Wolverhampton Metal Co
Wolverhampton Metal Co, copper smelters and refiners, makers of alloys, and dealers in non-ferrous scrap, of James House, Wednesfield, near Wolverhampton.
c.1876 Henry Summerhill established a business of metal merchants in Wednesfield.[1].
1895 H. S. James joined Summerhill; his 5 grandsons all took active part in the business
1903 Company incorporated
1908 Converted into a private company
1918 Listed as 'The Wolverhampton Metal Co., Ltd., Wednesbury, Wolverhampton'.[2]
1942 Acquired minority share in James Bridge Copper Works, at a time when it was mainly a washing plant of the old jig type with relatively small furnaces.
1944 Purchased the remaining shares in James Bridge Copper Works from the James family.
1945 Acquired the Birmingham metal refining business of the late F. W. Parsons
1946 Public company; substantial investments by Imperial Smelting Corporation and British Metal Corporation[3] who would play an active part in the management of the business.
1948 Partly acquired Barton Williams and Co (Birmingham) Ltd, a metal refiners
1951 Acquired the remaining shares in Barton Williams
1949 Acquired Hayes Metals (Gloucester) Ltd, a ferrous and non-ferrous metal merchants - perhaps connected with Hayes and Marvin?
1950 Established the Wolverhampton Metal Company (Australia) Pty Ltd in Sydney
1955 Gloucester branch established as subsidiary: Hayes Metals (Gloucester) Ltd -
By 1964 the Wolverhampton Metal Group included Wolverhampton Metal Co and James Bridge Copper Works[4]
1964 Imperial Metal Industries acquired 29.6% of Wolverhampton Metal (Holdings) Ltd[5]
1966 Acquired Actid Ltd producers of electrolytic copper cathode and copper sulphate; other subsidiaries were Wolverhampton Abrasives, Allcock and Co, Barton Williams and Co, [6]
1967 Wolverhampton Metal (Holdings) acquired Garnham, Harris and Elton from Strauss (Holdings)[7]
1968 IMI acquired the company[8]
1969 Part of Imperial Metal Industries