The Leeds and Bradford Boiler Company Ltd. was founded in 1876 to manufacture boilers for local crane suppliers, brewing pans for local pubs and tar stills.

Dished Ends

During the First World War the business became involved in the hot pressing of hemispheres used in the production of naval mines. This was the company's first involvement with press work which has been developed over the years into the sub contract dished end manufacturing facilities of today.

In 1934 the business developed the Quicklock™ pressure retaining door which offered many advantages over the heavy, slow operating swing bolt doors commonly used at the time. With this patented design the company quickly became the leading supplier of autoclaves worldwide.

Maurice Pickard, the inventor of the Quicklock™ door, also pioneered many safety interlocks for pressure equipment. This led to him being consulted by the regulatory authorities and to regulations requiring such interlocks to be present in all items of pressure equipment.

In 1967 the company was awarded The Queens Award for Exports having supplied vessels to over 100 countries around the world. Applications ranged from processes in the rubber, textiles, timber, and food industries but during the 1960's the company refocused its efforts on the foundry industry and the relatively new investment/lost wax process. The Boilerclave™ was developed for the de-waxing of shell moulds and the Leaching Autoclave™ for the removal of cores from castings. During this period the company became experienced in dealing with the multitude of design codes and inspection requirements used throughout the world.

Sub contract machining

In the 1970's the business also developed the Thermoclave™ for the curing of carbon fibre composites and began offering its extensive machining services on a sub contract basis. The demand for this service was such that new machines were soon introduced.

In 1986 the company achieved accreditation to manufacture ASME U stamp pressure vessels. This was in response to an increasing demand for such vessels from around the world. LBBC Beechwood continues to hold this quality approval.

Sub contract fabrication

It was not until 2003 when LBBC Beechwood was established as a trading division of The Leeds and Bradford Boiler Company Ltd. (now part of the LBBC Group Ltd.) that fabrication services were offered on a subcontract basis. This service initially focused on pressure vessels but has now diversified into a variety of high integrity fabrication work.

LBBC Beechwood is now well established and recognised by the heavy engineering industry for its fabrication, cladding, machining and dished end manufacturing capabilities, its high quality standards and for its excellent customer service. This was affirmed when LBBC Beechwood received accreditation to the BS EN ISO 9001:2008 business standard in 2010.

Privately owned

For the majority of its 130 plus years of existence the company has been owned by the Pickard family. Today the business is directed by brothers Howard and Robert Pickard who are the fifth generation of the Pickard family to do so.

The values of the business have not changed during the five generations of Pickard family ownership. The business remains committed to providing a first class value for money ethical service to its customers.

The owners and employees alike are very proud of the company's rich history. They are also extremely focused on the future and in taking the business forward.