Size really does matter. If it’s big and ugly.... |
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If it’s big and ugly, then it’s right up DavyMarkham’s street. |
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Bob Rae writes in the Sheffield Star:
Over the years, the company has been involved in some of the most challenging and prestigious projects. The Thames Barrier flood defences, machines that cut the Channel Tunnel, the opening mechanism for the Millennium Bridge in Gateshead, the Terminal 5 control tower at Heathrow, hydroelectric power projects, including the pumped storage system at Dinorwig in Wales and large-scale marine cable laying systems all have Davy or Markham stamped on them. Steel processing plants across the world and the winches used to extract coal and other minerals from miles underground also bear the names of one or other company – and now the names of both. The nuclear and offshore industries are clients. Even the wheels made for France’s world-beating TGV trains are made on a Davy press, which was only recently repaired and upgraded by the Prince of Wales Road firm. |
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The massive machine tools, with work tables bigger than a basket ball court, are one of the most memorable sights for anyone who visits the Darnall works, along with the deep assembly pits.
Fixed tables are capable of bearing lumps of metal weighing 350 tonnes that may need turning half a dozen times before they are finished. DavyMarkham also boasts one of the largest turntables in the world, capable of moving a 200-tonne work piece. Despite their size, the machine tools are capable of incredible accuracy, machining giant castings to make structures more than 14 metres high to the same tolerances used when making Swiss watches. |
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