Bakelite Xylonite
Bakelite Xylonite (BXL), of Manningtree, Essex
- 1961 Distillers Co bought the remaining 50% interest in British Xylonite Co.
- 1963 British Xylonite became part of a new grouping called Bakelite Xylonite Ltd established jointly with Union Carbide, and including plants at Birmingham, Aycliffe and Grangemouth.
- Several sales and mergers took place in the 1960s and 1970s
- 1973 Distillers Co sold its 50% stake to Union Carbide[1].
- 1973 The industrial chemicals operations at Brantham and the PVC production unit at Aycliffe were sold to British Industrial Plastics, a subsidiary of Turner and Newall Ltd[2].
- 1976 The decorative laminates business at Aycliffe was sold to Perstorp AB of Sweden[3].
- 1977 The Brantham site was in turn purchased by Storey Brothers of Lancaster, formerly a major commercial rival.
- The Brantham site now operates as part of the Wardle Storeys Group, manufacturing limited quantities of xylonite using traditional processes and equipment until the 1980s.