In 2024, Universal Wolf is celebrating its 60th anniversary. The Tharsus Welding & Sheet Metal Company – as the business was originally known – was established on the banks of the river Tyne in 1964.
In September, the company brought its colleagues together for a morning of breakfast butties, coffee, cake and reflection. They were also delighted to welcome two of the three original founders of the business, to celebrate this momentous milestone.
“Do you want to work for someone else for the rest of your life?”
Three friends and sheet metal workers from the nearby Reyrolle business – John, Austin and Stan – decided they’d had enough of working for other people and branched out on their own. They each put in £300 to buy a small prefab building in Hebburn. At first, their turnover was mostly spillover work from Reyrolle, but gradually their reputation and order book grew. In 1967, they opened their own factory in the shadow of their former employer.
The three friends continued to grow the business until, in the late 90s, they sold it to current owner Brian Palmer. Brian took the helm in 1998 and from that point Universal Wolf have continued to grow, adapt and diversify.
Putting down roots in Blyth
In 2013, in need of more space, the company took on its Spencer Road facility on Blyth Riverside Business Park. it relocated to Blyth permanently in 2014 and took on a second facility – on Cowley Road – in 2019.
A vast product portfolio
The company has partnered with many different companies over the years. In the early 2000s, they played an instrumental part in the rollout of BT’s 21st Century Network – providing overhead cable management systems which could cope with their upgrade activity. Today, Universal Wolf work with companies who operate in a variety of sectors, including industrial machinery manufacturers and commercial vehicle giants.
Over 1,000 collective years of service
The products they make may have changed over the years, but one thing which has stayed consistent is the skill and passion of their colleagues.
There is a fantastic variety of years’ service among our pack, from the newest apprentices to colleagues who have been the company for more than 50 years. This means they have a great mix of time-served skill and new technology, which is used to deliver efficient and accurate sheet metal fabrication for customers.
The total collective years of service for all Universal Wolf colleagues is 1,117 – an impressive number!
