Pollard Ball and Roller Bearing Company

Pollard Ball and Roller Bearing Company with its headquarters at Ferrybridge, West Yorkshire was a manufacturer of ball and roller bearings founded by John King. Formerly it had been known as Ferrybridge Industries and was originally a small family motor repair firm, Whitehouse Motor Industries, Ford dealers.^[1][2][3] Ferrybridge owned Pollard Bearings Limited.^[4]

International[]

Subsidiaries were established in France, Canada and USA.^[5] In 1964 30 per cent of the trade was direct with the motor industry in Germany, Italy, France and Sweden as well as USA

Industrial Reorganisation Corporation[]

In May 1969 government pressure exerted through the Industrial Reorganisation Corporation required the sale of all the capital of Pollard to Ransome & Marles. The grounds for the pressure were given to be as follows:

the ball bearing industry was a large sector of engineering technology and an essential input into the motor and aircraft industries;

when compared with other developed countries the British industry was fragmented;

there was a possibly of a merger of Sweden's Skefko and Ransome & Marles. SKF dominates the market in European countries.

There would be advantages of scale.

Ransome & Marles was the leading British owned company.^[6][7]

References[]