Baker Perkins Ltd is a machine manufacturing company based mainly in Peterborough

Peterborough

Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...

.

History

The company has its origins with Jacob Perkins

Jacob Perkins

Jacob Perkins was an Anglo-American inventor, mechanical engineer and physicist. Born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, Perkins was apprenticed to a goldsmith...

 (1766-1849), an American inventor. His son, Angier March Perkins

Angier March Perkins

]Angier March Perkins was a U.S. engineer who worked most of his career in the UK and was instrumental in developing the new technologies of central heating.-Life:...

 (1799-1881), founded the firm of A. M. Perkins & Co Ltd to manufacture his inventions. In 1893, the company merged with Werner & Pfleiderer (London) to form Werner, Pfleiderer & Perkins Ltd. In 1904, the WP&P moved their manufacturing from London to Westwood, Peterborough

Westwood, Peterborough

Westwood is residential area of the city of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom. For electoral purposes it forms part of Ravensthorpe ward. Manufacturers of industrial machinery, Baker Perkins, relocated here from London in 1903...

. In 1914, owing to pressure over its German-sounding name, the company became Perkins Engineers Ltd. During World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, the company produced a range of armaments including Ricardo

Harry Ricardo

Sir Harry Ricardo was one of the foremost engine designers and researchers in the early years of the development of the internal combustion engine....

 engines for Mark IV tank

Mark IV tank

The British Mark IV tank was a British tank of the First World War. Introduced in 1917, it benefitted from significant developments on the first British tank the intervening designs being small batches used for training...

s. In 1918 it merged with Joseph Baker

Joseph Allen Baker

Joseph Allen Baker was a Canadian born engineer, specialising in machinery for the confectionery and bakery industries and later in transportation systems, who was also a Liberal Party politician in London.-Family and education:...

 & Sons Ltd of Willesden

Willesden

Willesden is an area in North West London which forms part of the London Borough of Brent. It is situated 5 miles north west of Charing Cross...

 to become Joseph Baker Sons & Perkins Ltd and in 1923, Baker Perkins Ltd.

Between the wars, the company manufactured a wide range of machinery including laundry equipment.
In 1939, Baker Perkins was asked to take on production of the new twin 6-pounder coast defence gun

QF 6 pounder 10 cwt gun

The British QF 6 pounder 10 cwt gun"6 pounder" refers to approximate weight of projectiles, which was a traditional British way of denoting small guns. "10 cwt" referred to the approximate weight of the gun and breech in cwt rounded up : 10 cwt = 10 x 112 pounds = 1,120 pounds...

 and also made components for a wide range of other artillery pieces. Post war, Baker Perkins specialised in equipment for the food processing and printing industries.

Latest Mergers

In 1987, Baker Perkins merged with APV

APV

APV may refer to:* APV , or AP5, a selective NMDA receptor antagonist* Actuarial present value, a probability weighted present value often used in insurance* Adjusted present value, a variation of the net present value...

 of Crawley

Crawley

Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex, England. It is south of Charing Cross, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town of Chichester, covers an area of and had a population of 99,744 at the time of the 2001 Census.The area has...

, and they renamed the company APV Baker. Production ceased at the Westwood plant in 1991. In 2006 APV Baker was acquired by private investors John Cowx and Brian Taylor. They renamed the company back to Baker Perkins Ltd. Baker Perkins currently operates in two office locations, the headquarters being in Paston

Paston, Peterborough

Paston is a residential area and electoral ward of the city of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom. The area was mainly built and developed in the 1970s and 1980s...

, Peterborough

Peterborough

Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...

 with a second office in Grand Rapids, Michigan.