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Qualcut Tools


Mikenaylor

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Does anyone remember Qualcut Tools Ltd at Handsworth, built in the early 1960's. If you do, you may remember Fred Naylor who built and ran this company. He will be celebrating his 100th birthday next month.

Is the building still in existence if so what is its use now.

Asking from Canada

Qualcut.jpeg

qualcut1.jpeg

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If I remember rightly, and I might not, then this factory was located just off Richmond Park Road, on what is now the Portland Business Park.

This used to be quite a large industrial site, and the buildings always seemed to have that 1940's wartime look, as if they had once been employed in some quasi-military activity.

Some of the original buildings still exist, although the site has been extensively redeveloped over the years.

As to whether the buildings that you have portrayed still exist in recognisable form, I do not know.

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On 11/20/2017 at 07:41, Unitedite Returns said:

If I remember rightly, and I might not, then this factory was located just off Richmond Park Road, on what is now the Portland Business Park.

This used to be quite a large industrial site, and the buildings always seemed to have that 1940's wartime look, as if they had once been employed in some quasi-military activity.

Some of the original buildings still exist, although the site has been extensively redeveloped over the years.

As to whether the buildings that you have portrayed still exist in recognisable form, I do not know.

 

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By an extraordinary coincidence I was in Sheffield yesterday over an hour from where I live and I happened to be in the area where Qualcut tools was started in 1947- Worksop Road, Sheffield 9. Yesterday evening I looked on the computer to see how close I was to the old Qualcut works. I saw the post about Qualcut. I am the son of one of the three founding Directors- A.Stanley Jackson, Jim Broughton and a chap called Eric?. The last of the three was the 'money' behind the venture and was not actively involved in the day to day running. My father was the technical man with expertise in steel making. The company can be seen on the UK's Company House records from 1947 (2 years before I was born).I have a set of accounts from 1951 from my father's old papers.

Customers included some exports to Germany, Vauxhall Motors at Luton (now General Motors) and Monks and Crane of Birmingham, part of Thorn Elecrical and later EMI. Again Companies House website shows the names, albeit now dormant or relocated. They moved Qualcut to the new premises at Handsworth Sheffield circa 1958.

Monks and Crane put in a bid to buy Qualcut and whilst my father wished to resist it, the two older majority directors accepted and Fred Naylor was put in by M&C as Managing Director. My father left the industry a few years later to take a pub in the countryside until poor health forced his retirement. He maintained contact with Fred Naylor and we did occasionally visit the works at Handsworth. On one memorable occasion for me, Fred visited our house about 30 miles from Sheffield in his brand new Jaguar XJ6 (1968+) and asked me if I would like a trip in it. As a car mad late teen I said yes, went inside to change my shoes and came out to find Fred in the passenger seat of his wonderful new car and handing the keys to me; a novice driver who had never driven an automatic before! If Fred is to be 100 years old there is somebody who certainly remembers him and a very nervous drive full of accidental two footed braking.

So Qualcut pre-dated Fred's involvement, but I hope this fills in a bit more of the picture of how he came to successfully run the company in Sheffield.

 

 

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Im pretty sure the Qualcut site at Handsworth was actually on the main road (A57 as was) and opposite what is now the Peugeot dealership. It is now a housing development and up until a few years ago, was occupied by another cutting tools firm, Lomas Engineering. They moved down to Dore House Industrial Estate, when one assumes the developers levelled the site and built the houses? In my days of youth on Handsworth, the works stood between the Oak House chippy and the Mobil petrol station. I've added a few maps, photos, links and stuff to show the old, new and location.... hope this is of use?

Lomas Engineering Photos on PS

IMG_2992.PNG

IMG_2994.JPG

IMG_2995.JPG

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Thanks for the replies to this post particularly Rob Jackson. Fred Naylor is my Dad and is indeed 100 years old today. Was very interested in your comments about the Jag. fairly typical of him. For your information Bilton Tools and Monks and Crane were subsidiaries of KMT Holdings. Bilton bought Qualcut and moved it to Handsworth. Sorry to say that I don’t remember your Dad but I do remember Jim Broughton and his son Paddy. Once again thanks for your story

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Sorry R Longden but Qualcut tools was nowhere near the Oak House Chippy It was just behind Birklands avenue and the 'eight foot, alley, passage' - what ever you call it, and was where new houses were built as a continuation of the Parsley Hay Close on to Handsworth Road. Back in the early eighties we, residents of the Parsley Hay estate put in several objections to the extension of the close making it a through road onto Handsworth Road and one of the objections cited the polluted soil from the Qualcut works.

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Hi Mike, I worked at Qualcut Tools starting in 1965 as junior draughtsman. I do remember Mr. Naylor, he was replaced by Jack Nicholson as managing director. The photos are great, I worked on the shop floor also, and know guys in the pic. By name. I understand that you are in Canada...me too, I emigrated in '88.

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i am harry hersbach from schiedam in holland , i knew your father very well .also your mother olive and sister margret and steve.                                                                        

i have been an employee during 1971 - 1974 as technical sales manager for europe.

i still remember employees like morris tuner , mr william ,dave casterton and others.

i have a photo in my office with fred and me together taken qualcut booth in exhibition in hannover germany during sept, 1973.

i travelled a lot trough many countries every week mainly by car from base schiedam. the car was an  audi - 100 

we built a nice network of dealers in almost countries. was a exciting time !

in 1 oct. 1974 i started my own company harry hersbach tools b.v. and still i am in there  i have 2 sons in the company.

mike , i was surprised to read about your father 

 

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