Winnard - A brief history

Established in 1850.

Winnard was established in 1850 by Thomas Winnard and provided general engineering services to companies around the Sheffield area. A major part of our initial business involved the design and manufacture of file grinding machines.

1925 Brake Drum Re-Lining.

In 1925 we started to provide engineering services to local bus companies. A major part of our business included the re-lining of old brake drums. This process involved the old drum being machined oversize and a cast iron liner heat shrunk inside the drum and riveted before being re-machined back to the original diameter. This process would be impractical, expensive and unsuitable for modern vehicles but at the time it was cheaper than producing a new drum!

1930 Manufacturing Begins - Brake Drums.

In 1930 we started to develop a range of Bus and Commercial Vehicle Brake Drums for local operators. One of the first references produced fitted the Karrier Trolley Bus.

1940 Supplier to U.K.'s Major Bus Operators.

In 1940 we made the decision to concentrate on Brake Drum manufacture and by late 1941 became a major supplier to the U.K.'s large bus operators providing a viable and competitive alternative to Original Equipment.

1958 OEM Supply Contracts.

In 1958 we started to manufacture Brake Drums for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) with a 2000 pieces order from a major trailer manufacturer being secured.

1960 First Brake Disc Production.

In 1960 we started the manufacture of Brake Discs for PSV vehicles. However, the industry was not yet ready to use brake discs on passenger or commerical vehicles and it was not until the late 1980's that Brake Discs started to have any impact on the market.

1970 Commercial Vehicle Range Increased.

In 1970 we increased our range of Commercial Vehicle Brake Drums and started to develop the independent after market network who, to date, did not have access to a comprehensive range of after market Brake Drums.

1979 Expansion - Re-Location to Hellaby Industrial Estate.

In 1979 we moved to a purpose built industrial unit at Hellaby Industrial Estate, Rotherham. At the same time investing in the latest state of the art C.N.C turning machines which allowed us to produce higher volumes without loss of tolerance control.

1985 Expansion - 800m sq Machine Shop Extension.

In order to handle increasing OEM and OES contracts we built a new 800m sq extension to store semi and finished products.

1995 Further Expansion - 1200m sq Machine Shop Extension.

Due to continued business growth the machine shop is re-located into a 1200m sq extension.

2003 Manufacturing reduced.

Due to global competition and reduced casting availability we made the difficult decision to reduce our manufacturing facility and started to out source product from non European sources. Quality control procedures are rigorously controlled and maintained to accomodate off-shore manufacturing.

2008 Winnard achieve ISO9001 accreditation.

In September 2008 we acheived ISO9001 accreditation, increasing our supply opportunities with OEM / OES Blue Chip Companies. Download ISO9001 certificate.

2009 Re-location to new 11 000sq m facility.

Due to business expansion, increasing product ranges and higher levels of stock we have moved to significantly larger premises close to the centre of Rotherham. This new facility will provide us with the space to develop business with existing and future customers. Download new contact details and location map.

Winnard - A modern company with traditional values.

Over the last 78 years Winnard have earned the reputation of supplying quality braking products to both the after market and Original Equipment. Our repuation has been built on strong engineering foundations along with a customer focused sense of product and market integrity.