HISTORY OF OUR PLANT

In 1894 Charles Brady King of Detroit Michigan, patented the pneumatic hammer. At a time of rapid growth in construction, mining, shipbuilding and the fledgling automotive business, the new concept of pneumatic tools and compressors were set to revolutionise industry.

King, with his assistant Oliver Barthel built Detroit’s first car and in 1896 he became the first man to drive a car in the city of Detroit. An enthusiastic participant in the first test drive, was a young Electrical Engineer named Henry Ford who peddled his bicycle along side King's auto as it reached a top speed of 5 mph.

While King went on to concentrate on the automotive industry, his pneumatic hammer was developed Milwaukee foundry foreman J.W. Duntley and young steel tycoon Charles Schwab who expanded the range of tools under the name of the newly formed Chicago Pneumatic Tool Company (CP), in Detroit in 1901.

The early 1900’s, saw the rapid expansion of CP and led to the search for a European manufacturing base. Prominent local businessman and Member of Parliament, Archibald Maconochie, persuaded CP to set up a plant in Fraserburgh, Scotland. Fraserburgh was a small fishing town on the east coast, 40 miles north of Aberdeen with a population of less than 10,000. Heavily reliant on the herring industry that was already in decline, Maconochie sought a more sustainable industry for the area. In 1903, a new 25,000 sq.ft. facility was built to manufacture the CP “Boyer” and “Little Giant” range of percussive tools.

In 1923 CP become an agent and distributor for The Duff Manufacturing Company of Pittsburgh Pa. (est. 1883) for their range of lifting jacks that were used extensively alongside CP’s products in mining, ship-building, railways and construction.

In 1928 The Duff Manufacturing Company merged with A.O Norton of Illinois to become the Duff-Norton Manufacturing Company. CP tools and Duff-Norton jacks were subsequently used in the construction of many notable projects including the “Queen Mary” and “Queen Elizabeth” Cunard White Star Liners at John Brown’s shipyard in Clydebank., the Golden Gate Bridge, Hoover Dam, Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Empire state building.

CP had this time licensed-in Duff-Norton’s products for manufacturing at the Fraserburgh plant. The factory played an important role during both world wars particularly in the second where pneumatic tools were manufactured for use in shipbuilding, aircraft construction and munitions. The breech mechanism for the famous Bofors anti-aircraft gun and the fuel pump and booster for the equally famous Rolls-Royce Merlin Engine, which powered the Spitfire aircraft, were top priority features of the factory production at this time. One CP tool became part of an icon symbolising courage during the war. “Rosie the Riviter” Norman Rockwell features a young woman eating her lunch with a CP riveting hammer on her lap. The painting sold recently for $5million.

In the late 1930s, worm gear screw jacks were developed and promoted Duff-Norton for adjusting the height of platforms and tables. A with the other Duff-Norton products, CP began manufacturing these under license for the European Market. the 1960's the plant employed over 1,000 people on 200,000 sq ft 15 acre site. An additional 160,000 sq ft factory had been opened in 1952 in Aberdeen employing an additional 550 . The product ranges comprised of compressors, industrial pneumatic tools, automotive tools and Duff-Norton products at the 2 plants. In addition to the head office in London, CP had a further 12 centres in the UK and employed over 2000. US manufacturing facilities included Utica NY and Franklin Pa. with subsidiaries world-wide employing an additional 7000.

Although the Screw Jacks were a relatively small part of the CP business, demand was such that a metric range was developed in the early 1970's specifically for the European market.

In the 1970’s, recession, inflation and industrial disputes hit the CP business and the Aberdeen plant closed in 1981. CP Group sales still exceeded $200 million but the company was subject to an aggressive take-over the Danaher Corporation in 1984. Predictably it was sold on again this time to competitor Atlas Copco in 1987.

Following the acquisition Atlas Copco, the Fraserburgh plant was set to close in 1987. A new licensing agreement with Duff-Norton was negotiated and Screw Jack Ltd created with screw jacks, linear actuators and mechanical jacks at the centre of the business together with some CP tools for US market.

Tool production ceased in 1993 after 90 years and the company's efforts were concentrated on Screw Jacks and Linear Motion products. In 2002 Screw Jack main UK competitor Precision Actuation Systems was acquired along with Neeter Drive Ltd.

In 2003 the licensing agreement with Duff-Norton that had been in existence for 80 years was terminated in favour of reciprocal distribution agreements.