HISTORY

1903-1944

Bamford & Co. Ltd. began trading in 1903, when founder Fred Bamford designed a small marine engine to power his canal boat “Ajax”. The engine proved to be a success and the business prospered, but Bamford found that his customers wanted a complete drive package, so he undertook the manufacture of propellers.

Many Companies involved in the marine industry passed their propeller manufacturing work onto Bamford’s, and by the start of the First World War the firm’s sales of propellers had overtaken those of engines.

Fred Bamford became an expert in the hydrodynamics of propellers and after the end of the Great War the firm thrived as a result of concentrating in this area of marine engineering.

The Company achieved many notable successes in this field, including the manufacture of the propellers fitted to “Miss England”, which achieved the world’s water speed record at over 100mph.

1944-1984

In 1944 Fred Bamford died, and the Company passed into the hands of his son, also named Fred. In 1947 Frank Smith, joined the Company as Assistant Managing Director and one year later, together with George Robinson, the Works Director, bought the Company from Fred Bamford Junior.

During the Fifties the Company continued to flourish with propellers and shafts being supplied world-wide to both commercial ships and navies. It also went back into marine engine production by marinising diesel engines under its trade name “Ajax”, and manufacturing other products such as pumps and, more notably, flow switches.

The flow switch had been designed by Frank Smith during the Second World War to protect large diesel engines from a loss of cooling water, but it soon found use in many other areas of industry, from power stations to whisky distilleries, providing early warning of machinery failure. Other instruments were added to the portfolio with temperature, pressure and level devices designed and manufactured to the same rugged specification. A flameproof range was also designed to be used down coal mines and in petro-chemical installations.

In 1973 F Bamford Instruments Ltd was established in its own right to continue production of this equipment.

With this amount of activity, space was a problem, the Company had premises dotted all about Stockport, so, in 1959, a new purpose built factory was erected at Whitehill, to bring all the activities under one roof.

With more space, the size of the propellers and shafts increased with propellers as large as 4.2 metres and weighing 5 tons and shafts as long as 14 metres and weighing 6 tons.

In 1964 George Robinson died. Frank Smith bought his shares and the Smith family still own and run the Company.

1984-Present

Frank Smith died suddenly in 1984 and his son Andrew Smith took over as Chairman and Managing Director. With the demise of British Shipbuilders and the decline of the marine industry a new product was needed, and the Company designed a range of high strength, vandal resistant security doors and screens using the same attributes of high quality and in depth knowledge that had given it such a good reputation in the marine industry, marketed under F. Bamford Engineering Ltd a wholly owned subsidiary of the parent Company.

The range of doors and screens have proved to be successful with our customers, and now is the major area of production, although the marine division still continues to specialise in the supply of long, thin and difficult propeller shafts, together with high definition propellers for both the military and civil applications.

The flow switch business has also prospered, and today, as well as its traditional range, which has been updated to include ATEX certified switches, also supplies high quality flowmeters to many industries throughout the world, as well as a unique fibre optic wear gauge for real time measurement of the wear in difficult to access bearings.

1946 – Bamford (Instruments) Ltd History

F. Bamford Ajax Flow Instrumentation originates from a requirement issued by Mirrlees Blackstone Diesel Engines (now MAN Energy Solutions UK Ltd), Hazel Grove, Stockport in 1946, with Certified Hazardous Area Instrumentation following from 1954

F. Bamford (Instruments) Ltd. was part of F. Bamford & Co. Ltd. until 1972, when it was established as an associate company in its own right, specialising in Flow, Pressure, Temperature and Level devices for both the Marine and Industry markets. Although having been initially designed for the protection of large Diesel Engines, our products have been used in every aspect of Plant and Equipment monitoring, with versions available, certified for use in the Mining, Petrochemical and Offshore Industries.

Our Instruments are of robust construction and are built to withstand the rigors of these environments and have gained a reputation for reliability and longevity. To maintain the Company’s tradition of meeting its customer’s requirements in an ever changing market, the Company continues to develop new and innovative products to compliment its existing product range. We can provide our customers with a complete turnkey package in design and build of new equipment supplied to meet specific customer requirements.

Our experience in Mechanical, Electro-mechanical and Electronic Engineering makes F. Bamford (Instruments) Ltd. a truly multi-disciplined manufacturing organisation. We have staff who have Security Clearance qualified to work on UK Royal Navy Ships, Submarines and in Royal Navy Dockyards.

F. Bamford (Instruments) Ltd. has ISO 9001:2015 Accreditation Certificate No. FM 13215. The equipment offered is of 100% United Kingdom content and manufactured in our Works strictly in accordance with our current Quality Assurance System.  

All ‘ATEX’ Certified Instrumentation is fitted with the Type 1871X Switch Enclosure is manufactured in accordance with ATEX Directive 2014/34/EU