Category: History

An increase in demand for technical mouldings led to Percy designing & building another new type of Transfer Moulding machine. This time to achieve accuracy in moulding micro components, with or without inserts..

Our first automatic Injection Moulding machine, an Italian GBF, was bought in 1962, allowing long production runs for the first time. It was at this time Percy & Cyril made the conscious decision not to enter in the mass production market, quality & skill always our highest priorities. This decision led to an increase in supplying even more complex mouldings to the aerospace & electronics industries. By 1963 we were producing injection moulded components containing fragile glass inserts.

 

 

We bought our first automatic Compression Moulding press from Bradley & Turton in 1964, 24 hour production achieving shorter lead times.
 

Michael Cummings joined the business straight from school, as an apprentice in 1965. He quickly mastered the art of moulding, gaining experience to manage the moulding shop production.

1950’s

By Easter 1950 Percy had a built our first Transfer Moulding press. This was designed, manufactured & assembled completely in house using our own tool-room, and are still very much in use today.
Cyril & Joyce’s daughter Jeannette was born in December.

In 1951 we started producing our first mouldings in thermoplastics -acrylic Diakon, nylon 11 Ralsin (now Rilsan) & Polystyrene

 

1952 was a key year for us, as Charlesworth & Son became a limited company, with Percy & Cyril as equal partners. Building work also commenced on our new purpose-built production plant at Curdworth.

  
Our long association with Morgan sports cars began in 1952, with Cyril buying his first 4-4 coupe. 

Our involvement with the booming aircraft industry was to grow over the coming years. We were producing specialised parts for, among others; Armstrong Siddeley, Dunlop Rubber Company, GEC, Dowty Rotol, Teddington Aircraft Co. Along with producing precision parts for companies such as Taylor Taylor & Hobson (later to become Rank Taylor Hobson, now part of AMETEK Ultra Precision Technologies). 

The outbreak of war in 1939 saw a massive decline in demand for Charlesworth Mouldings existing products. Percy began working with another local moulding company, but before long demand for plastic components to support the war effort had increased. 1941 saw Percy & Cyril form a business on their own as Charlesworth & Son. They started production from their home in Castle Bromwich. That first year saw them producing aircraft instrument housings, components for ships navigation & machine gun mounts. Their first customer was to be Thomas Walker & Sons.
 

 

In 1943 Charlesworth & Son moved to premises in Water Orton.

 
Joyce Mortiboys joined the company in 1944 & started work in the office, we were now employing 12 people

After the war production changed to producing parts for domestic appliances, industrial switchgear & instrumentation  

 

Cyril & Joyce were married in 1948 at St Mary and St Margaret’s Church, Castle Bromwich.

By 1949 we were producing many technical components with metal inserts. This led to Percy designing our own unique Transfer Moulding machine to allow us to produce these with greater accuracy.

 

Willie J Charlesworth was born in Nottingham in 1864. He became a skilled toolmaker, working all over the country in places such as Woolwich Arsenal, London; Grantham; West Hartlepool; Bristol. Moving to Aston, Birmingham in the 1890’s working for Webley & Scott, Wolseley, Austin & Thomas Walker & Son. 
By 1897 he had started his own manufacturing business in Aston producing taps, gauges & other turned parts. 
In 1901 Willie J expanded his business, buying a bicycle shop in Washwood Heath, where he also manufactured “Mighty Atom” cycles and sidecars. 
1902 saw another son, Percy W L Charlesworth, born. Followed, in 1903, by Leslie G G Charlesworth.

  
In 1908 Willie J rented a small factory at 88 Aston St, Birmingham. Where he soon began making metal parts for the new wireless industry, along with other capstan work. Percy became his first employee in 1917.

Percy & Willie J started to experiment with Compression Moulding Bakelite, in 1924, thus becoming Damard Lacquer Co’s (later to become Bakelite) first customer in Birmingham. 
Cyril E Charlesworth, Percy’s son born was born in 1925. 

 

By the time of the 1927 British Industrial Fair, Willie J & Percy were firmly established in the plastics trade. They exhibited with Bakelite & Birmingham Gas to demonstrate Compression Moulding.

During 1929 Willie J & Percy took out a lease on land at Stechford, where they had a new factory built. The market for new & revolutionary plastic products was flourishing. In 1934 Charlesworth Mouldings Ltd became a registered company, with Willie J & three of his sons Percy, Les & William as directors.