As Britain prepares itself for another General Election, one manufacturing firm is celebrating having been in business throughout every single political office, since the first British Prime Minister Sir Robert Warpole back in 1740.
To mark it’s 275th anniversary, Richard Carter has announced significant growth plans. The Huddersfield-based firm, which manufactures hand tools, is planning to build a new 9,000 sq ft warehouse to cope with increasing customer demand.
To commemorate the occasion, the company will bury a company time capsule underneath the new site, alongside time capsules created by key customers and local schools.
The new warehouse will be built next to the current factory and is the first time Richard Carter has expanded its premises since it moved from its old manufacturing site in 1999. It will provide vital additional storage, allowing the current site to significantly expand its manufacturing capabilities.
Managing director, Richard Carter, said: “This is a landmark year for us - 275 years since our founder Jeremiah Carter made the very first Carters hand tool, and I’m thrilled to mark the occasion by expanding our premises, which is testament to the skill and workmanship of all the staff who work for us, past and present.
“We have exciting plans for 2015, not least creating our very own time capsule and opening the new warehouse, which only goes to strengthen our commitment to UK manufacturing, providing jobs and skilled work to local people, for another 275 years to come.”
Richard Carter, which is a sixth generation family firm, has seen 10 monarchs reign over Britain, the first of which was King George II. The company not only survived the Boer war, the First World War and the Second War, it also watched the industrial revolution change the landscape of Great Britain, saw the rise and demise of the coal mining industry and felt numerous booms and crashes in the housing market.
Despite a near-disastrous fire in 1957, which almost saw an end to the business, Richard Carter has gallantly defied the odds to maintain its status as the original hand tool manufacturer, used and trusted by thousands of people across the world.
