Associated British Machine Tool Makers
Encyclopedia
Associated British Machine Tool Makers Ltd or ABMTM was established on 14 February 1917. Working with an initial capital of £100,000, the founding firms were all manufacturers of high-quality machines. The offices were at 34 Victoria Street, London.
The idea behind the Association was to avoid duplication in manufacture and for each firm to specialise in producing a narrow range of machines, thereby averting unnecessary competition. A joint selling agency was established at 17 Grosvenor Gardens in London with trading companies in Italy
, France
and Belgium
, the objective being an increase of sales of British machines in the colonies and other countries. There were also plans to work with existing outlets in countries such as China.
Essentially the Association was a central selling organisation, enabling its members to retain their identity and particular brand of production and administration.
The founder members were:
The idea behind the Association was to avoid duplication in manufacture and for each firm to specialise in producing a narrow range of machines, thereby averting unnecessary competition. A joint selling agency was established at 17 Grosvenor Gardens in London with trading companies in 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...
, 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...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, the objective being an increase of sales of British machines in the colonies and other countries. There were also plans to work with existing outlets in countries such as China.
Essentially the Association was a central selling organisation, enabling its members to retain their identity and particular brand of production and administration.
The founder members were:
- James Archdale Ltd (BirminghamBirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
) Light radial drills and certain sizes of milling machines - William Asquith Ltd (HalifaxHalifax, West YorkshireHalifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
) Mainly heavy radial and vertical drills - James Butler & Co (Halifax) Light slotters, light planers and shapers
- Churchill Machine Tool CoChurchill Machine Tool CompanyThe Churchill Machine Tool Company Limited began as the manufacturing subsidiary of the machine tool importers Charles Churchill & Company Limited founded in the early 1900s by US-born Charles Churchill...
(ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
) Grinding machines - Kendall & Gent (Manchester) Plano-mills
- G. Richards & Co (Manchester) Boring mills
- Smith & Coventry Ltd (SalfordCity of SalfordThe City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
) Plain and universal millers, high speed planers, gear-cutting machines - John Lang & Sons Ltd (JohnstoneJohnstoneJohnstone is a town in the council area of Renfrewshire and larger historic county of the same name in the west central Lowlands of Scotland.The town lies three miles west of neighbouring Paisley and twelve miles west of the centre of the city of Glasgow...
) Lathes of light patterns - J. Shanks & Co (Johnstone) Heavy lathes, planers and slotters
- H. W. Ward & Co (Birmingham) Capstan lathes