William Cook Group

The William Cook group is a British steel company headquartered in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.[1][2] It is the UK's largest manufacturer of steel castings.[3]

History

William Cook was founded in 1840 in Glasgow, by the present chairman's great great grandfather, William Cook. After surviving a bank failure in the latter half of the 19th century, a small factory was founded in Sheffield in 1883, making crucible steel castings for collieries.[4] The company remained in family ownership until 1956, when the company was floated on the London Stock Exchange. The company continued to grow, building and developing a new works in Sheffield, which is today one of the group's four main plants.[5][6][7]

The present Chairman, Andrew Cook,[8] took control of the company in 1981. In 2004, the company was brought back to 100% family ownership after a hostile takeover bid from Triplex-Lloyd plc.[9]

Company structure

The William Cook group consists of three arms - Cook Defence Systems,[10] William Cook Rail[11] and William Cook Cast Products. William Cook Cast Products specialises in high-specification castings in specialist alloys for energy, infrastructure and specialist engineering. Cook Defence Systems makes track systems and armoured steel castings for fighting vehicles.[12] William Cook Rail makes cast steel components and complete coupler assemblies for trains. The company has three main plants - one in Sheffield, one in Leeds, and one in Stanhope. The company is a member of the Cast Metals Federation,[13] and the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC).

Significant activity

In 2014, the William Cook group was recognised as one of Yorkshire's Fastest 50 - a list of the fifty fastest growing companies in the region.[14] In 2015, the British Secretary of State for Defence, the Rt Hon Michael Fallon, announced that the Ministry of Defence had awarded Cook Defence Systems a four-year, £70 million deal to supply spare tracks for the British Army's in-service armoured vehicles.[15][16][17][18] This was followed in 2016 by Cook Defence Systems securing a £30m contract with General Dynamics to supply tracks for the British Army's new AJAX armoured vehicle.[19] In 2016, the Group joined the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) as a research partner.[20]

References
  1. "Leading cast steel engineering group becomes latest Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre partner". Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre. The University of Sheffield. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  2. Williamson, Jonny (10 May 2016). "Cast steel engineering group becomes latest AMRC partner". The Manufacturer. The Manufacturer. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  3. Marsh, Peter. "How a Sheffield steel-casting maker survives". Financial Times. Financial Times. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  4. "Global demand sees William Cook plan £5m site investment". The Yorkshire Post. The Yorkshire Post. 17 May 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  5. Wright, Greg (14 January 2012). "Cook shrugs off the turmoil to boost profits". The Yorkshire Post. The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  6. "Yorkshire industrial group William Cook acquires County Durham military track manufacturer Astrum (UK)". gordonsllp.com. Gordons LLP. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  7. "History". William Cook Steel Castings. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  8. "THE NEW YEAR HONOURS: The Prime Minister's List". Independent. 30 December 1995. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  9. "Global demand sees William Cook plan £5m site investment". Yorkshire Post. 17 May 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  10. "Engineering a major acquisition". Gordons LLP. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  11. "William Cook Rail - Complete Solutions for Powered and Non-Powered Passenger Vehicles, Freight Vehicles and Locomotives". Railway Technology. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  12. "Sheffield firm wins £30m contract to supply parts for new fleet of British Army fighting vehicles". The Star. Johnston Publishing Limited. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  13. "William Cook Cast Products Ltd". Cast Metals Federation. Cast Metals Federation. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  14. "The high achievers that have won a place in Yorkshire's Fastest 50". Yorkshire Post. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  15. Tovey, Alan (19 November 2015). "Tanks a lot: Cook Defence Systems wins £70m Army deal". The Telegraph. The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  16. Fallon MP, The Rt Hon Michael (19 November 2015). "Defence investment boost for Northern Powerhouse". Gov.uk. Gov.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  17. Hugill, Steven (25 November 2015). "Stanhope firm's work ethic keeps the Army on right tracks". The Northern Echo. The Northern Echo. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  18. "£70m MoD order for William Cook". The Star. Johnston Publishing Limited. The Star. 19 November 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  19. "Defence firm scores multi-million pound army contract". Business Quarter. Room 501 Publishing. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  20. "Leading cast steel engineering group becomes latest Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre partner". Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre. The University of Sheffield. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
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