Swann Morton Ltd is a British

manufacturer Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...

scalpel A scalpel, lancet, or bistoury is a small and extremely sharp bladed instrument used for surgery, anatomical dissection, podiatry and various arts and crafts (either called a hobby knife or an X-acto knife.). Scalpels may be single-use dispos ...

handles,

blade A blade is the portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with an edge that is designed to puncture, chop, slice or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they are to be used on. Histor ...

s and other surgical equipment based in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It was founded in 1932 by Walter R. Swann, J. A. Morton and D. Fairweather to make and sell razor blades.Swann-Morton History
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Founding principles

Before they began trading, the founders drew up a list of four founding principles: *Claims of individuals producing in an industry came first, before anything else, and must always remain first. They are the human beings on which everything is built. *If the industry cannot pay the rightful reward of labour (while they are producing for profit for the owners) then a new policy is required on the part of the management to make it do so. *If the management can't do the job, then a new management is required, as well as a new policy. *Individuals in any industry have a perfect right to demand and see that this objective is reached, because they produce the goods. These four statements are displayed at Swann-Morton's head office.

History

When the Bard-Parker patent for a two-piece scalpel ran out in 1935, Swann-Morton expanded its product range in this direction. The company moved to its current site in the 1940s. Morton left the company around this time. The remaining directors took the decision to put the company in a trust where 50% was shared with the employees and the other 50% in a charitable trust.

References

External links

* {{Official website Manufacturing companies based in Sheffield Medical technology companies of the United Kingdom Surgical instrument manufacturers Manufacturing companies established in 1932 British brands 1932 establishments in England