Records of Babcock Contractors Ltd, 1978-, engineers and contractors, London, England

Scope and Content

  • Board minutes 1979-1985;
  • Accounts 1978-1980;
  • Memorandum and articles of association 1978;
  • Catalogues 1982;
  • Company profile 1978;
  • Marketing records 1980;
  • General management papers 1980-1985.

Administrative / Biographical History

Babcock Contractors Ltd was incorporated as a limited liability company in 1978  with head offices in London, England. The company specialised in engineering and contract work and was a subsidiary of Babcock & Wilcox Ltd , boilermakers, London, as well as owning a number of its own subsidiary companies. Prior to 1980  , Babcock Contractors Ltd owned 2 Dutch subsidiary companies: Duiker Projekten BV and BV Machinefabriek Spaans . Both of these companies were sold to Babcock Technische Maatshappij BV , Netherlands, in 1980  .

In 1979  , Babcock & Wilcox Ltd became Babcock International Ltd and then Babcock International plc in 1982  . By 1984, Babcock Contractors Ltd had been made the chief company in the Mechanical & Process Plant Contracting Group of Babcock International plc. The group was divided into divisions, namely, Water Engineering, Process Plant Contracting, Bulk Handling, Coal Technology and Electrical. This group of companies specialised in engineering contracting including water treatment, sewage purification, desalination, steelworks processes, oil and petrochemical processes, glass and glass fibre production, fertiliser processes, gas production and minerals processing and extraction. The group also dealt with the bulk handling of all major materials including coal, ores, ash and powders, deep and surface mining, slurry handling, electrical power generation and supply and food processing. Contracts could be awarded to individual companies within the group or by a group of companies with Babcock Contractors Ltd the managerial and technical ability.

In 1987  , Babcock International plc, the parent company of Babcock Contractors Ltd, merged with FKI Electricals plc, engineering company, London, to form FKI Babcock plc . In 1989  , FKI Babcock plc demerged to form FKI plc and Babcock International Group plc and Babcock Contractors Ltd remained with the latter of these companies.

In 1993, Babcock International Group plc restructured and Babcock Turnkey Operations Ltd , turnkey contractors, London, a sister company within the Mechanical & Process Plant Contracting Group, became Babcock Contractors Ltd. By 1995, the company was a dormant subsidiary company of Babcock King-Wilkinson Ltd but by 2002 was a management holding company within Babcock International Group plc.

Arrangement

The material is arranged into series as shown in the scope and content note. Within series, items are generally arranged chronologically.

Access Information

No access without the permission of the collection owners. Access request form available from Glasgow University Archive Services.

Acquisition Information

Permanent loan : FKI Babcock plc/Babcock International Group plc : 1988

Other Finding Aids

Digital and manual file level lists of the surviving records of all Babcock International Group plc and Mitsui Babcock Energy Ltd companies and their subsidiaries are available in the searchroom ref: UGD 309

Manual file level list available at the National Registers of Archives in Edinburgh (NRA(S)) and London (NRA33916)

Alternative Form Available

No known copies

Conditions Governing Use

Applications for permission to quote should be sent to the University Archivist

Reproduction subject to usual conditions: educational use & condition of documents

Appraisal Information

This material has been appraised in line with standard GB 248 procedures

Custodial History

Held by FKI Babcock plc and its predecessor companies

Accruals

None expected

Related Material

The records of Babcock International Group plc and Mitsui Babcock Energy Ltd and their predecessor, subsidiary, and associated companies of are held by Glasgow University Archive Services starting with call reference GB 248 UGD 309.

Surviving records of subsidiary companies that were also part of the Mechanical & Process Plant Contracting Group of Babcock International Group plc can be found at:

GB 248 UGD 309/23 Records of Babcock Hydro-Pneumatics Ltd

GB 248 UGD 309/25 Records of Ames Crosta Babcock Ltd

GB 248 UGD 309/43 Records of Babcock Minerals Engineering Ltd

GB 248 UGD 309/53 Records of Babcock Product Engineering Ltd

GB 248 UGD 309/57 Records of Babcock Turnkey Operations Ltd

GB 248 UGD 309/72 Records of Claudius Peters Ltd

GB 248 UGD 309/74 Records of Coal Processing Consultants Ltd

GB 248 UGD 309/90 Records of Froude Consine Ltd

GB 248 UGD 309/100 Records of Jenkins of Retford Ltd

GB 248 UGD 309/153 Records of Woodall-Duckham Group Ltd

GB 248 UGD 309/154 Records of Woodall-Duckham Ltd

Bibliography

No known publications using this material

Additional Information

This material is original

Amended by Emma Yan, Assistant Archivist (Cataloguing), 21 December 2007

Geographical Names