Celebrating 120 Years of British Craftsmanship
Posted on Aug 20, 2018Swatkins Group Ltd is proud to be celebrating its 120th Year in business.
At Swatkins, we are recognised worldwide for our Great British manufacturing of Trophies, Awards and Silverware. It is with great pride that 2018 is Swatkins’ 120th Year in the Silverware industry. Our handmade products are now sold in over 40 countries nationwide, spanning from Vietnam to the Falkland Islands, including plenty of countries in between.
Our handmade Silverware now consists of over 2,500 different products. Over the years we have adapted profiles and added new designs, transforming older designs to work with the present market. We are very pleased to see that over the past 5 years we have seen steady growth in our market, so much so we are re-introducing traditional designs in the 2019 and 2020’s publication.
Swatkins are well known in the present day to be the UK’s leading Trophy, Award and Silverware manufacturer – but where did it all begin?
The Past, The Present, The Future – A memory and message from Jeremy Swatkins, Managing Director in 1990, Swatkins Taylor Group Ltd.
“In the late 1890’s my grandfather, Albert Swatkins started in the trade as a Die Sinker and formed Pitt and Swatkins at Tenby Street in the jewellery quarter of Birmingham. During the 1930’s, having moved into larger premises at St. Pauls Square, my father Wilfred and his youngest brother Stanley introduced metal spinning, presswork and stamping to complete the silversmithing side of the company specialising in quality silverware products. With the outbreak of war in 1939 the company used its expertise to assist the war effort, manufacturing all types of goods from military cap badges to torpedo casings. Immediately after the war the company commenced an expansion programme adding polishing and plating shops to enable complete manufacturing from the bare metal to the finished article and in doing so, control the quality and standards needed to supply the leading Silver houses. In 1960, I joined the family business learning metal spinning, toolmaking and silversmithing for some ten years until my Father and Uncle stood down in order for me to take my turn at the helm. During the next fifteen years we continued to expand, manufacturing for the trade. In 1987 we merged with J. W. Taylor Ltd of Walsall, another family business – manufacturing fine quality Silverware to form Swatkins-Taylor Group Ltd. This gave us the expertise of our combined skilled craftsmen which we needed to keep the quality we have always strived to obtain. The Taylor family retired in 1988, leaving the company solely in the hands of the Swatkins family. In January 1990 I too will be taking a back seat as my son Paul, having himself served his apprenticeship, takes over as Managing Director and I am sure he, in the tradition of his Great Grandfather, Grandfather and Father, will continue to maintain the high standards we in the Swatkins family have always maintained from the past to the present and into the future.”
It is without a doubt a huge credit to the Swatkins family having such a devoted and hard-working team. It is with their skill and knowledge alongside the Swatkins tradition – that our Silverware is manufactured to the highest of standards, each and every day. Our customers can benefit from short lead times, state of the art technology and a team of skilled craftsmen and women who are dedicated to producing an Award that anyone would be extremely proud to receive.
From everyone at Swatkins, we thank our loyal trade customers that have been a part of Swatkins’ history. We have got great plans for the next few years, and we look forward to working with you.
Spanning over 3 centuries and 5 generations, you can be confident to buy products from a British company that has truly stood the test of time, since 1898.
Manufacturing Legends since 1898.
We look forward to serving you for the next 120+ years.
