After months of tough behind the scenes negotiations the biggest merger in Britain’s industrial history had been concluded successfully. The formation of the British Leyland Motor Corporation was announced on 17 January 1968, as a wave of speculative share buying began hitting the Stock Exchange.
The British Leyland merger created a group with more than 40 factories in England, Wales, and Scotland. The groups were composed as follows:
Leyland Group
- 1. Leyland Motors, Leyland and Chorley, lorry and bus chassis, diesel engines (13,000 employees).
- 2. Standard-Triumph International, Coventry, cars (11,000).
- 3. AEC, Southall, buses, commercial vehicles, diesel engines (5000).
- 4. Albion Motors, Glasgow, lorry and bus chassis (3000).
- 5. Scammell Lorries, Watford, heavy duty commercial vehicles (1200).
- 6. Standard-Triumph (Liverpool), Speke, car bodies and parts (1500).
- 7. Transport Equipment (Thornycroft), Basingstoke, heavy commercial vehicles (1300).
- 8. Beans Industries, Tipton, foundries (2000).
- 9. West Yorkshire Foundries, Leeds, foundries (1800).
- 10. Park Royal Vehicles, London, bus body builders (1000).
- 11. Maudslay Motor Company, Alcester, axles (800).
- 12. Alford and Alder, Hemel Hempstead, axles, brake drums, etc. (850).
- 13. Forward Radiator Company, Birmingham, radiators, petrol tanks, etc. (1200).
- 14. Self-Changing Gears, Coventry, gearboxes (500).
- 15. Charles H. Roe, Leeds, bus body builders (400).
- 16. Power Jacks, Acton, hydraulic jacks and pumps (250).
- 17 Auto-Body Dies, Dunstable. body press dies (250).
- 18. British Gear Grinding and Manufacturing Company, London, gears and gearbox components (100).
- 19. The Rover Company, Solihull, cars, industrial gas turbines (14,600).
- 20. Rover Company factories at Cardiff (part of Rover Company).
- 21. Alvis Limited, Coventry, military vehicles (part of Rover Company).
- 22. Aveling-Barford, Grantham, (2000–parent company only, excluding Aveling-Barford subsidiaries).
The Leyland Group also has interests in many Commonwealth and foreign countries, including India, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand. Israel, Belgium, Holland, Ireland, and Peru.
British Motor Holdings Group
In Britain the major BMH plants (those employing more than 1000) are:
BRITISH MOTOR CORPORATION
- 1. Austin, Longbrldge, cars, car bodies, and engines (27,000 employees).
- 2. Morris, Cowley, cars (10,700).
- 3. Morris, Llanelli, components (3800).
- 4. Morris, Birmingham, components (4800).
- 5. Morris, Coventry, engines (5900).
- 6. SU Carburettors, Birmingham, carburettors (1000).
- 7. MG, Abingdon, sports cars (1200).
- 8. BMC, Bathgate, trucks and tractors (5000).
- 9. Fisholow, Coseley, equipment (1100).
- 10. Fisher-Bendix, Kirkby, domestic appliances (2200).
PRESSED STEEL FISHER
- 1. Cowley and Swindon, car bodies and other units (11,100).
- 2. Birmingham (2 plants), car and commercial bodies (7600).
- 3. Coventry, bodies and trim (3300).
- 4. Llanelli, pressings (2000).
JAGUAR CARS
- 1. Jaguar, Coventry, cars (3500).
- 2. Daimler, Coventry, cars and buses (3200).
- 3. Guy, Wolverhampton. cars and buses (1000).
- 4. Meadows, Wolverhampton, marine gearboxes and other units (3000).
- 5. Coventry Climax, Coventry, forklifts, fire pumps, and other units (1000).
BMC had overseas factories for cars, commercial vehicles and tractors in Australia (4600 employees) and South Africa (1600 employees).