Brown & Holmes celebrates 70th anniversary

The business was started by two draughtsmen from Coventry, Mr W. E. Brown and Mr C. Holmes Today, the company, now Brown & Holmes (Tamworth) Ltd, has the very latest CNC machines working side-by-side with conventional toolroom machinery. It has broadened its products and services over the years to suit the needs of customers, and now specialises in the supply of standard and semi-standard CNC cubes and tombstones, test rigs, jigs and fixtures, special machines and gauges. Brown & Holmes also offers high precision machining and complex assembly work for the automotive, aerospace, oil and power generation industries, and it is the UK agent for Forkardt workholding, standard and special rotary power chucks, expanding mandrels and steady rest packages. Part of the company's success can be attributed to a commitment to training. Many current employees have been with the company since starting work and the firm still takes on apprentices every year. In fact, Carl Baker and Kevin Ward, joint directors of Brown & Holmes, both started as apprentices with the company, in the 1970s. "As a company, we have survived a World War and two recessions, and even in these challenging times, we are maintaining our workforce levels," said Mr Ward. "We remain focused on offering our customers the right workholding solution for their needs, on-time and within budget, whether they require an off-the-shelf product or a bespoke solution." Pictured: Joint Directors, (left to right) Kevin Ward and Carl Baker