History Pilkington

1 history

1.1 litigation
1.2 pilkington optronics
1.3 takeover nsg
1.4 chairmen

history

the distinctive blue pilkington s head office, grade ii listed building constructed in 1959–63 designed maxwell fry , jane drew



steam rises hotties in st helens town centre in 1970s, water warmed pilkingtons factory pumped canal , warm enough support tropical fish making popular fishing site.



pilkington floatglass former factory in halmstad, sweden. closed since 2012.



pilkington glass in mercedes-benz



a pilkington liveried trailer

the company founded in 1826 partnership between members of pilkington , greenall families, based in st helens, lancashire. venture used trading name of st helens crown glass company. on departure partnership of last greenall in 1845, firm became known pilkington brothers. in july 1894 business incorporated under companies act 1862 pilkington brothers limited.

pilkington floated public company on london stock exchange in 1970. many years biggest employer in northwest industrial town. distinctive blue-glass head office tower-block on alexandra business park, off prescot road, used firm s world hq, , completed in 1964, still dominates town s skyline.

between 1953 , 1957, (sir) alastair pilkington , kenneth bickerstaff invented float glass process, revolutionary method of high quality flat glass production floating molten glass on bath of molten tin, avoiding costly need grind , polish plate glass make clear. pilkington allowed float process used under licence numerous manufacturers around world.

pilkington, subsidiary triplex safety glass, in gradually acquired controlling interest, became major world supplier of toughened , laminated safety glass automotive, aerospace , building industries.

during 1960s , 1970s, pilkington used flow of float royalties invest in float glass plants in several countries including argentina, australia, canada , sweden; acquire major existing flat , safety glass producers , plants in united states (libbey owens ford), germany , elsewhere. monopolies commission report in 1967 concluded pilkington , triplex operations efficient , entrepreneurial and, despite high share of uk glass trade, operated in manner suited consumers best interests.

a rank , file strike in 1970, sparked off error in wage packets, brought 8,000 workers out 2 months. general , municipal workers union , trades union congress leadership failed provide support, closely bound management , government circles, result strike leaders blacklisted. anti-union legislation introduced central government. these events recreated in ken loach s film rank , file, although bbc insisted on change in name , location of company, film set @ wilkinsons in west midlands.

in late 1985, pilkington subject of unfriendly take-over bid btr industries, large british-based conglomerate group. pilkington s efforts reject bid assisted employees, town , government ministers. joint successful work followed withdrawal of btr s offer in 1986.

litigation

pilkington aggressively protected patents , trade secrets through network of licensing agreements glass manufacturers around world. modern float technique (pouring molten glass on layer of pure molten tin) became commercially widespread when alistair pilkington developed practical version, patented in late 1950s , 1960s. pilkington plc owned 1 of manufacturing plants around world employing float process pilkington had monopoly.

although patents had expired 1980s, pilkington had licensed use, , required licensees keep details of float glass process secret. guardian industries had tried challenge pilkington s dominance had made secret agreement prevent new entrants market guardian taking lead enable pilkington, british company, reduce exposure united states antitrust law.

in may 1994, united states department of justice filed suit on grounds pilkington had created cartel exercising control on markets in licensees sell float glass , construct float-glass manufacturing plants, , on customers within each market each licensee serve. claimed violation of sherman antitrust act, because pilkington s patents had expired , trade secrets might have had in process used licensees had long since become publicly known. on same day, government , pilkington filed proposed consent decree, enjoined pilkington enforcing these restrictions against licensees, or against non-licensees, or against non-us licensees wishing export either technology or glass products united states. agreement came force on 22 december 1994, , expired ten years later.

pilkington optronics

in 1988, pilkington plc formed new subsidiary, pilkington optronics, in order group company s optronics businesses: pilkington pe located in north wales (formed in 1966), , barr , stroud (acquired in 1977) based in glasgow. pilkington pe later became thales optics ltd., divested thales in december 2005 qioptiq ltd.

in 1991 thomson-csf acquired 50% of pilkington optronics. in 1995 pilkington optronics acquired thorn emi electro optics renamed pilkington thorn optronics. 3 years later, thomson-csf purchased 40% of pilkington optronics pilkington , remainder in 2000 make wholly owned subsidiary. in 2000 thomson-csf renamed thales , pilkington optronics ltd. became thales optronics ltd. after, thomson-csf acquired w vinten ltd, british reconnaissance equipment manufacturer, including joint reconnaissance pod, operate thales optronics (bury st edmunds) ltd.

in november 2006 thales optronics limited announced closure of manufacturing facility in taunton, somerset, loss of 180 jobs. in june 2007 thales sold beryllium mirrors , structures business of thales optronics limited gsi group inc. undislosed amount.

takeover nsg

in late 2005 company received takeover bid smaller japanese company nsg. initial bid , first revised bid not accepted, on 16 february 2006 nsg increased offer 80% did not own 165 pence per share (£1.8 billion or $3.14 billion in total) , accepted pilkington s major institutional shareholders, enabling nsg compulsorily acquire scheme of arrangement smaller holdings of other shareholders, many of them being existing , retired employees, had not wished support takeover. combined company compete global leadership in glass industry leading japanese glassmaker asahi glass, had around quarter of global market @ time of deal. pilkington had 19% , nsg around half that.

the acquisition completed in june 2006, after european commission stated not opposed.

chairmen

an incomplete list :

1914-1921:arthur richard pilkington(1871-1921)
1921-1931:richard austin pilkington(1871-1951)
1932-1949:geoffrey langton pilkington(1885-1972)
1949-1973:baron pilkington(1905-1983)
1973-1980:sir alastair pilkington(1920-1995)
1980-1995:sir antony pilkington(1935-2000)
1995-2006:sir nigel rudd (born 1946)




^ barker 1977, p. 31
^ competition commission report 1967
^ barker 1977, p. 75
^ barker 1977, p. 171
^ barker 1977, p. 422
^ essay on rank , file john williams
^ btr withdraws offer pilkington
^ international technologies consultants inc v pilkington plc, case no. 94-17143 . united states court of appeals ninth circuit. 6 march 1998. archived original on 16 july 2012. retrieved 30 march 2012. 
^ professions , intellectual property section, antitrust division, united states department of justice (25 may 1994), complaint: v. pilkington plc , pilkington holdings inc., retrieved 11 march 2009 cs1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ professions , intellectual property section, antitrust division, united states department of justice (22 december 1994), final judgment: v. pilkington plc , pilkington holdings inc., cv 94-345-tuc-wdb, retrieved 11 march 2009 cs1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ rolston gordon communications (2005). dates diary . microscopy , analysis (80-81): 1988. 
^ stopford, john (1992). directory of multinationals - volume 2. macmillan. p. 1345. isbn 9781561590537. 
^ royal aeronautical society (1995). s growing . aerospace. 22: 51. 
^ defence jobs cut depot . bbc news. 9 november 2006. retrieved 28 august 2012. 
^ gsi group buys thales optronics beryllium business . reuters. 4 june 2007. retrieved 28 august 2012. 
^ nsg proceed recommended cash acquisition of pilkington plc . 27 february 2006. retrieved 31 march 2012. 
^ pilkington in japanese takeover
^ case no comp/m.4173 – nippon sheet glass/pilkington (pdf). 7 june 2006. retrieved 31 march 2012. 
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