Gates+(UK)+Ltd

=Gates (UK) Limited=

Company Number: SC001771 Date of Incorporation: 9 August 1888 Contact Details: Johnstone House, 52-54 Rose Street, Aberdeen, AB10 1HA Operating Details: Active Other names (if known): The Gates Rubber Company Limited (1987-1992), Uniroyal Limited (1960s-1987), North British Rubber Company (up to the 1960s) Function of Company*: Manufacture of footwear (1930), Manufacture of other rubber products (2513), Holding Companies including head offices (7415) Headquarters/Base of Operations Location: Operated throughout Scotland, now concentrated in Dumfries Area of Operation: Exports worldwide. Strong connections to the United States of America


 * Taken from Standard Industrial Classification 2003, as used by Companies House in 2010

Records
Held By: Gates (UK) Limited Scope/type: Minute Books; Directors meetings 1956-present, general meetings 1941-present. Some other registers dating from 1930s. Conditions governing access/use: No access possible in the current situation. These records are held by the parent company at present. Related records: The North British Rubber Staff Society (known as ‘the Rinklies’) has an extensive collection of staff magazines and other non-essential records, and can provide more detailed information on the history. Please see []

Company History
The North British Rubber Company was first registered in 1856 by Henry Lee Norris, an American manufacturer who wanted to produce rubber versions of the Wellington Boot. The first site of production was the Castle Silk Mills in Edinburgh. Norris imported machinery and staff from North America to start the company. The Company soon expanded into the production of other rubber products, including tyres, conveyor belts, combs, hot water bottles, rubber flooring and golf balls.

During the First World War the Company made 1,185,036 pairs of Wellingotn Boots for the British Army. In the Second World War 80% of Company output was for war materials. By 1946 the Company had expanded and bought an extensive factory in Dumfries named Heathhall, and acquired a tyre manufacturing plant at Newbridge, near Edinburgh.

Despite being based in Scotland, the North British Rubber Company was actually owned by a conglomerate of rubber manufacturers from the United States. This was a loose association of rubber producers and manufacturers who operated independently from each other, but pooled together to purchase necessary machinery or expertise. This conglomerate became the United States Rubber Company, which in turn absorbed the NBRC in the 1930s. In 1966 NBRC (and the rest of the holdings) became known as Uniroyal Limited.

The next decades saw Uniroyal sell off some of its business assets. In 1978 the golf ball production company was sold on, shortly followed by a sale of the Newbridge tyre factory to Continental. In 1986 Uniroyal was purchased by The Gates Rubber Company Limited of Colorado, with the British arm changing its name to the Gates Rubber Company. During this time the 3 major production arms of the company, consumer goods (including boots), engineering and tyre manufacture were split up. The current company refers to the engineering (primarily power transmission) side of the business. This remains a thriving concern operating out of Dumfries. The factory there was rebuilt in the early 1990s, and by the end of that decade employed c.550 staff.

Thanks to the Rinklies for their help in the project