Alfred Herbert (company)
Encyclopedia
Alfred Herbert Ltd was one of the world's largest machine tool
manufacturing businesses. It was at one time the largest British machine tool builder.
and William Hubbard purchased for £2,375 a small engineering business in Coventry. Herbert & Hubbard initially made boiler
s and steam engine
s. The firm, in Roderick Floud
's paraphrasing of Herbert, "came into machine tool production by accident when Alfred Herbert secured the agency for a French patent of great value in the manufacture of tubes for the fast expanding cycle trade in Coventry. On the basis of his profits from this patent the company began to make machine tools for the cycle trade."
In 1894 Hubbard was bought out and the business continued as Alfred Herbert Ltd focusing on machine tool
s. The number of employees rose from 180 in 1897 to 1,400 by 1908.
Regarding the differences (real or supposed) between American and British practice in the latter half of the 19th century, Floud said that Herbert was "the [British] firm often held up as an example of the use of American techniques" [which sometimes emphasized focus on a narrow range of machines by any one builder] but that even Herbert "rejected the idea that the firm should specialize in a few types of machinery" [to the exclusion of a diverse mix of products]. He quoted Herbert as saying that "the cycle business, which was our principal customer, required in those days a variety of machines, and not many of them of one kind."
The firm was known for technical excellence and competed well against other brands including American ones, especially in turret lathe
s. The foreign-sales efforts of the Herbert firm are touched on in Floud's discussion of machine tool exports.
In 1899 a foundry was built at Edgwick
where most of the Company's operations were subsequently based. During the first half of the twentieth century it became one of the largest machine tool
manufacturers in the world.
By the 1930s Alfred Herbert Limited was making profits around £600,000 (2011: £) . The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange
in March 1944 and the following year described its business as "Machine Tool Makers, Importers and Factors, and Mechanical Engineers etc". The main works covered 22 acres in Coventry
and the company had operations in Argentina
, France
, India
, Australia
and "in normal times", Italy
. It acquired Sigma Instruments in 1948.
In 1975, following sustained losses, the company asked the National Enterprise Board
to invest £25 million in the business to provide for modernisation and to reduce borrowings. The Company was then renamed Herbert Ltd. In the late 1970s there was an escalation of machine tool imports into the United Kingdom that left the Company behind.
The business was acquired by Tooling Investments in 1980 but then went into receivership
in 1982. The assets were bought by Tube Investments
later that year, but the business closed in 1983.
Machine tool
A machine tool is a machine, typically powered other than by human muscle , used to make manufactured parts in various ways that include cutting or certain other kinds of deformation...
manufacturing businesses. It was at one time the largest British machine tool builder.
History
The business was founded in 1888 when Alfred HerbertAlfred Herbert
Sir Alfred Edward Herbert KBE was an English industrialist who moved to Coventry in 1887 to manage a small engineering business which grew to become Alfred Herbert Limited, one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of machine tools.-Career:Born in Leicester and educated at...
and William Hubbard purchased for £2,375 a small engineering business in Coventry. Herbert & Hubbard initially made boiler
Boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...
s and steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
s. The firm, in Roderick Floud
Roderick Floud
Sir Roderick Castle Floud FBA is an economic historian and is currently the Provost of Gresham College. He is the son of Bernard Floud, M.P.-Career:...
's paraphrasing of Herbert, "came into machine tool production by accident when Alfred Herbert secured the agency for a French patent of great value in the manufacture of tubes for the fast expanding cycle trade in Coventry. On the basis of his profits from this patent the company began to make machine tools for the cycle trade."
In 1894 Hubbard was bought out and the business continued as Alfred Herbert Ltd focusing on machine tool
Machine tool
A machine tool is a machine, typically powered other than by human muscle , used to make manufactured parts in various ways that include cutting or certain other kinds of deformation...
s. The number of employees rose from 180 in 1897 to 1,400 by 1908.
Regarding the differences (real or supposed) between American and British practice in the latter half of the 19th century, Floud said that Herbert was "the [British] firm often held up as an example of the use of American techniques" [which sometimes emphasized focus on a narrow range of machines by any one builder] but that even Herbert "rejected the idea that the firm should specialize in a few types of machinery" [to the exclusion of a diverse mix of products]. He quoted Herbert as saying that "the cycle business, which was our principal customer, required in those days a variety of machines, and not many of them of one kind."
The firm was known for technical excellence and competed well against other brands including American ones, especially in turret lathe
Turret lathe
The turret lathe is a form of metalworking lathe that is used for repetitive production of duplicate parts, which by the nature of their cutting process are usually interchangeable...
s. The foreign-sales efforts of the Herbert firm are touched on in Floud's discussion of machine tool exports.
In 1899 a foundry was built at Edgwick
Edgwick
Edgwick is a residential area of Coventry, West Midlands, England.It is situated in the north of the city, near the M6 motorway and the Ricoh Arena sports stadium....
where most of the Company's operations were subsequently based. During the first half of the twentieth century it became one of the largest machine tool
Machine tool
A machine tool is a machine, typically powered other than by human muscle , used to make manufactured parts in various ways that include cutting or certain other kinds of deformation...
manufacturers in the world.
By the 1930s Alfred Herbert Limited was making profits around £600,000 (2011: £) . The company was listed on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
in March 1944 and the following year described its business as "Machine Tool Makers, Importers and Factors, and Mechanical Engineers etc". The main works covered 22 acres in Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
and the company had operations in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and "in normal times", Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It acquired Sigma Instruments in 1948.
In 1975, following sustained losses, the company asked the National Enterprise Board
National Enterprise Board
-History:The National Enterprise Board was set up in the United Kingdom in 1975 to implement the Wilson Labour government's objective of extending public ownership of industry...
to invest £25 million in the business to provide for modernisation and to reduce borrowings. The Company was then renamed Herbert Ltd. In the late 1970s there was an escalation of machine tool imports into the United Kingdom that left the Company behind.
The business was acquired by Tooling Investments in 1980 but then went into receivership
Receivership
In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...
in 1982. The assets were bought by Tube Investments
TI Group
TI Group plc was a holding company for specialised engineering companies. It was based in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It was registered as Tube Investments in 1919, combining the seamless steel tube businesses of Tubes Ltd, New Credenda Tube , Simplex and Accles & Pollock. In 1928 Reynolds Tube joined...
later that year, but the business closed in 1983.