simple phone call to footprint tools and we have the answer

[Rob H]

just got off the phone to the former M D of footprint as this shows they are still there and I got the full story whitch is toooo long to repeat word for word but to make it short- As of today 1/10/2009 they will be starting as footprint sheffield ltd (I think thats how he put it) the bigist part of the fall was the fact they where moving as we know but they also had on order a £500,000 forge and with the fall of the £ against the Euro it made it more like £750,000 and the banks wont lend them the money. Plus most of there trade was with the construction industry witch also floped they did not have a chance as there old forge was broken up when they left the old premises. they are staring with the side of there lines they can still make for the time been and are re recruiting some of the staff that have been layed off.

I have to phone him back in 2 weeks time and he will up date me more and let me know of a sale they will be having to get rid of the suff they will no longer be making. maybe a factory tour!

I have been up since 2pm yesterday and i carnt spell for toffy if you carnt understand any of that lot!

 

[Evergreen]

Rob

That's good news. Some of the first tools that I bought many years ago were by Footprint. Precious few Sheffield firms seem to have survived these days.

 

[wizer]

I was led to believe that they might not return to the woodworking sector? Did he say that Rob?

 

[Rob H]

they will be yes but not for the time been I think thats still down to forge problem like I said I have to phone him back in two weeks and this time I will make sure I am not half asleep when I phone him! He was more than happy to tell me every thing and he was happy that people still have an interest in the sheffield steel industry.

If you are intrested have a look at the sheffield forgemasters web site thats an eye opener as for what is still made in sheffeild

 

[plymouth pirate]

If I'm not mistaken, doesn't the Sydney Harbour Bridge have a "Made in Sheffield" plaque upon it somewhere?

Rgds, John

 

[Rob H]

there is a strong chance it has as it was designed and built by Dorman Long and Co Ltd, Middlesbrough Teesside ENGLAND

 

[plymouth pirate]

Gives you a little warm glow in the stomach, doesn't it?

 

[Rob H]

YES its all I have been doing for the last week or so digging into stuff like this and it as amazed me how much we still do even tho a lot of it has gone for good!

I get a strange buzz out of it and as I am from an engineering famly I fined it very interesting too

 

[matthewwh]

In terms of tonnage there's apparently as much steel produced in Sheffield now as there ever was. It's more specialised and there are fewer blokes making it but a lot of that is down to efficiency, and Sheffield now exports both first rate steel and associated products and first rate education.

We are all so used to hearing about 'the state of British manufacturing' but it's only the relative size of the service sector that makes people think it's in decline. It isn't, it's held steady for years and we are bloody good at it!

My buying policy includes sourcing products from the people who are best at making them. There is a cost element, I won't spend twice as much for something with a slight aesthetic advantage, but in general I try to buy the best on the market, and in an awful lot of cases it happens to be British.

I'm greatly relieved that Mr Jewitt has managed to pull Footprint back from the brink and that he's not too proud to phone his staff up and re-employ them as soon as he is able to - that must take a bit of doing. I would like to join the others in wishing them the best of luck.

 

[plymouth pirate]

I love the history of our country. I believe that up until WW2 we were responsible for around 66% of the worlds most significant inventions.

I still believe Mr Crapper leads the list.

Rgds

John

 

[Rob H]

well mr crapper was born in Waterside, Thorne, Yorkshire, England (Doncaster)
my missis works for a steel stockholder and most of there customers request british steel cos its so much more refined and stronger but it is a bit more expensive but if it lasts longer and you only have to do the job once that makes it cheeper for starters!

 

[Modernist]

If I'm not mistaken, doesn't the Sydney Harbour Bridge have a "Made in Sheffield" plaque upon it somewhere?

Rgds, John

You don't have to go that far - try Runcorn bridge, a miniature version of Sydney

 

[dickm]

most of there customers request british steel cos its so much more refined and stronger but it is a bit more expensive but if it lasts longer and you only have to do the job once that makes it cheeper for starters!

I wonder how may owners of 1970s Alfa Romeos made from recycled Russian steel wish that Alfa had followed that example?

 

[yetloh]

I haven't been following the other thread but it is good to hear they will survive. I bought a set of Footprint slot head screwdrivers about 30 years ago and they are truly amazing. One of them is now starting to round over a bit and some of the paint has gone off the handles but that is all. Truly an amazing buy. Of course, I use them much less these days with the advent of torx and pozi heads, but I still cherish them.

Jim

 

[Rob H]

I dont think the steel we used in our car making was all that good for the job every thing we have made has always had tin worm probblems (rot)
the problem there I think is the cleaner the steel the the more it rotts its the slag and impuraties that help prevent the rot thats why the old wrought iron bridges and such last so much better old steel had a lot more impuraties in it. Good or hard steel all ways rots/rusts faster same as the stuff in our work shops!