From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Visit to Toledo Woodhead Steel Works to investigate their potential as a steel supplier.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 143\3\ scan0051 | |
| Date | 21th December 1939 | |
| Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} - c to Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} 1264 Cgh{W Clough}/EM.5/GH.21.12.39. VISIT TO TOLEDO WOODHEAD STEEL WORKS. -------------------------------- In accordance with your instructions, I visited the above firm on Friday, December 15th., in order to investigate their possibilities as potential steel suppliers. I saw Mr. Frank Woodhead, and also met Mr. Good, the Chairman of the group which now consists of an amalgamation of a number of small companies including:- Toledo Woodhead Spring Co. Darwen & Co. Andrews Toledo Steel Co. I saw their plant which consists of one 3 ton High Frequency Electric furnace at the Darwen works, which is fully occupied on tool steels, stainless steels and other special grades, and they have no capacity for the general run of alloy steels such as we need. I then saw their plant at the Andrews works, where the bulk of their steel is made. They have in operation at the moment two fifteen ton Siemens open hearth furnaces capable of producing about 150 tons of steel ingots per week, and they have also a third similar furnace which is being entirely rebuilt and which will not be in operation for about three months. They are absolutely full up as regards melting capacity until February, when they expect to have a certain amount of spare melting capacity. They are undoubtedly making a good quality of Siemens open hearth steel in a number of different specifications. It is unfortunate that they have so little electric capacity, since obviously we shall need a considerable amount of development work before we are convinced, that we can use Siemens steel for Aero work, and particularly for the more highly stressed parts which have to be magnetically tested finally. - continued - | ||