ECC
ECC or English China Clays was primarily a mining company involved in the extraction of Kaolin, based in St Austell, Cornwall.
See also -
Formed in 1919 by the merger of West of England China Clay Co, Martin Brothers and North Cornwall China Clays. The three companies accounted for around half the output at the time.
The Pochin Ball Clay Co and the Mainbow Clay Co joined before the Second World War.
1932 Merger of English China Clays with two of its main rivals: Lovering China Clays and H. D. Pochin. This formed a new company English Clays, Lovering, Pochin, & Co. (ECLP and Co. Ltd), subsequently known as ECC International Ltd.
1954 The name of ECLP was retained until it was able to buy the shares from the Lovering family and Pochin family. ECLP was restructured, and became a wholly owned subsidiary of the newly-formed English China Clays group.
1960s There was a 'scramble' between WBB and English China Clays to acquire the other companies in the industry. English China Clays acquired Meeth (North Devon) and Pike Brothers, Fayle (a merger of the two Dorset companies), operating its ball clay business under the name of Hexter and Budge (which then became ECC Ball Clays). Following these acquisitions, English China Clays's share of UK ball clay production was about 40%.
By 1969 the industry had been consolidated by a series of mergers and acquisitions into just two groups, Watts, Blake, Bearne and Co (WBB) and English China Clays (ECC)
1974 Acquired a 50 percent interest in International Drilling Fluids, apart from their American activities[1] and a controlling interest in Crown Cassette Communications, distributor of video cassettes[2]
1975 The principal subsidiaries were:[3]
- English Clays, Lovering, Pochin, & Co. Ltd
- E.C.C. Quarries Ltd
- Selleck Nicholls Williams (E.C.C.) Ltd
- Heavy Transport (E.C.C.) Ltd
- English China Clays Sales Co Ltd
- Western Excavating (E.C.C.) Ltd
- E.C.C. Ball Clays Ltd
- Anglo-American Clays Corporation
Associated companies:
- Ready Mixed Concrete (South-West) Ltd
- The New Consolidated Mines of Cornwall Ltd
- International Drilling Fluids Ltd
1978 The business was organised as:[4]
- Clay Division
- Quarries Division
- Building Division
- Transport and Services Division
ECLP was split into four divisions: ECC construction materials, ECC quarries, and ECC transportation, and ECC International. ECC transportation was later merged into ECC International.
Later the company divested all but two of its divisions, ECC International and ECC Quarries.
1982 Acquired Guinness's holiday businesses[5]
1984 Acquired Charcon, maker of concrete blocks
1984 Acquired housebuilder E. H. Bradley which became part of ECC Quarries, doubling the group's housebuilding capacity.
1986 English Clays, Lovering, Pochin, & Co was renamed ECC International Ltd.
1986 The English China Clays group consisted of 4 divisions:[6]
- ECC International
- ECC Quarries
- International Drilling Fluids
- ECC Construction
1986 The Leisure division was sold to the Rank Organisation. Tried but failed to acquire Bryant Holdings Ltd, a West Midlands house builder.
1990 English China Clays Public Limited Company was renamed ECC Group plc
1992 Name changed from ECC Group plc to English China Clays plc
1999 ECC International was acquired by the French company Imetal in 1999, changing its name to Imerys. Imerys has kept ECC International subsidiary as its speciality china clay producing division under that name, even though it does not use that name or division logo, which have been replaced by the Imerys name and logo. Imerys is now the world's largest china clay producer.