Babcock International Group plc (multinational engineered systems and services group: 1989-: Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England)

In 1856 , 26-year old Stephen Wilcox of Rhode Island, USA, patented a water tube boiler that increased heating surfaces, allowed better water circulation and that was inherently safe. In 1867 , he and his friend, George Babcock, established a partnership, Babcock, Wilcox & Co , to manufacture and market Wilcox's boiler. In 1873 they received patents for the "Babcock & Wilcox Non-explosive Boiler" and the "Babcock & Wilcox Stationary Steam Engine". In 1881 , the company was incorporated in America as The Babcock & Wilcox Company. That same year, the Brush Electric Light Co, Philadelphia, USA, the first central electrical generating station in the United States, went into service powered by 4 Babcock & Wilcox Co boilers. In 1902, New York city installed its subway system powered by a Babcock boilers.

In 1881 , the company opened a sales office in Glasgow, Scotland, and by 1883 boilers were being made by sub-contractors in Scotland. Other offices were also opened between 1884 and 1887 in London and Manchester, England; Paris, France; Sydney, Australia; and Brussels, Belgium. The first completely British-built Babcock boiler was manufactured for the Singer Manufacturing Co works in Kilbowie, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. A British company, Babcock & Wilcox Ltd was formed in 1891 with a capital of å£240,000 with its sphere of operation to include the world outside of the USA and Cuba already covered by the American company. By 1936, the company had established new companies in Japan, Spain, Australia, Canada, Mexico and Brazil.

The firm established its own manufacturing facility at Renfrew, Renfrewshire, Scotland in 1895 and increased the company's capital to å£1,575,000 in 1900. The firm rapidly became a leader in both land-based and marine boilers and opened subsidiaries and production facilities around the world. The group developed a large defence business during the 1914-1918 and 1939-1945 World Wars, producing tanks and munitions in addition to their naval boiler business. In 1926, the company provided massive steam generating hardware for Battersea Power Station, London.

From the 1960s onwards the group became increasingly involved in nuclear energy, taking the lead in the design and construction of Hinkley Point Power Station, Somerset, England . Between 1968 and 1974, Babcock's invested å£30 million on acquiring other businesses during a period of diversification, and a further å£25 million on capital investment and turnover rose from å£100 million to å£248 million.

By 1975, Babcock & Wilcox Ltd employed approximately 37,000 people world wide with 22,000 of these in the UK. Subsidiary and associated companies were located in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, USA, Venezuela and Zambia but the company's main office was in central London. The company's activities included not only the manufacture and provision of boilers for conventional and nuclear power stations and industrial and marine applications, but also steel fabrication; mechanical construction; chemical and processing plant; unit and bulk mechanical handling equipment; construction equipiment and services; industrial and agricultural tractors; instrumentation and control systems; desalination, ultra-filtration and pollution control plant; foundry products, and wire and cable machinery. The company at this time was divided into 6 main operating group subsidiary companies, each of which dealt with a specific area of the parent companies interests: Babcock Construction Equipment Ltd, Babcock Contractors Ltd, Babcock Industrial & Electrical Products Ltd, Babcock International Inc (USA), Babcock International Investments Ltd, and Babcock & Wilcox (Operations) Ltd. Each of these companies in turn operated a number of subsidiary companies. Around this time, the company had approximately 80 subsidiary and associated companies world-wide.

In 1979 , Babcock & Wilcox Ltd became Babcock International Ltd and in 1982 a public limited company as Babcock International plc . By 1985 , the company had been restructured into 7 groups and employed around 26,000 people with a turnover of å£1.1 billion. Each group was managed by a main subsidiary company that in turn managed a number of other subsidiary companies. These groups and their main operating companies were: UK Power Group ( Babcock Power Ltd , previously Babcock & Wilcox (Operations) Ltd ), Contract Group ( Babcock Contractors Ltd ), Industrial & Electrical Group ( Babcock Industrial & Electrical Products Ltd ), Mining Group ( Babcock Mining Ltd ), Overseas Group ( Babcock International Investments Ltd ), North America Group ( Babcock International, Inc ), and FATA European Group.

FKI Electricals plc, engineering company, London, merged with Babcock International plc in 1987 to become FKI Babcock plc . At the same year, Babcock Power Ltd , the UK Power group's main subsidiary company, was renamed Babcock Energy Ltd . FKI Babcock plc de-merged in 1989 to form FKI plc and Babcock International Group plc with a small number of former Babcock International plc companies becoming part of FKI plc.

A further de-merger occurred within Babcock International Group plc in 1995 when the Mitsui Engineering & Shipping Co (est. 1917), Japan, bought-out Babcock Energy Ltd and a number of its subsidiary companies and constituted it as Mitsui Babcock Energy Ltd with its main offices in Renfrew. However, Babcock International Group plc retained a 25 percent share of Mitsui Babcock Energy Ltd, managed through Babcock (Management) Ltd.

In 1995, Babcock International Group plc restructured following the de-merger with around 150 subsidiary and associated companies world-wide. By 2002 , the company had rationalised, changing its focus from energy and boiler making which was now the concern of Mitsui Babcock Energy Ltd, to providing services to the Ministry of Defence. The three divisions of the company were technical services, training and support, and materials handling, each of which operated a number of subsidiary companies. Technical provided technical services and secure facilities management for the Ministry of Defence and related markets. Training and support offered training, operations and maintenance services for the Ministry of Defence. The Materials handling division provides material processing technologies and engineered systems.

From the guide to the Records of Babcock International Group plc, 1989-, boiler makers and engineers, England, 1881-1987, (Glasgow University Archive Services)