Baker Perkins Ltd is a British engineering company for food processing equipment headquartered in

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

, England. Its product portfolio offers different technologies and applications for the bread, biscuit, confectionery, snack, and breakfast cereal sectors. Alongside its facilities in the United Kingdom, the company operates another location in Michigan in the United States. Baker Perkins was founded in 1918 through the merger of Joseph Baker & Sons Ltd and Perkins Engineers Ltd, and later bought by the dairy and liquid food specialist APV which helped it grow internationally. The company regained independence in 2006 with its acquisition by private investors. Since November 2020, Baker Perkins is part of the Schenck Process Group, an international engineering company based in Germany.

History

The company has its origins with the inventors

Jacob Perkins Jacob Perkins (9 July 1766 – 30 July 1849) was an American inventor, mechanical engineer and physicist. Born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, Perkins was apprenticed to a goldsmith. He soon made himself known with a variety of useful mechanical i ...

(1766–1849) and Joseph Baker, both immigrants from America. Jacob Perkins After moving from Massachusetts to England in 1819, Perkins son Angier March Perkins (1799–1881) founded the firm of A. M. Perkins & Co Ltd to manufacture the inventions of his father, such as a steam oven for baking bread. In 1893, the company merged with the London business Werner & Pfleiderer to form Werner, Pfleiderer & Perkins Ltd and later relocated their manufacturing from London to Westwood, Peterborough in 1904. Bowing to pressure over its German-sounding name, the company renamed to Perkins Engineers Ltd in 1914. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the company produced a range of armaments including

Ricardo Ricardo is the Spanish and Portuguese cognate of the name Richard. It derived from Proto-Germanic ''*rīks'' 'king, ruler' + ''*harduz'' 'hard, brave'. It may be a given name, or a surname. People Given name *Ricardo de Araújo Pereira, Portugu ...

engines for

Mark IV tank The Mark IV (pronounced ''Mark four'') was a British tank of the First World War. Introduced in 1917, it benefited from significant developments of the Mark I tank (the intervening designs being small batches used for training). The main impro ...

s. Joseph Baker Joseph Baker first established his business Joseph Baker & Sons in Ontario, Canada, where he invented and produced a combined flour scoop and sifter that proved to be successful among Victorian housewives. In the 1870s, Baker decided to test the market in England where he gained fast success. His decision helped the business grow as a supplier of machinery to bakery, biscuit, chocolate and confectionery industries and established it as a serious exporter and manufacturer of food machinery in the UK, directly competing with Perkins Engineers Ltd. Baker Perkins During World War I, both companies collaborated on automatic baking equipment for armies in the field and later merged to become Joseph Baker Sons & Perkins Ltd in 1918, before rebranding to Baker Perkins Ltd in 1923. Around the time of the merger, Baker bought a factory in

Saginaw Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...

, Michigan, which became the base for manufacture of food and chemical equipment in North America. Between the wars, the company manufactured a wide range of machinery including laundry equipment. In 1939, Baker Perkins was asked to take on production of the new twin 6-pounder coast defence gun and also made components for a wide range of other artillery pieces. Post war, Baker Perkins specialized in equipment for the food processing and printing industries. The business had expanded to become global in its organization and sales when in 1987 the dairy and liquid food specialist, APV, acquired it to become APV Baker. During this time the company relocated from old premises near the center of Peterborough to a new purpose-built facility on the outskirts. Baker Perkins Today In 2006 Baker Perkins regained its historical name and independence when it was acquired by private investors as a long-term venture. In recent history, Baker Perkins has introduced new molding and forming technology that enables bakers to improve the quality of their bread; developed equipment allowing confectioners to develop colorful new candies and lollipops; and pioneered technology expanding the variety of convenient, tasty and attention grabbing snacks and breakfast cereals. It currently operates in two office locations, the headquarters being in Paston, Peterborough with a second office in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Since November 2020, Baker Perkins Ltd. is part of the Schenck Process Group, an international engineering company with headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany.

Trade Associations

Baker Perkins maintains close links to the industries it serves through membership of key trade associations and research organisations. These include AACC International, PMCA, BEMA and B&CMA in the US: and the Leatherhead Food International and Campden BRI in the UK.

References

External links

*{{Official website, http://www.bakerperkins.com
Baker Perkins Historical Society

Westwood Works 1903 - 2003
Engineering companies of the United Kingdom Companies based in Peterborough Food processing industry in the United Kingdom