W.H.Tildesley Ltd - Drop Forging Specialist

General information

Founded by William Horace Tildesley in 1874, like most companies in Willenhall, W.H. Tildesley made parts for horses that were heavily used in the transport industry.

The production of horse shoe blanks started in 1880 in support of the Boer War. Other parts included horse grooming equipment – curry combs tail comb, sweat scrapers, then expanding into vermin traps. In those days Willenhall, in the West Midlands, was famous for Lock Making and metal work for the nearby Saddlery trade in Walsall.
During the 1st World War, production switched to mass manufacturing of horse shoe blanks. It was as a result of this that the little family business moved down the road to its present site in order to carry out the noisy and hot blacksmith type work. But diversity and adaptation has always been part of the culture and the product range soon expanded to include drop forgings. Horace William Tildesley, the son of WH took the business further and the forging operations became the heart of WHT business. Horace’s son David Tildesley succeeded his Father after the Second World War building the business to be financially secure and investing in new equipment.
David Tildesley was succeeded by his eldest son Richard as Managing Director in the early 80s and WHT became a major forging supplier not only within the UK but also moved into the export market. Richard’s younger Brother John joined the business in the late 80s and as Technical Director began a programme of investment forging technology that continues to this day. Between them they developed applications in a wide range of markets such as admiralty lifting and rigging equipment, motor cycles and trucks and architectural ironwork.
Sadly Richard died prematurely and John took on the mantle as Managing Director and has since brought the business very much into the 21st century. Family connections have also played a part in the workforce development with many of WHT’s current staff being related to current and previous employees.
Whilst the high-volume production of many of our traditional parts has moved overseas, WHT still maintains a niche position in those markets especially where small and medium quantities of unique parts are required, often on short lead-times for repair and maintenance. The ability to produce small batches cost-effectively is now central to our current market position and continuous investment in capital equipment, materials technology, training and information technology means that we also now offer a vital service to today’s key industries such as railways, oil/gas, petrochemical and off-road equipment.
And in a world where outsourcing has become increasingly fashionable WHT continues to invest in its own capabilities, particularly in-house die-making and finished component machining. WHT's evolution has seen a massive advance in production techniques and the streamlining of material procurement which have been crucial to maintaining competitiveness. Continually investing in our plant, processes and people, we embrace the most modern industry and have the advantage of historical evolution behind us.