[Q S MACHINE TOOL SERVICE] [Q S SERVICES] [TEST PIECE]

[A BRIEF HISTORY] [PHOTO GALLERY]  [HOME]

  ----------------------------------

A  BRIEF HISTORY

OF H.W.KEARNS & GEO. RICHARDS

H.W.KEARNS.CO.LTD AND GEORGE RICHARDS.CO.LTD. WERE BOTH MANUFACTURES OF MACHINE TOOLS WHO BOTH HAD PREMISES WITHIN A STONES THROW OF EACH OTHER IN BROADHEATH, ALTRINCHAM, CHESHIRE. UK.  

H.W.KEARNS, MAINLY MADE ONLY HORIZONTAL BORING MACHINES WHERE AS GEORGE RICHARDS MANUFACTURED NOT ONLY HORIZONTAL BORING MACHINES BUT ALSO VERTICAL BORINGS, AND KEY SETTING MACHINES AMONGST OTHERS. THEY PRODUCED VERY LARGE MACHINES PARTICULAR IN THE VERTICAL RANGE. UP TO 50 TONS.  

GEORGE RICHARDS WERE TAKEN OVER BY STAVELEY INDUSTRIES AROUND 1952 WHILE KEARNS WAS STILL OWNED BY THE KEARNS FAMILY. BUT IN 1967 THE FAMILY SOLD OUT TO STAVELEY INDUSTRIES, THIS RESULTED IN THE AMALGAMATION OF THE TWO COMPANIES AND THE SETTING UP OF KEARNS RICHARDS ON THE KEARNS SITE. THE RICHARDS SITE HAS NOW GONE AND IS NOW A SHOPPING PRECINCT.

UPON THE JOINING OF THE TWO FIRMS IT WAS AGREED TO CONCENTRATE ON THE HORIZONTAL BORING MACHINE MARKET, AS BOTH FIRMS HAD THEIR GOOD AND BAD POINTS IN  THERE DESIGNS, IT WAS A LOGICAL STEP THAT BOTH DESIGN TEAMS FROM THE TWO COMPANIES GET TOGETHER TO PRODUCE A NEW DESIGN INCORPORATING THE BEST OF BOTH, THIS RESULTED IN THE SH75 BEING THE FIRST OF THE NEW BREED OF HORIZONTAL BORING MACHINE, THESE BEING FOLLOWED BY THE SJ100 THE SF125 AND THE SE125/150.

THESE MACHINES SOLD WELL BUT WITH A SLUMP IN THE UK AND WORLD MARKETS LOOMING ON THE HORIZON STAVELEY INDUSTRIES WERE LOOKING TO GET OUT OF THE MACHINE TOOL MARKET AND IN 1984 STAVELEY SOLD OUT TO THE MANAGEMENT OF KEARNS RICHARDS THE COMPANY CONTINUED ON FOR A FURTHER 4 YEARS BEFORE GOING INTO RECEIVERSHIP.

  IT WAS THEN PURCHASED BY A COMPANY CALLED  FMT WHO HAD A MACHINE TOOL BUSINESS ON SOUTH COAST OF THE UK WHO MADE SMALL TO MEDIUM HORIZONTAL  MACHING CENTERS, THEY STILL RETAINED THE NAME OF KEARNS RICHARDS AND THE FIRST THING WAS TO MOVE TO SMALLER PREMISES IN ECCLES NEAR MANCHESTER , WHILE THE OLD SITE IN BROADHEATH IS STILL MUCH AS IT WAS IT IS NOW DIVIDED UP INTO SMALL BUSINESS UNITS.

THE BUSINESS IN ECCLES NOW CONCENTRATED ON MORE SOPHISTICATED MACHINES SOME OF THE LAST MACHINES TO BE PRODUCED BEING DESIGNED FOR THE GRINDING OF AIRCRAFT UNDERCARRIAGE LEGS USING GRINDING ATTACHMENT ON THE FACING SLIDE THE WHOLE GRINDING OPERATION BEING CONTROLLED BY CNC.

 THE COMPANY LASTED UNTIL 1994 UNTIL AGAIN GOING INTO RECEIVERSHIP, THE RECEIVER THEN SOLD THE RIGHTS TO SPARES AND SERVICE TO THE COMPANY OF GIDDINGS & LEWIS WHO WERE ALSO A MANUFACTURER OF HORIZONTAL BORING MACHINES AND A COMPETITOR OF KEARNS RICHARDS. THIS THEN BECAME THE REMOVAL OF KEARNS RICHARDS FROM THE MARKET PLACE.

SINCE THAT TIME GIDDINGS & LEWIS HAVE BEEN BOUGHT OUT BY THYSSEN KRUPP OF GERMANY AND NOW TRADE UNDER THE TITLE OF, CROSS HULLER LTD.

 SPARE PARTS FOR KEARNS - RICHARDS MACHINES CAN BE SUPPLIED BY

MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGIES

C/O CINCINNATI MACHINES

KINGSBURY ROAD

BIRMINGHAM

B14 0QU

TEL:+44(0)121 351 4791

FAX:+44 (0) 121 351 1184

SPARES SUPERVISOR +44 (0) 121 313 5347

SPARES ALSO AVAILABLE FOR THE FOLLOWING MANUFACTURES

G&L MACHINES ALL TYPES

KTM / FMT MACHINES ALL TYPES

WARNER SWASEY CNC LATHES

CINCINNATI MACHINES ALL TYPES  

-----------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------