West Bromwich grew rapidly in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, thanks to the large number of factories that opened in the area, providing employment for the local population.

There were many industries, including:

Kenrick & Jefferson Limited.

The printing business opened in October 1878, when John Arthur Kenrick, a member of the well-known hardware family, formed a partnership with Frederick Thomas Jefferson, a local solicitor, to acquire the business of 'The Free Press', a bankrupt Liberal newspaper in West Bromwich. Kenrick & Jefferson Limited was incorporated as a private limited company on the 6th January, 1900.

The envelope factory in 1925.

Frederick Jefferson quickly developed the printing side of the business, which soon moved into office equipment, business stationery, loose leaf binders, filing systems and even office furniture. 'The Free Press' newspaper closed in 1933.

By the 1950s there were over 100,000 customers in Great Britain and abroad, benefitting from the excellent printing quality, thanks to the installation of the latest and finest plant. The composing, letterpress and lithographic departments were capable of handling both small and very large contracts.

Four large binderies employing over 500 people dealt with the handling of system stationery, renewal leaf binders, filing and card index equipment and Carbotyp stationery for simplifying clerical operations.

A battery of fast-running letterpress machines.

The department devoted to relief stamped stationery is one of the largest, if not the largest, of its kind in the world, thanks to the hundred or so, modern relief stamping presses that are constantly in operation. There is also a well-equipped envelope factory, where envelopes from the smallest to the largest commercial sizes are available direct to customers in a wide range of materials.

An envelope making machine.

The firm’s advisory department provided recommendations on business organisation and routine and the direct advertising department offered suggestions for all kinds of advertising literature. In 1971, the firm acquired Manchester-based, Norbury Lockwood, manufacturer of calendars and printed stationary.

The 1883 building in High Street.

In 1995 to 1997 the firm sold off everything except its envelope business, based on another site in the town. That was also sold in 1999 and traded as Kenrick and Jefferson Envelopes Limited. The High Street premises was derelict for several years and by the autumn of 2001 had been demolished (except for the 1883 building) for redevelopment as a shopping and leisure centre.

The once-familiar building on High Street that was demolished at the turn of the century.

Moxey Conveyor & Transporter Company Limited.

The company, which specialised in the design and manufacture of bulk handling conveyor plant, primarily for the steel industry, opened a new factory at West Bromwich in 1954. The site, covering eight acres, included the factory with a floor area of 40,000 square feet. Building work began in May 1954 and the factory opened in 1955. By October of that year the production area had been extended to cover around 100,000 square feet.

Apart from conveyors to handle iron ore, coal, coke, grain and gravel, plant was designed for the storage of railway wagon springs, the handling of bicycle saddles, and whale meat processes in whaling ships.

A Moxey gravity bucket conveyor for handling coke.

A Moxey storage tower for railway laminated springs.

An advert from the mid 1950s.

Pasco Limited.

Pasco’s factory opened in about 1920 for the manufacture of precision pressings. After the Second World War, large power presses of up to eighty tons capacity were installed, which enabled the firm to undertake the production of a vast variety of fittings and components for the motor trade.

The plant was capable of handling complicated pressings involving a large number of individual operations and the manufacture of fittings for brushes, chisels, spades, shears and many similar articles. Components for the foundry trade are also produced. The firm regularly carried out contracts for the Admiralty and other Government Departments and exported pressings to Australia and New Zealand.

Inside the Pasco factory.

Hills (West Bromwich) Limited.

Hills was founded in the early 1930s as Hills Patent Glazing Company Limited. The firm broadened its activities by making windows, lanterns, decklights, domes, office partitions, etc. In 1936 the firm founded Universal Steel Doors, Limited, who manufactured large sliding doors for aircraft hangars and later complete aircraft hangars at the Kastrup Airfield, Copenhagen.

At the beginning of the Second World War, the firm carried out contracts for Bailey and other military bridging equipment, rocket guns, pulley blocks, invasion gear, light gun mountings and founded an associated company called Chain Developments Limited, for the manufacturing of electrically-welded steel chains for the Admiralty and for special tanks used by the Armoured Corps.

During the war, Hills developed the 'Presweld' system of building construction, which by the end of 1945 had become well established. It used a lattice type of construction consisting of built-up beams and sub-assemblies with a high degree of prefabrication, so as to reduce skilled work during erection.

In 1946, the private limited company, Hills (West Bromwich) Limited was formed and the Hills Presweld system was first applied to steelwork and later to other materials, such as concrete, glass and plaster. Initially, the system was applied to domestic housing, where the advantages of speed of erection, with the roof completed very early on, out-weighed the extra cost of a steel frame. It began to be used for the erection of schools, which at the time were in demand. Hills took a leading part in the post-war school building programme and were associated with about one-fifth of all the new schools built. 'Presweld' has also been applied to factories, canteens and office blocks.

Assembling Hills' Presweld components for a new school building.

In the late 1940s, Hills developed Glass Curtain walling, which uses a framework of horizontal and vertical rails attached to the main structure, whether it be a steel frame, brickwork or reinforced concrete. Into this framework are fitted large panes of glass with any desired degree of opening lights and combinations of solid or opaque panelling as the architect may desire. The finished wall of glass is both wind and weatherproof and can also incorporate any desired degree of insulation and permanent colour that may be wanted. The infill panels are marketed under the name of 'Hilsulate' and are also available for other building applications. Here again, the company is in the forefront of new development, having already completed Glass Curtain Walling contracts for a number of schools, office blocks and multi-storied flats at home and abroad.

The firm developed another new form of construction called 'Hilcon', consisting of pre-cast reinforced concrete wall and floor units and included the 'Hilsulux' roof construction system, using standard woodwool or concrete slabs supported on steel purlins and covered by bituminised felt.

Another product was power operated roof ventilating shutters which virtually gave open-air conditions at the touch of a button and were indispensable to foundries, rolling mills and laundries, etc., where the rapid clearance of heat, smoke and other fumes was a problem. All the steelwork produced by the firm was normally galvanised in Hills’ "hot dip" plant, one of the largest of its kind in the country.

An advert from the mid 1950s.

An advert from the mid 1950s.

Hills (West Bromwich) Limited, expanded from a small private company to an enterprise controlling six factories, including three at West Bromwich and eight branch offices. In addition, a subsidiary company was formed in Canada to market and establish the company's products, despite intense American competition.

In the 1960s things started to go wrong and the company went into liquidation in 1962.

British Typewriters Limited.

It began in 1935 when it acquired the sales and manufacturing rights to 'The Empire' typewriter from George Salter. The business began in a former grocery warehouse in Victoria Street and produced a new typewriter called 'The Baby Empire'. Up to 70 machines were produced each week and things went well until the outbreak of war. The firm's building was badly damaged in air raids in November 1940 and so production ceased until after the war.

Any machinery that could be salvaged was moved to part of the Kenrick & Jefferson site, where the firm was engaged in war work, producing aero engine rods for Armstrong Siddeley, aero engine flame traps for the Rolls Royce Merlin engine, as well as sights and trigger boxes for anti-tank weapons.

The firm moved to the former Hudson Works in Queen Street and Pitt Street, which had been used by the Civil Defence and Fire Services. Typewriter production began there in 1946. The Empire Aristocrat model was introduced in 1948 and over one million of them were produced.

The Empire Aristocrat.

In the mid 1950s an updated compact model was produced, which featured a more efficient and convenient design, with a normal size roller, to allow the easy insertion of paper and improved printing of type.

There was an eraser table for the easy correction of typing errors, specially designed plastic key tops with endurable lettering, shaped to suit the fingers and even touch over the whole keyboard.

In 1958, Smith Corona acquired British Typewriters, Limited.

Manufacturing continued until the market was being undermined by inexpensive imports from the Far East, which resulted in the closure of the West Bromwich, plant in 1981.

The firm started life as Riley, Fleet & Newey, in 1848, as an engineering company at Crown Works, Swan Village. It was formed by George Newey, Thomas Fleet and James Riley, all subcontractors in the engineering industry. By 1861 the firm was producing a wide variety of products including wrought-iron steam engines, boilers, gasholders, purifiers, tanks, bridge and girder work, iron roofs, and canal boats. The business also produced evaporating and sugar pans, water barrels, barrows, and miners' tools.

In 1884 the firm became Braithwaite & Kirk, engineers and contractors, based at Crown Bridge Works, West Bromwich, which was located on the Balls Hill Branch canal Just off Henry Street and south of Ryder Street.

In 1912 the firm became Braithwaite & Kirk and they received an order for 24 iron composite canal boats. A year later Braithwaite & Company Structural Limited was formed as a subsidiary company in India. Braithwaite & Company also opened another factory at Newport, Gwent, called Neptune Works.

Tom Carrington started in business, in a small workshop, before the First World War, making taps and screwing tackle under the names of "Lyndon" and "Ega-Kut".

The business was extremely successful prospered and Lyndon and Ega-Kut products were known and used throughout the world. The founder retired and handed over the business to his son Tom, who maintained the firm's reputation for quality and accuracy, while increasing the scope and size of the business.

The range of products increased and the company manufactured taps, gauges and dies, chaser die stocks, receders, pipe cutters and screwing machines, which were widely used in the plumbing and gas trades.

The business remained a family concern, that became world famous for its "Lyndon" taps and gauges and for its" Ega-Kut" threading tools, chaser stocks and dies. In 1963, Tom Carrington & Company Limited, moved to Egakut Works, Willenhall Lane Industrial Estate, Willenhall Lane, Bloxwich. Where it still is today.

The firm was founded in the late 1940s in West Bromwich and used production methods that came from the continent. The business produced copper by a refining process from low grade residues and scrap. The basic product was copper, but advancing a further stage and utilising their technique for refining copper they also produced an extensive range of copper based, non-ferrous alloys from brasses to gunmetals, phosphor bronze, manganese and aluminium bronze, and high duty nickel bronze for the Admiralty and special industrial applications.

All the alloys were produced in the forms of ingots, extrusion billets or rolling slabs, and a high standard of purity was maintained by careful treatment of raw materials and strict laboratory control through every stage of production to final inspection. The process also allowed the recovery of zinc oxide at the refining stage, which apart from providing a highly marketable product, had the joint advantage of reducing air pollution in the vicinity of the factory to a minimum. In an area as highly industrialised as West Bromwich the importance of this will be readily appreciated.

Melting brass in the electric furnace department.

A new extrusion press was acquired in the early 1950s, which was one of the largest brass presses in the country. In the mid 1950s the factory was extended with two new buildings, to extend the extrusion capacity. In order to supply the increased number of presses, the number of electric furnaces was increased and the firm confidently looked towards a bright future.

C. B. Gurmin & Company Limited.

The business was founded in 1950 in Pikehelve Street, Golds Hill, West Bromwich, for the manufacture of a new type of key for the lock trade. In the late 1940s, Chubbs and Albert Marston Limited of Wolverhampton were having problems with the manufacture of satisfactory malleable cast keys. Brian Gurmin, a welding engineer, who was the brother in law of Bill Williams, the owner of Albert Marston Limited, began to look into the problem and soon found a solution.

Bill Williams encouraged Brian Gurmin to set up his own company to make welded steel keys and blanks, which were fabricated in steel from three pieces and projection welded together. Each key was made with great accuracy and could be put to a lock without any fitting whatsoever, thereby saving considerable expense. A large range of these keys was made and exported to all parts of the world.

On of Brian Gurmin's main customers was Yale. He also started to produce steel blanks which were sold to the Willen Key Company. Unfortunately, Gurmin & Company were unable to keep-up with the demand and so Marstons looked round to see who else was making welded steel keys and blanks. In 1955 they turned to Arthur Hough and Sons, in Essington, who had started to make welded steel keys in 1953. Gurmin's production problems continued and so in the late 1950s, production ceased and the company's welding machine was sold to Arthur Hough and Sons, in July 1960.

Gurmins branched out into the production of all types of formed wire work, and supplied many of the leading manufacturers of refrigerator and electric fires. Wire mesh cloakroom equipment including kit lockers, shoe baskets, etc., was manufactured for both school and factory use. Milk bottle crates were also amongst the many other items produced.

H. Geddes & Sons Limited.

The firm was founded in the early 20th century for the manufacture of export packing cases and crates. There were three factories, one if West Bromwich, another on Smethwick and a third in Oldbury.

Packing cases were produced with waterproof lining and sealing of packing cases, tin lining and the manufacture of cases to carry a colossal weight.

The business was also a timber merchant and so large stocks of wood were kept for sale, including hardwood, plywood, seasoned hardwoods, doors, imported softwoods and of joinery quality timber. There was a mill available for any type of machining. The business later moved to Dumblederry Lane, Walsall,

An advert from the mid 1950s.

The business was founded in the 1920s to manufacture all types of foundry corebinders, which with the addition of core oils provided short baking characteristics, which enabled many foundries to reduce their core shop costs, because of the short time cycle required.

Fordath corebinders were sold under the trade name "Glyso," and were exported to Holland, France and South Africa. Fordath also produced a range of foundry equipment including the Fordath "New-Type" mixing Machine. In the 1950s, the plant was modernised and the factory extended.

A Fordath multiplunger core extrusion machine.

A Fordath mixing machine.

The business was founded by Mr. Alfred Turner, JP. and the late Mr. W. H. Smith. The company produced good quality grey iron castings for the motor, electrical and engineering trades and special types of foundry plant that were used throughout the world.

Since 1945 scores of Acme Vertical continuous stoves for the foundry industry have been exported to Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland and Denmark.

The firm had a loyal team of employees, the majority of whom were in its service for over twenty years. Several employees brought their sons into the business, and on the management side, Messrs. A. E. R. Turner, Jnr., S. M. Turner and E. N. Smith were actively engaged in the business for many years and joined the Board of Directors.

The firm gained a high reputation for customer service which resulted in large numbers of "repeat" orders.

An ACME oil-fired 5 loop stove for motor engine casting cores.

The firm went into liquidation in 1990: