Panteg Steel Works
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The Panteg Steel Works was situated in the village of
Panteg Panteg () is a large village and Community (Wales), community in the county borough of Torfaen, Wales. It is adjacent to Griffithstown, between the towns of Cwmbran and Pontypool. The village is best known for Panteg Steel Works, which closed in ...
, adjacent to
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, and
Griffithstown Griffithstown is a large suburb of Pontypool in the borough of Torfaen, Wales, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It is an ecclesiastical parish, formed in May 1898, from Llanfrechfa Upper and Panteg, and includes Sebastopol, but ...
, in the district of
Torfaen Torfaen (; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the South East Wales, south-east of Wales. Torfaen is bordered by the county of Monmouthshire to the east, the City status in the United Kingdom, city of Newport, Wales, Newport to t ...
,
South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...
. The steel works was founded in 1873, and operated for over 130 years until its closure in 2004. A number of 'firsts' occurred at Panteg Steel Works during its long life, including the first full production of
stainless steel Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...
in the UK outside
Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...
in 1944, the installation of the first production vertical caster in the UK in 1960 and the commissioning of British Steel's first Argon Oxygen Decarburizer in 1972. Planning permission was given to turn the works into residential housing in 2010, when the site became the Parc Panteg housing estate.


History

In 1873 the Panteg Steel and Engineering Company Ltd was founded by Sampson Copestake & Co, to produce steel rails and other items for export to India. The works were supervised by Captain J.R. Wright, Isaac Butler and Benjamin Smith. It is claimed that the first sheet steel in Britain was rolled in Staffordshire in 1876 from a
bloom Bloom or blooming may refer to: Science and technology Biology * Bloom, one or more flowers on a flowering plant * Algal bloom, a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in an aquatic system * Jellyfish bloom, a collective n ...
made in Panteg by Isaac Butler. In 1882 the site was acquired by Wright, Butler and Co Ltd. The works was taken over by Baldwins Ltd in 1902 and a Wellman furnace charging machine was installed,, p. 46 the first machine of its kind to be introduced in Wales. During the First World War, Panteg Steel Works was engaged in making steel for
munitions Ammunition, also known as ammo, is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. The term includes both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines), and the component parts of ...
, much like other steel works throughout Britain., p. 63. In 1935 an
electric arc furnace An electric arc furnace (EAF) is a Industrial furnace, furnace that heats material by means of an electric arc. Industrial arc furnaces range in size from small units of approximately one-tonne capacity (used in foundry, foundries for producin ...
of 5 tons capacity was introduced, followed by 10 ton electric arc furnaces in 1940 and an increase in electrical capacity in 1944. These developments enabled production to be increased during the Second World War,, p. 26. when Panteg produced
armour plating Military vehicles are commonly armoured (or armored; see spelling differences) to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets, shells, rockets, and missiles, protecting the personnel inside from enemy fire. Such vehicles include armoured fightin ...
, armour piercing steel and high manganese steel for
helmets A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the Human head, head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a Custodian helmet, policeman's helmet in the Unite ...
. In 1945 Baldwins Ltd merged with Richard Thomas Ltd to form
Richard Thomas and Baldwins Richard Thomas and Baldwins Ltd (RTB) was a major iron, steel and tinplate producer, primarily based in Wales and formed in 1948 by the merger of Richard Thomas & Co Ltd with Baldwins Ltd. It was absorbed into British Steel Corporation in 1967. The ...
(RTB) Ltd. Panteg then became one of the leading producers of high-grade alloy steels, including stainless steels. In 1951 the works was nationalised briefly under the Iron & Steel Corporation of Great Britain, but later in 1951 it reverted to Richard Thomas & Baldwins Ltd and a cold strip plant was installed. In 1957 Arthur J. Pritchard described how Panteg Steel Works had enjoyed thirty years of good industrial relations,, p. 64 unlike many other sites of heavy industry during the same period. He gave the credit for this to a management policy known as "Sociability", which included a social club and a welfare programme. The social club was located at Panteg House, which had previously been the residence of the Managing-Director, and offered a range of leisure facilities aimed at both workers and management. These included reading rooms, games rooms, bar, concert room, canteen and space for music and dramatic productions. Outside there were facilities for sports including football, cricket and tennis. The works also provided a medical service which consisted of a surgery and a doctor who was available for consultation by all staff, regardless of their status. By providing valued benefits, and enabling a culture of interaction and discussion, Pritchard believed that the management of Panteg Steel Works had made it easy to find agreement when round the negotiating table, and so avoid disruptive clashes with the workforce. In 1967 Panteg Steel Works became part of the
British Steel Corporation British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and cultur ...
(BSC) and a new melting shop was built in 1971. The works became part of British Steel Plc in 1988 and a Horizontal Continuous Billet Casting Machine was introduced. By this stage 900 employees were producing stainless steel for a variety of products including beer kegs, sinks, hospital equipment and vehicle trim., p. 43. In 1992 the site was taken over by Avesta Sheffield Ltd, a company formed from the merger of British Steel Stainless Ltd and the Swedish company Avesta AB., p. 52. Between 1992 and 1996, worldwide investment in the Stainless Long Products industry reached an intense level and competition from larger steel works put the Panteg Melting Shop under severe pressure. Although the work-force made determined efforts to remain competitive, closure of the melting shop was announced in September 1996. On 12 December 1996, the last furnace of cast steel was made at Panteg, but stainless steel coil processing of over 50,000 tonnes per annum continued.


References

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