«1915 1916 1917 »

The Government of the day decides that the country’s steel output for conversion into sheets must be increased. Company chairman, Harry Summers travels to London to ask for Government help to build a second open hearth steelmaking plant, is given a proposal to study and 90 minutes later, following a phone call to the works, agrees to it. Just two days later work begins on site clearance and track laying and the first steel is tapped in the new No.2 Steelworks exactly 11 months later.

Summers spend £900,000 on the new open hearth melting shop, which is equipped with eight open hearth furnaces each of 70 ton capacity, and a second bar mill. The development frees the plant from dependence on imported steel bars and the company benefits from tax concessions which enable them to clear any debt within two years.