Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers
of Lloyds Avenue, Fenchurch Street, London
1900 The company was registered on 10 July as Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers (1900), to take over the undertakings of several firms and companies engaged in the manufacture of Portland cement. [1]. 24 cement companies, owning a total of 35 cement plants, were amalgamated; all but two of which were located on the Thames and Medway estuaries near London. The companies were: [2]
On the River Thames
- John Bazley-White and Brothers works at Swanscombe and Greenhithe
- Hilton, Anderson and Brooks works at Grays
- Knight, Bevan and Sturge works at Northfleet
- I. C. Johnson and Co works at Greenhithe
- Gibbs and Co works at West Thurrock, Grays
- Francis and Co works at Cliffe
- London Portland Cement Co works at Northfleet
- Robins and Co works at Northfleet
- Imperial Portland Cement Co, Northfleet
- Wilders and Cary at Greenhithe
- Weston and Co works at Northfleet
- Macervoy and Holt works at Northfleet
- Hollick and Co works at Greenwich
- Lawrence and Wimble works at Northfleet
- New Rainham Portland Cement Works at Rainham
- Tower Portland Cement works at Northfleet
On the River Medway
- Hilton, Anderson and Brooks works at Upnor, Halling and Faversham
- John Bazley-White and Brothers works at Gillingham, and Bridge, Globe and Quarry Works, Frindsbury
- Burham Brick, Lime and Cement Co
- Tingey and Son works at Frindsbury and Chalk Quarries
- Booth and Co works at Borstal and Cuxton
- McLean, Levett and Co works, Findsbury and Elmley
- Trenchmann, Weekes and Co works Halling
- West Kent Portland Cement Works Aylesford and Burham
- Phoenix Portland Cement Works,Borstal
- Borstal Manor Portland Cement Works, Borstal
- Wouldham (Medway) Cement Works, Wouldham
Outside Thames and Medway District
- I. C. Johnson and Co works at Gates-on-Tyne
- Charles Francis, Son and Co works, Newport, Isle of Wight
- Arlesey Lime and Portland Cement Co works
Working agreements
- Martin, Earle and Co, Wickham, Medway
- William Lee, Son and Co
- Wouldham Cement Co, West Thurrock
- Queenborough Portland Cement Co, Medway
Name changed to APCM Ltd
1911 Manufacturer of Cement for the Railways.[3]
1920 Formation of a joint marketing company with British Portland Cement Manufacturers, Martin Earle and Co and Wouldham Cement Co, which would be called the Cement Marketing Company Ltd[4]
1924 Address of the Works Department changed from 6, Lloyd's-avenue, London, E.C. 3, to Portland House, Tothill-street, Westminster, S .W. I.[5]
1960s The Crown works, then called the Crown and Quarry Works, was the last to close.
1978 The name of the UK company was officially changed from APCM Ltd to Blue Circle Industries PLC. The Blue Circle name is said to have come from when a director drew a circle in blue pen around the name of the merged companies
2001 Blue Circle Industries Plc was taken over by a French company, Lafarge, the world's leading producer of cement.
The company was founded in 1900 as Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers Ltd by the amalgamation of 24 cement companies, owning a total of 35 cement plants, all but two of which were located on Thames and Medway estuaries near London. These included the two cement plants (Robin's and Swanscombe) that first manufactured Portland cement in the 1840s.
The initial prospectus of the merger was to unify the entire British cement industry, eliminating competition, and excluding imports. The attempt to achieve this failed, because a number of small companies, many of them outside the London area, refused to discuss the proposition, four major players in the initial discussions dropped out, and a further three committed companies dropped out at the last minute.
The company held 70% of the British cement manufacturing capacity (1.25 million tons per annum out of a total 1.8 million tons). The company had acquired, at considerable cost, patents related to the use of rotary kilns.
The cement kiln patents proved valueless, since rotary kilns were already in place or being installed by their competitors. In the ensuing decade, the majority of the rotary kilns installed in Britain were installed by the competition, including several newly-launched companies. Because of the disastrous circumstances of the company launch, it was short of cash and could ill afford investment.
By 1910 its capacity remained 1.25 million tons per annum, although competing capacity had risen to 1.8 million tons. Although a few favoured plants had been uprated, the majority of the original 35 had been shut down.
In 1911, a second attempt was made to unify the industry. 33 companies, including all the original drop-outs, were merged to form the British Portland Cement Manufacturers. This time, a substantial number of plants outside the London area were involved. Again, a small but significant number of companies refused to join.
The combined APCM and BPCM companies now controlled 80% of national capacity, in 58 plants. This pattern became a template for subsequent history: declining capacity share was periodically boosted by acquisition of competitors, and the company continued to maintain 60-70% of British capacity until its demise
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Wikipedia