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John Williams and Co of Excelsior Works, Wishaw, Motherwell was a medium sized malleable iron works.
1866 The business was started in 1866 and specialised in iron sheets, rolled in sheet mills.
1879 it installed the first three open hearth furnaces in Motherwell for the manufacture of steel. However, its experiments with this were not too successful and other firms went on to capture the steel market.
Williams went on to manufacture wire, nails, staples, rivets and washers.
1922 Private company.
1937 Name changed.
1949 The company was prospering in 1949.
1950 John Williams (Wishaw) Ltd was acquired by Thomas W. Ward[1]
1961 Manufacturers of steel sheets, iron castings, nails, rivets and washers.
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