Talboys Manufacturing Co
of Tame Road, Witton, Birmingham
Filed around 14 patents and these range from combustion engine silencer, industrial plating process for motorcycle petrol and oil tanks, several types of combustion engines air cleaners, folding tables and chairs made of steel tubing.
1939 Advertising for staff.[1]
1978 Sells its tank, sheet and press-work business to Speedwell Gear Case Co.[2]
1978 The Tame Road factory offered for sale when they lose the contract to make tubular furniture. Looking for smaller premises. John Bell is MD. [3][4]
1974 From Fuel Tanks to Chairs[5]
Mr. E. G. Lawrence (father of Mr. J. E. M. Lawrence the present head of the firm) founded the business in 1919 in association with Mr. W. Mansell and Mr. J. W. T. Talboys at premises in Bright Street, Aston. At the time Mr. Lawrence was general manager of Norton Motors and Mr. Mansell was a director and their first orders as sheet metal workers were for fuel ranks for Norton Motorcycles.
The company began with a handful of employees and as trade grew their number increased. The bright street premises soon proved inadequate and in 1923 the business was moved to Philip Street, Aston.
Within four years the firm found another move necessary. A site was bought in Tame road, Witton and the nucleus of the present factory was built there.
Frequent additions have been made to the original two bays and the company now has a 50,000 sq. ft. factory which occupies virtually the whole of the Tame road site.
For the first 15 years of its existence the business was concerned with sheet metal work, but in 1935 there was a significant step forward into tubular steel fabrications. It had begun in this field with the production of motor-cycle exhaust pipes.
Contact was then made with Kingfisher Ltd., of West Bromwich, and Talboys took over the production of the tubular steel frames for its chairs and other furniture. This now represents a substantial part of the Birmingham company's business with the production of thousands of items a week, including school desks and stools.
The Talboys company is involved in a new Kingfisher venture which provides for the complete furnishing of school and canteen premises. Tubular steel furniture is to be supplied from the Witton factory.
At the same time the company is maintaining a steady output of sheet metal work. This includes pressings and welded assemblies for the motor and electrical industries, fuel tanks for stationary engines and compressors and sheet metal work (and some tubular fabricating) for the agricultural industry.
The company manufactures to customers' specifications. It has its own design capacity, but customers usually provide their own specifications.
A regular programme of plant modernisation has helped to keep the well-organised workshops up to date and enabled the company to record a consistent growth rate.
Mr. J. E. M. Lawrence, is chairman and managing director of the company. Mr. W. G. E Talboys is sales director. Mr. D. E. May, works director and Mr. David Lawrence financial director and company secretary.
Mr. Anthony Lawrence, brother of David, is also employed by the company as a sales representative and assistant to Mr. W. Talboys and, in time, could also be appointed director.
There is a workforce of 110, including a small percentage of women. They are engaged in spraying, sewing - the company fits the canvas covers to the infants' rest beds which are among the school furniture and supplies replacements for the canvas-seated chair models - and in assembly work.
Three of the sheet metal workers bare proud records of service. Mr. James MacDonald has completed 50 years of service with the firm. Mr. John Heaton 40 years and Mr. Tom Bedwood 48 years.
The company is quick to investigate new techniques and this awareness of the need to maintain its position has led to the addition of the electrostatic powder coating plant to its range of equipment This has increased spraying capacity considerably, the firm's electrostatic enamel finish wet-spray system is still in use.
The new plant is fully automatic and it is expected that when a reorganised system of Jigs is complete the company will be able to achieve the present week’s output in three days.
Tubular steel fabrications are produced for Kingfisher contracts with education authorities and firms throughout the country. Deliveries are made direct from Witton by the Talboys transport fleet supplemented by outside contractors when necessary. This operation is facilitated by the company's situation close to the Midland motorway network.
The new coating plant is being used primarily to give tubular steel items a more durable finish. It is also being applied successfully to the company's sheet metal products for the motor and electrical industries and in the production of lawn-mower components.