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William Cook Group

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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

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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, Sir 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

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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

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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] During the Russo-Ukrainian War Cook Defence Systems manufactured track for soviet built equipment for use by Ukraine.[21]

References

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  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.
  21. ^ "Tank Museum helps defence firm recreate tank tracks for Ukraine". BBC News. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
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