This year celebrates a very special anniversary, and indeed a very special birthday: 160 years of supplying world-class hot-dip galvanizing to thousands of customers across the UK. That is some birthday!
Doing it the Corbetts way
The company, which was originally founded by Samuel Corbett, opened its factory in Wellington, Shropshire in 1860. With its base now in nearby Telford, Shropshire has remained its home ever since.
The Corbetts’ had a good run with the business, starting with Samuel in 1809, who then passed ownership onto his sons William and George in 1885 after his death. It was then left to Howard Corbett in 1904, William’s son to take the reins of galvanizing.
Who would have thought that what Samuel Corbett had founded as an iron merchants in 1809, as well as working in the fields of agriculture and engineering, would go on to currently employ 105 people at its Telford manufacturing base?!
Dynamic history
To read more about our timeline, from our humble beginnings in the 1800s, all the way through to our more recent achievements, click here.
What a difference the years make!
However, today’s plants will be barely recognisable to those that started out all those years ago, with a new water recovery system in place, state-of-the-art kettles installed and a 13-strong fleet of vehicles in the yard acting as the distribution nerve centre for serving its customer base.
Over £300,000 has been put aside for the anniversary to replace flux and acid tanks, freeing up capacity and further speeding up the galvanizing process.
“We like to think ‘our past protects your future’, and this relates to the years of experience we have built in understanding our clients and what makes them tick,” said Sophie Williams, Finance Director.
Sophie, who was recently named in The Manufacturer’s Top 100, points to the many end uses that Corbetts the Galvanizers contribute to, most of which the general public would never realise.
“Our galvanizing can be seen applied to street furniture, and to keep vital infrastructure free of rust and corrosion. We process more smaller trailer chassis and static caravan chassis than any other chassis in the country. It’s all about delivering the performance, yet still making sure they look great.
“2020 will be a real celebration of our history, but also a marker in the sand for the next 160 years, starting with a 7% increase in volumes (2,450 tonnes). If we achieve this, revenue should be up by £1m – now that’s a good birthday present.”
You don’t get this far as a company without building a strong reputation. Contact Corbetts now about your project and see how galvanizing your steel can hurdle your challenges. We are able to provide work in the following industries:
- Construction, providing protection for what is being built around us
- Infrastructure, which has never been more important in a developing modern world
- Street Furniture, which is said to have a value exceeding £400m per year
- Chassis, protecting vehicles from corroding on the roads
- Cable Management, to keep the digital environment up and running
- Agriculture, helping farmers protect their equipment from the elements
In the meantime, if you have any other queries or want to learn more about Corbetts, you can:
- Connect with Finance Director, Sophie Williams on LinkedIn
- Follow the company’s Twitter account for more stories like this
- Find out more about the Corbetts Service
- Send an enquiry