A. Reyrolle & Company
Former British engineering firm based in Hebburn, Tyne and Wear
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A. Reyrolle & Company was a British engineering firm based in Hebburn, Tyne and Wear in the North East of England. For many years the company was one of the largest employers on Tyneside.
| |
.jpg) Aerial view of Reyrolle factory, Hebburn, 1962 | |
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Engineering |
| Founded | 1886 |
| Defunct | 1998 |
| Fate | Acquired |
| Successor | Siemens |
| Headquarters | Hebburn, UK |
| Products | Switchgear |
History
The company was founded by Alphonse Reyrolle, at Fitzroy Square in London in 1886.[1] It moved to Hebburn on Tyneside in 1901.[2] At its peak it manufactured switchgear for power stations worldwide and employed 12,000 people.[2]
The company had its own football team, which evolved into Hebburn Town F.C.[3]
The company merged with C. A. Parsons and Company to form Reyrolle Parsons in 1968.[4]
Following the appointment of James Woodeson as chairman in 1974,[5] Reyrolle Parsons merged with Clarke Chapman to form Northern Engineering Industries plc in 1977.[4] Northern Engineering Industries was acquired by Rolls-Royce plc in 1989.[4]
The business was acquired in 1998 by VA Technologie AG,[6] which was acquired by the industrial conglomerate Siemens in 2005, reuniting the company with Parsons under the new owners.[7] Siemens supported the Reyrolle installed base on a global basis, with Operations and Protection based at the remaining section of the original Reyrolle Works in Hebburn, although this constitutes only around 10 percent of the original site.[8] The Major Projects division is based at a modern office building on the nearby Monkton Business Park.[9]
The New Zealand division, Reyrolle Pacific, was sold by Siemens AG/VA Tech to a private individual in New Zealand.[10] This included the switchgear factory in Petone, with a staff of about 100.[11] Reyrolle Pacific Switchgear became RPS Switchgear and manufactures retrofit breakers for the original LMT switchgear, and vacuum breakers and panels for 11 kV substations.[11]
