Empire Rib
Umbrella manufacturer of Sheffield
1946 The Empire Rib Company Ltd was incorporated
1961 Public company
1964 Proposed merger of Musical and Plastic Industries (MPI), whose main product was the Beatle guitar, with Empire Rib, an umbrella manufacturer, and F. H. Tomkins by exchange of one share of MPI for one share of each of the other 2 companies; Mr Denis Royston, chairman of Empire Rib was also a director of F. H. Tomkins and, with another individual, owned 37.5% of MPI[1] but the merger did not proceed.
1965 Produced 80% of the umbrella frames sold in the UK
1965 Shares suspended at its own request; 2 directors resigned[2].
1966 Loan from Empire Rib to F. H. Tomkins was settled by a transfer by its subsidiary Arnold and Wood of Monkhouse and Brown, steel stockholders, to Tomkins' subsidiary Steel Nut and Joseph Hampton[3].
1969 Proposed changing its name to Raine Engineering Industries[4]