Fact File

Ten facts about Slater & Crabtree and a brief history of the company.

  • Started in 1922
  • Limited Company in 1927
  • Employ 50 people
  • 2500 Mē (nearly 30,000 sq ft)
  • Located in West Yorkshire
  • 2 minutes from M1
  • 10 minutes from M62
  • Member of EEF, NDI, WDMA
  • ISO9001:2000 approved by BSI
  • Apply 6 Sigma and Lean tools

The Beginning

In 1922, Edward Slater and Herbert Crabtree formed a partnership in Barnsley to manufacture Press Tools, mainly for use in the then thriving Tin Box Trade. Within a short time they moved to a small factory in Wakefield, next to press manufacturers Joseph Rhodes Ltd, whose Press Tools they by now made.

Diversification

World War II brought diversification into Jigs & Fixtures. By the 1960's they had outgrown their original Wakefield site so they moved to a purpose built factory on the present site in Thornes Lane Wakefield. Further diversification into Precision Machining, which now forms the bulk of the Company's output, brought about further increases in factory size.

Present Day

The Company now has a skilled workforce of around 50 people and has wide ranging CNC and manual machining facilities including Turning, Milling, Boring, Jig Boring, Grinding, etc for parts up to 3000Kg in weight. These facilities are fully supported by CAD/CAM, Inspection and Ancillary Operations, giving the capability to take customer drawings and fully manufacture a complete part to ISO 9001:2000 approved standards.