John Folkes of Lye Forge, near Stourbridge.
1699 Company founded.
1939 John Folkes (Lye Forge) Ltd was incorporated as a private company.
1953 Company made public.
1958 Name changed to John Folkes Group.
1961 Forgemasters and general engineers, manufacturing ships propeller shafts and crank shafts, piston rods, valve guide rods, connecting rods, shafting, axles, drums and rollers. [1]
1967 One of the larger steel companies not subject to nationalisation[2]
1968 John Folkes acquired Hefo, with which it already had close relations[3]; name changed to John Folkes Hefo Ltd
The housing side of the business was the major source of profits for some years but this reversed in the early 1970s.
1969 Acquired Clarkes (Redditch)[4]
1972 Acquired Union Sheet
1973 John Folkes Hefo acquired Wilkes and Godwin, Specialised Heat Treatment and Wright Hingley[5]
1985 After a programme of rationalisation, the name was changed to Folkes Group; the business was restructured in 4 divisions: engineering, services, property and consumer products[6]
2002 Acquired by a private company belonging to the Folkes family[7]