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John Orme
Machinery
The Higham offices the factory
The John Orme Engineering Company offices
and the factory in Midland Road, Higham Ferrers

Blow moulder

c1975 Eric Lord, foreman with a Blow Moulding machine

Undated News clip

Higham Firm to attack American export market
John Orme Ltd., the Higham Ferrers form who design and build rotational moulding machinery which has no counterpart anywhere in the world, are to attack the American market with their product.

A rotational moulding machine weighing five tons and costing £10,000 started its journey to Boston, Mass, yesterday. It is travelling by road from the factory to Heathrow Airport and then on the last lap of its journey on Saturday by BOAC jet.

In America the machine, the first to be sent to the country, will be used mostly as a demonstration model. Leaflets and information about the machine will be available at the Chicago Exhibition in November and people interested—and there is already an indication there will be many—will be able to arrange to see the machine at work.

Mr John Orme said the machine was already being exported throughout Europe, in Italy and Germany, Belgium and Scandinavia. There were also machines being completed for export soon to Johannesburg, Turkey, Liberia, Nigeria and Ghana.

The matter of export to the United States has to be handled in a different manner, said Mr Orme, who added that the company now felt they were ready to thoroughly attack the United States market so they could give them complete satisfaction.

"We have been biding our time before attacking the United States market" he said.

Mr Orme will be going to America himself in November and an engineer and technical director will be travelling out there in the next few weeks to set up the machine.

Notes by H Packwood in 1988:

Norris & Son - Previously owned Safford, Wellingborough Road. Norris' began in a small way making machines for the Leather Industry. I think I am right in stating that Norris' were the first firm to fit a gearbox to a leather drum instead of it being driven from line shafting.

At the outbreak of the 1939 war Norris' were commissioned to recondition lathes from A. Herbert’s of Coventry; this was a totally different job from currying machines.

At the end of the war a partner joined the firm - Mr. J. Orme and all the dies etc. were made for the Rosebud Doll factory at Raunds. Mr. Orme then left to start on his own taking a number of skilled men with him and made machines for the plastic industry.

The skilled men who moved were:-
Mr. G. Longland, Mr. R. Walker, and Mr. E. Houghton.

Their work consisted mainly of cones for road works and anything connected with the plastic industry. They still have a factory in Duck Street and one in Park Road.

I think that Smiths Containers Ltd was started from these factories.


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