This year, Stannah, the British, family-owned engineering company, celebrates its 150th anniversary. Throughout 2017 there will be a host of events, initiatives and online resources to encourage staff, customers and the public to celebrate this landmark in British engineering.
Established in 1867 by Joseph Stannah, the company first made its name making hoists and cranes for London’s dockyards. During WW2, the Stannah factory was destroyed. Having to rebuild the business from scratch, using just their reputable family name, the Stannah generations that followed began to build the household name it is today.
When asked, what reaching this milestone means to the Stannah family, Jon Stannah, Group Managing Director and descendant of Joseph Stannah said: “It means a great deal. Family is all about generations, the legacy left behind and the future generations that will continue to grow the business. We are very lucky to know the history of our company – this celebration is not just about the Stannah family, but also about the wider family that is the Stannah corporation.”
The heartbeat of the company and the main contributor to its success is the hard work and loyalty of its staff. There are members of the team who have dedicated their whole working lives to the business, particularly in Test Valley, Hampshire, where Stannah is one of the biggest employers in the borough. The Stannah family know that charitable fundraising is incredibly important to many of their staff and so, throughout 2017, the business will be running a 150% match funding programme.
Having weathered 150 years of change, the Stannah product and services portfolio now includes homelifts; platform, passenger, service and goods lifts; stairlifts; escalators; moving walkways; loading systems and maintenance services delivered locally from 11 nationwide locations. As well as celebrating its achievements, the anniversary also allows Stannah to look towards the future. With new airport contracts and further announcements to its loading systems capability due in 2017, the year itself is expected to be a new milestone within Stannah’s history.
A lot has happened since 1867 – yet some things, like making life easier and more fulfilling for people and the Stannah family commitment to Joseph’s values of quality and integrity, remain unchanged.