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William Gleason, founder of The Gleason Works, came to the United States and Rochester, New York from Ireland in 1851. He served an apprenticeship in a Rochester machine shop and when the Civil War broke out, took his mechanical skills to the Colt Armory in Hartford, Connecticut. He returned to Rochester in 1865 and established what was later to become The Gleason Works. His invention of a unique new bevel gear planer set the stage for the company’s long term world leadership in gear technology.
From its early years, the Company, led by the efforts of William's daughter Kate, strove to open markets outside the United States. During World War I, |
| shipments of cutting tools from the U.S. to England were frequently lost to sinking of transports by submarines. At the request of the British Government, the Company licensed long time sales representatives, Buck & Hickman, to manufacture these tools in the U.K. This arrangement worked successfully for 40 years.
In 1959, the Company decided to purchase the tooling business from Buck & Hickman and took over its manufacturing operations in Watford, near London. To accomplish this, a new wholly owned company, Gleason Works Limited, was formed in March of that year. The business flourished and grew very quickly and it soon became apparent that the manufacturing operations need to expand, but Watford was a congested, heavily industrial area. It was felt that another location would offer more space and a more pleasing environment.
The Gleason team visited many possible sites in the U.K. and decided that Plymouth would be the ideal location. In 1967, the plant was moved to its current location and a large proportion of the employees relocated their families to the Plymouth area. Business continued to expand as the Company began exporting to Europe and the Far East. Just two years after it opened, the factory size was increased by one-third. In 1972, the sales and servicing of Gleason machines was transferred from Buck & Hickman Limited, directly to Gleason. One year later, the plant capacity was extended again, as demand for its products continued to increase.
In recent years, Gleason Cutting Tools, Ltd. has earned several awards and wide recognition for its outstanding achievements. In 1989 Gleason Cutting Tools, Ltd. was one of the first companies in Britain to obtain the National Training Award and later received the British Standards Award, BS5750, in recognition of its quality standards. In 1992, the Plymouth plant celebrated its 25th anniversary.
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