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Nettlefolds Ltd. and the Screw Industry, 1880–1902

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A History of GKN

Abstract

Nettlefolds had grown at a remarkable pace from the foundation of their mill at Smethwick in 1854. The resignation of Joseph Chamberlain in 1874, and the loss of capital that resulted, did not diminish the firm’s dominance of the British woodscrew market. Even the competition provided by the opening of a modern factory nearby, owned by the Birmingham Screw Co. Ltd., had been successfully combated and this rival establishment failed to pose its promised threat. From the formation of Nettlefolds Ltd. in 1880 to their takeover by Guest, Keen & Co. in 1902, the company continued to earn high levels of profit, maintained their position at home, and though they lost ground to German and American competitors overseas and even in imperial territories, remained the world’s premier screw maker.

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  1. Edgar Jones
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© 1987 GKN plc

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Jones, E. (1987). Nettlefolds Ltd. and the Screw Industry, 1880–1902. In: A History of GKN. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-06629-2_7

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