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Former British engineering firm based in Newcastle upon Tyne From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Northern Engineering Industries plc (NEI) was a British engineering firm, which for over 10 years was one of the largest employers on Tyneside. Its headquarters were based at the Regent Centre at Gosforth in Newcastle upon Tyne.[1]
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Company type | Public |
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Industry | Engineering, Power Generation, Power Transmission, Power Distribution & Material Handling |
Founded | 1977 |
Defunct | 1989 |
Fate | Acquired |
Successor | Rolls-Royce plc |
Headquarters | Newcastle, England, UK |
Key people | Terry Harrison, (Chairman) Dr Robert Hawley, (Managing Director) |
Products | Industrial Engineering |
Number of employees | 40,000 (1991) |
The company was established by way of a merger between Clarke Chapman and Reyrolle Parsons in 1977.[2] It manufactured cranes (Clarke Chapman), transformers (Bruce Peebles & Co. Ltd.), switchgear (A. Reyrolle & Company), boilers (Power Engineering Ltd), control systems (Control and Instrumentation Ltd.), and turbines (C.A. Parsons and Company).[3]
In 1981 the company acquired Amalgamated Power Engineering (APE), a leading manufacturer of engines.[4] APE was itself the result of a merger in 1968 of W.H. Allen, Sons & Co. (founded in 1880 and based in Bedford),[5] Belliss and Morcom of Birmingham, and Crossley Engines (founded in 1867 and based in Manchester).[6]
Northern Engineering Industries was led through much of its existence by Sir Duncan McDonald, first as Group Managing Director (1977 to 1980) and then as Chairman (1980 to 1986)[7] and by Sir Terence Harrison first as Chief Executive (1983 to 1986) and then as Chairman (1986 to 1989).[8]
The company was acquired by Rolls-Royce plc in 1989[2] later becoming known as the Rolls-Royce Industrial Power Group.[9]