Morgan Crucible Co
of Battersea Works, Church Road, Battersea
The Morgan Crucible Co is one of the largest UK manufacturers of carbon and ceramic products for industrial use.
1851 After seeing American-made crucibles at the Great Exhibition (perhaps this observation was made by William Vaughan Morgan who was in London at the time), the Morgan Brothers became sole agents for crucibles from Joseph Dixon and Co, a New Jersey manufacturer of crucibles.
1855 Walter Vaughan Morgan, who worked for the National Provincial Bank of England joined 5 of his brothers in setting up a new enterprise, Morgan Brothers, bankers and merchants[1].
1856 The 6 brothers obtained the manufacturing rights from the American company and a factory was opened in Battersea. The company was founded as the Patent Plumbago Syndicate to make graphite crucibles.
The Patent Plumbago Syndicate were importers, exporters and merchants. Ceramic crucibles was one of the items they imported.
1859 Established the Chemist and Druggist and the Ironmonger journals, originally to promote their own businesses in hardware and druggist's sundries[2] - see Morgan Brothers (Publishers)
1870 The firm disposed of the mercantile side of the business
1878 Dissolution of the Silicated Carbon Filter Co in Battersea
1881 The current name of the company, the Morgan Crucible Company, was adopted.
1890 Took limited company status. Crucible manufacturers, potters, and manufacturers of Plumbago. [3] The company was registered on 3 March, to acquire the business of manufacturers of crucibles carried on by the Morgan Brothers. [4]
1890 Dissolution of the Partnership between Walter V. Morgan, Septimus V. Morgan, Octavius V. Morgan, Edward V. Morgan, S. Arthur Peto, and Arthur R. Harding, lately carrying on business as Crucible Manufacturers, under the style of the Morgan Crucible Company, at the Battersea Works, Battersea, as from the date hereof, the business having been taken over by the Morgan Crucible Company Limited, which is continuing to carry on the same.[5]
1904 The company diversified into carbon brushes.
WWI Company acquired the crucible business of Doulton and Co
1922 The youngest and last surviving brother, Edward Vaughan Morgan, died. Members of the following generation continued the Morgan involvement in the business.
1928 Alliance with Universal Grinding Wheel Co to share technical expertise and work together; Morgan would subscribe for new shares in that company[6].
1929 The Russian authorities closed the Leningrad factory and arrested its director after many years in which he defended this private company against the pressure exerted by the regime[7]
1948 Formed a subsidary Company - Morganite Resistors Limited.
1960 The reorganisation of the group had been underway for 12 years and was completed with the creation of 4 new subsidiaries, bringing the total to 11 home subsidiaries and 12 external ones[8]
1961 Morgan Crucible ceased to be a trading company; new UK trading subsidiaries were created:
1961 Parent of 19 subsidiaries employing 8,000 people. [9]
1961 Manufacturers of carbon brushes, carbon products, crucibles, furnaces, foundry plumbago, refractories; electrical and engineering products, radio and heavy duty resistors; bronze oil retaining bearings and sintered metal products. 8,000 employees. [10]
1962 Other UK companies were (see advert):
- Morgan Components
- Morganite Export
- Morgan Refractories
- Morgan-Mintex
- Graphite Products
- Ship Carbon Company of Great Britain.
1964 The company became one of the first businesses in the UK to computerise its financial records.
1968 Acquired George Rowney and Co
1970s The Battersea factory, which had become too small, closed.
1976 The company relocated its manufacturing operations from Battersea to Morriston in Wales and Norton in Worcestershire.
1977 Closed the carbon fibre venture at Battersea because of the lack of domestic demand.
1984 Formation of Morgan Matroc subsidiary
1986 Morgan Crucible Co took over the First Castle Group to increase its involvement in silicon electronics. The group had reduced its dependence on supplying the metal smelting industry to less than 10 percent of turnover, concentrating instead on providing specialist materials in the fields of carbon and ceramics. Acquired Duramic Products Inc of USA; established new subsidiary Morgan Matroc Inc as its vehicle for expansion in USA[11]
2005 The company's magnetics division was disposed of. [12]
2013 Morgan Crucible Co plc changed its name to Morgan Advanced Materials plc on 27 March 2013.
2018 Morgan Advanced Materials plc is a global engineering company, listed on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 250. They manufacture in 30 countries and employ approximately 8,800 employees. They continue to manufacture products from carbon and ceramic (including crucibles).[13]
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ The Times, May 11, 1922
- ↑ Times, May 11, 1922
- ↑ The Engineer of 14th March 1890 p229
- ↑ The Stock Exchange Year Book 1908
- ↑ London Gazette 24 June 1890
- ↑ The Times, Jan 31, 1928
- ↑ The Times Feb 19, 1929
- ↑ The Times, Jul 29, 1960
- ↑ 1961 Guide to Key British Enterprises
- ↑ 1961 Dun and Bradstreet KBE
- ↑ The Times Apr. 22, 1986
- ↑ [1] Answers.com
- ↑ [2]