and sufficient work is in hand to occupy the factory for at least 6 to 7 months
Additional orders are in the course of negotiation and it is anticipated that before the present orders are completed further work in hand will cover the year.
A rather unique locomotive built during the, past year is the 68 ton articulated to motive for Steel Pee& and Tozer’s. This machine was designed to overcome a particular haulage problem where the loads to be handled were very heavy but the curves to be negotiated were tight.
Further articulated locomotives for the heavy steel industry are now under construction at these works. Eleven units comprising three, three-car and one two-car sets will be employed at the Middlesborough Works of Dorman Long (Steel) Ltd., operating trains of new type hot metal cars.
The stores and service departments have been further developed, and the firm is able to offer and spare facilities four industrial locomotives similar to that offered by the motor trade.
Every class of services catered for including complete maintenance contracts if required.
Bartol Plastics, Swinton
The Swinton firm of Bartle plastics have only been at their site in Rowms Lane fora few years, but already they have expanded to the limit of the site and are having to move to Edlington, but this will not mean redundancies, Director Mr. M. J.Threadgold said this week.
During the past year several new products have been manufactured at the factory, including a glass fibre re-inforced hot water cylinder and two new rainwater systems. The firm have also considerably improved the existing soil system.
The move to Edlington is expected to be completed by the end of August, and Hepworth Iron Company, who took over the Bartol Plastics firm, are to occupy the Bartol factory in Swinton.
“There will not be any redundancy for our own people, as they have been offered jobs at the Edlington factory, and some personnel will be required in the future by the Hepworth Iron Company for further development on this site as they are going to develop another activity in this factory,” Mr Threadgold added.
A.M.B. Products Ltd., Swinton
Mr. A. M. BULLOCK, Managing Director of A.M.B. Products Ltd., Swinton, looks to the future with optimism.
In only 18 months at the Marriott Lane factory, A.M.B. Products have built up a highly efficient production line. Improved working conditions must rate highly in the firm’s success story, achieved in the face of a Government ‘squeeze, which has threatened the prosperity of many firms.
A.M.B. Products make a wide range of domestic and light industrial detergents, and vinegar. They employ a production and sales force of 31 men, using 11 sales vehicles. They supply both directly to the trade and to shopkeepers within a 70 miles radius of Mexborough, and take in Leicester, Peterborough, Grimsby and Leeds.
At present, the firm’s sales force is doing pioneer and development work within this area. “We hope to expand greatly within this radius, as there is more than enough scope to achieve this,” says Mr. Bullock. “The Government squeeze is unlikely to affect our trade. Our products are necessary household commodities, and coupled with their cheapness sales are unlikely to drop unless people’s purchasing powers are greatly decreased,” he added.
The A.M.B. products are aimed at a mainly seasonal market, and Mr. Bullock says that predictions at this time could be premature, but he is confident that this year will be easily the most productive in the former Mexborough firm’s 20 years’ history.
Bolton C.W.S.
The re-organisation of the Co – operative Wholesale Society has meant a full order gook for the hosiery factory at Bolton, with more work if they can find the employees.
A spokesman at the factory said this week, “We have got an expanding production programme, the work is limitless, but we are very short of labour.”
At the moment there are about 150 employees at the factory, and another 100 at least could be employed in the day time, apart from the possibility of also starting an evening shift.
Work at the moment is mainly concerned with men’s and women’s underwear, including women’s and children’s interlock panties, and men’s singlets, trunks and briefs.
The increase in work has resulted from new marketing schemes in the re-organisation of the Society.
Overtime is being worked on three nights a week and on Saturday mornings, and now the possibility of starting an evening shift, possibly made up of ex-employees who now have children and cannot work during the day, is being considered
E. V. Waddington Ltd., Swinton
Established well over a century ago, the Swinton firm of Messrs. E.B.Waddington Ltd, face the coming year with confidence.
A spokesman says: “We are far from pessimistic at the thought of 1969 ahead.”
The Eastwood Wharf and warehouse developments continually going ahead; are there are some three million cubic feet of covered warehousing and some 4 ½ million sq. feet of open storage, and expansion is still continuing. The firm have a substantial acreage of land still to develop.
Industrial firms, the firm say, grasp 1s. per ton reduction in their haulage rates, but seem unable to grasp that pounds per ton could be saved in their transport charges if small coasters came from the Common Market countries direct to Rotherham. If they saw this possibility they would surely press more for this water artery which would prove a great boon to South Yorkshire.
The firm have a modern fleet of over 70 motor vessels with direct links between the Humber ports and Rotherham, The firm will be starting their massive development on their wharf at Burton – on Stather (Scunthorpe) in the near future and this should prove a great boost to potential. The wharf is to be used to accept ocean going vessels up to 3.000 tons.
Brian Watt Transport Ltd., Wath on Dearne
When Brian Watt started his road haulage business at Wath ten years ago with just one lorry his runs were purely within England, but now his six and a half lorries are all travelling abroad and there are virtually no business runs within this country.
During this last week drivers have left for Germany, Madrid and Switzerland, but these are just a few of the places visited by the six drivers. Austria, Spain, Czechoslovakia and Eastern countries are now becoming regular runs and Mr.Watt told the “South Yorkshire Times”, “It is surprising in fact the places we can get to. We have six drivers and sometimes they do not see each other for months because they are off on different trips.”
“Our vehicles, six lorries and a trailer, hence the six and a half, are really like mobile packing cases. Anything can be packed into them and they do not have to be handled any more until they reach their destination’ ” he said.
Goods carried by the lorries cover a very wide range, of which machinery, toys, foodstuffs, wool and steel are just a few.
Baghdad may soon become a new destination for the drivers for a contract to Iraq and Iran is at the moment being discussed and the firm have also had enquiries from a firm in Connecticut (United States) so America could also become a new country for the driver to explore.