The Building of a New Steel Works

The material for this chapter is taken from a project ¹ carried out during the building of a new steel works on a 'green-field' site. It was built by an old-established company, itself the result of an amalgamation of many other smaller companies, which, in the course of the growth and development of the industry, had been overtaken by its competitors in terms of equipment, technology, and expansion. It had been the European pioneer of the continuous production of wide steel strip, and, like most pioneers, had shown the way to its competitors who, entering the field at a later date, had benefited from its experience. Its works, its technology, and its members were ageing.