EG Wrigley and Company
| Company type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Manufacturing (tools, automotive components, mechanical parts) |
| Founded | 1898 |
| Founder | Edward Greenwood Wrigley |
| Defunct | 1923 |
| Headquarters | Birmingham , United Kingdom |
| Products | High-speed twist drills, milling cutters, adjustable and taper reamers, gear cutters, gears, gearboxes, transmission sets, axles |
Number of employees | 345 (1912) |
E G Wrigley & Co Limited was a Birmingham-based British enterprise engaged in the production of tools, automotive components, and mechanical parts, operating from 1897 until 1923 in the Soho district.
Foundation
The company was established by Edward Greenwood Wrigley in 1898 at 232 Aston Road, Birmingham, later expanding its operations in 1902 to a site on Foundry Lane, Soho. Its core expertise lay in manufacturing high-speed twist drills, milling cutters, adjustable and taper reamers, as well as gear cutters.
Small tools and Gears
Wrigley manufactured a range of gears used in various mechanisms except for engines and did not assemble gearboxes. Although the firm was recognized for its quality workmanship, its worm gears were notably criticized by Dr Frederick W. Lanchester.
Transmission sets
By the year 1906, the company’s product lineup included three-speed gearboxes, worm-driven rear axles equipped with propeller shafts, torque transmission devices, transmission brakes, and front axles integrated with steering mechanisms. They showcased a fully assembled car gearbox at the 1906 Olympia Motor Show and produced both front and live rear axles.
Developments
In 1912, a new facility on Soho Foundry Lane was dedicated to:
- Producing twist drills, cutters, and small precision tools
- Machining toothed gears
- Assembling gearboxes and complete mechanical units
Additional manufactured items encompassed hobs, metal-cutting saws, specialized cutters, and gauges. The workforce at this time consisted of eighteen draughtsmen, forty-seven office personnel, and 280 workshop operatives.
Following World War I and due to declining health, Wrigley handed over management responsibilities to F G Woollard. Edward Greenwood Wrigley passed away in January 1941.
Cars
Wrigley’s involvement in automobile manufacturing was limited to 1913 when it developed a cyclecar featuring a two-cylinder engine—either air- or water-cooled—and a two-speed gearbox. Only a small number were produced before the company shifted focus to aircraft parts during wartime.
Morris Commercial Cars
The company maintained production of axles and gearboxes after this period. In early 1920, it took control of engine manufacturer J. Tylor and Sons, who supplied engines to Angus-Sanderson with ambitions for mass production. However, Angus-Sanderson overreached financially; Wrigley halted supplies in November 1920. Angus-Sanderson collapsed in 1921, leading J. Tylor and Sons into receivership. Consequently, Wrigley wrote off investments in both firms and recorded a loss of £548,300 for the fiscal year ending April 1921.
Unable to regain financial stability, Wrigley entered receivership by late 1923. Although Angus-Sanderson was briefly resurrected as Angus Sanderson (1921) Ltd with control over J. Tylor and Sons, only limited vehicle production occurred before final failure in 1927.
Following Angus-Sanderson’s demise—partly attributed to competition from Morris—William Morris acquired Wrigley’s assets from receivers on 1 January 1924. The business was rebranded as Morris Commercial Cars Limited on 4 February 1924 and commenced manufacturing light commercial vehicles beginning with a one-ton truck. By 1930, their lineup expanded to include trucks ranging from 10 cwt up to five tons capacity alongside Dictator and Imperial single- and double-decker buses.