English China Clays

English China Clays, commonly abbreviated to ECC, was a British mining and industrial company headquartered in St Austell, Cornwall. Its principal activity was the extraction, processing and sale of china clay, also known as kaolin, a mineral used in ceramics, paper, construction materials and other industrial applications. The company developed from the consolidation of a fragmented Cornish clay industry and eventually became one of the United Kingdom's most important producers of the material. ECC was incorporated in April 1919 through the combination of three substantial producers: Martin Bros., whose business dated from 1837; West of England China Clay & Stone, established in 1849; and the North Cornwall China Clay Company, founded in 1908. Together, the businesses represented approximately half of the industry's output at the time. The consolidation reflected difficult conditions in the British clay trade, which had previously included many independent producers but had suffered from excess capacity and disruption associated with the First World War. Further combinations followed as companies attempted to rationalise production and improve financial resilience. The economic downturn of 1929–1931 placed additional pressure on the industry. Output declined sharply and ECC reported losses. In response, the leading producers combined their operating assets in a new company, English Clays Lovering Pochin. English China Clays became a holding company and retained a 63 percent interest in the new operating business. It subsequently acquired the remaining interests, purchasing Lovering's shares in 1951 and the remaining Pochin minority in 1954. The resulting group reorganised its activities into four principal divisions: china clay, building, quarrying and transport. During the post-war decades, ECC benefited from rising demand for china clay in domestic and overseas markets, particularly from the growth of coated paper. The company modernised its pit operations and invested in processing equipment. By the end of the 1960s, it was producing approximately 2.5 million tons of china clay annually. It also expanded into ball clay, a material used in construction and related industries, and became responsible for a substantial share of British production. Its quarrying division extracted stone for construction and expanded beyond the south-west of England into areas including Leicestershire, Lancashire and the Home Counties. ECC also operated outside minerals. Its building division included Selleck Nicholls Williams, acquired in 1945, which produced precast concrete system houses and developed housing for local authorities and private buyers. From the 1960s onward, the company increasingly used surplus cash from its clay business to invest in private housing development. The 1984 acquisition of Edwin H. Bradley, a Swindon-based company founded in 1902, added the Bradstone building-products business and Bradley Estates land holdings. ECC subsequently built more than 1,000 private homes annually and made an unsuccessful contested bid for Bryant Homes in 1986, retaining a minority holding after the bid failed. Housing sales later approached 1,300 units in 1989. Management changes in the early 1990s led ECC to refocus on its original clay operations. Housing output was reduced, surplus land was sold in 1994 and 1995, and the quarrying business was separated as Camas. In 1999, ECC International was acquired by the French minerals group Imetal, which later adopted the name Imerys. The acquisition brought the principal business of English China Clays into the Imerys group and ended ECC's independent corporate existence. Before its acquisition, ECC had also been a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

English China Clays emerged from the consolidation of Cornwall's historically fragmented china-clay industry. Before the First World War, the sector contained as many as seventy producers, but excess capacity, wartime disruption and weak demand encouraged larger combinations. In April 1919, Martin Bros., West of England China Clay & Stone, and the North Cornwall China Clay Company were amalgamated to form English China Clays. The constituent businesses had roots extending back to the nineteenth century, and together represented about half of British industry output at the time. The consolidation did not immediately resolve the sector's structural problems. Additional mergers followed, while demand remained well below available production capacity. The downturn from 1929 to 1931 was particularly severe: industry output fell by roughly one-third and ECC incurred losses. The leading companies responded by transferring operating assets to English Clays Lovering Pochin. ECC became a holding company with a 63 percent interest in the new entity. It later acquired Lovering's shares in 1951 and the remaining Pochin minority in 1954, restoring full control over the operating company. After the 1954 consolidation, ECC reorganised into four divisions covering china clay, building, quarrying and transport. Its core mineral operation grew strongly in the post-war period. Investment in plant and the modernisation of pit structures supported higher productivity, while demand for china clay increased in Britain and abroad. The expansion of coated paper created an important market because processed kaolin is used as a paper coating and filler. By the end of the 1960s, ECC was producing around 2.5 million tons of china clay each year. It also entered the ball-clay market, where its output represented a significant proportion of British production. The quarrying division extracted stone for construction and expanded geographically beyond Cornwall and the wider south-west. The building division, which included Selleck Nicholls Williams after its 1945 acquisition, produced precast concrete system houses and undertook public and private development. Its Cornish Unit houses used concrete incorporating spoil from clay pits, linking the construction business to the group's mineral operations. From the 1960s, ECC increasingly invested surplus cash from its clay business in private housebuilding and land development. This activity expanded considerably in 1984 when ECC acquired Edwin H. Bradley, a family business founded in 1902. The transaction added the Bradstone building-products brand and Bradley Estates' land interests. ECC became a substantial housebuilder, producing more than 1,000 private homes annually and recording nearly 1,300 housing sales in 1989. Its 1986 attempt to acquire Bryant Homes was unsuccessful, though ECC retained a 29 percent holding. During the early 1990s, a change in management prompted a return to the company's original mineral focus. Housing volumes were allowed to decline, land was sold in 1994 and 1995, and ECC Quarries was demerged under the Camas name. The group ultimately ceased to operate independently when ECC International was acquired by Imetal in 1999. Imetal later renamed itself Imerys, placing the former ECC clay activities within a larger international minerals group. ECC had previously achieved major-market status in the United Kingdom and was at one point a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. The company also contributed processing technology to the industry. The Buell dryer, developed for its Cornish china-clay plants, was a multiple-hearth, direct-heated industrial dryer designed for drying processed clay. This technology reflected ECC's role not only as a raw-material producer but also as an operator of specialised mineral-processing facilities.

• 1999

  Acquisition by Imetal

  [1]English China Claysen.wikipedia.org

  ECC International was acquired by Imetal, which later became Imerys.

• 1994

  Disposal of housing land

  [1]English China Claysen.wikipedia.org

  As ECC refocused on minerals, it sold part of the land accumulated by its housebuilding operations; further disposals followed in 1995.

• 1986

  Unsuccessful Bryant Homes bid

  [1]English China Claysen.wikipedia.org

  ECC made a contested but unsuccessful bid for Bryant Homes and retained a 29 percent holding after the attempt.

• 1984

  Acquisition of Edwin H. Bradley

  [1]English China Claysen.wikipedia.org

  ECC acquired the Swindon-based building and housebuilding company Edwin H. Bradley, including Bradstone products and Bradley Estates.

• 1969

  Expansion of mineral production

  [1]English China Claysen.wikipedia.org

  By the end of the 1960s, ECC was producing approximately 2.5 million tons of china clay annually and had expanded into ball clay and geographically broader quarrying operations.

• 1954

  Full ownership of operating company

  [1]English China Claysen.wikipedia.org

  ECC purchased the remaining Pochin minority and reorganised the group into china clay, building, quarrying and transport divisions.

• 1951

  Acquisition of Lovering interest

  [1]English China Claysen.wikipedia.org

  ECC acquired Lovering's shares in the operating company as part of its return to full ownership.

• 1931

  Operating merger after the industry downturn

  [1]English China Claysen.wikipedia.org

  ECC transferred its operating assets into English Clays Lovering Pochin and retained a 63 percent interest as the clay industry faced falling output and losses.

• 1919

  Formation of English China Clays

  [1]English China Claysen.wikipedia.org

  Martin Bros., West of England China Clay & Stone, and the North Cornwall China Clay Company combined to form English China Clays in April.

A vertically diversified British industrial group built around large-scale Cornish china-clay production, with additional activities in quarrying, transport, construction materials and housebuilding.

• Industrial minerals

  China clay

  ECC's core product was china clay, or kaolin, extracted primarily in Cornwall and processed for industrial customers. Its applications included ceramics, paper production and other manufacturing uses. The business grew through pit modernisation, investment in processing plant and access to both British and international markets. Demand from coated-paper producers was particularly important during the company's post-war expansion.

• Industrial minerals

  Ball clay

  ECC expanded beyond china clay into ball clay, a plastic clay used in building-related and other industrial applications. By the late 1960s, the company produced more than 250,000 tons annually and accounted for nearly half of British output according to the historical account.

• Construction materials

  Quarried stone

  The quarrying division produced stone principally for the construction industry. Through acquisitions and expansion, its operations extended beyond the company's Cornish base into Leicestershire, Lancashire and the Home Counties. The division was later separated from ECC as Camas.

• Precast concrete and building products

  Bradstone building products

  The acquisition of Edwin H. Bradley in 1984 brought the Bradstone building-products business into ECC. The wider building division also made precast concrete system houses and used material connected with clay-pit spoil in some products. Bradstone became one of the identifiable construction-material activities associated with ECC's diversification.

• Housebuilding

  Private housing developments

  ECC developed private housing estates in Devon, Cornwall and other areas, using land held through its building and estates operations. The business expanded substantially after the Edwin H. Bradley acquisition and exceeded 1,000 homes per year during its strongest period. ECC later reduced housing activity and sold much of its remaining land as it returned its strategic focus to china clay.

• 1999

  Acquisition by ImetalM&A

  Background

  ECC International remained a significant minerals business but was no longer operating as an independent diversified group.

  Action taken

  French minerals company Imetal acquired ECC International.

  Aftermath

  Imetal later changed its name to Imerys, and English China Clays ceased to exist as an independent corporate brand.

  Source

• 1990

  Refocus on the core clay businessStrategy

  Background

  A management change in the early 1990s prompted a reassessment of ECC's diversified portfolio.

  Action taken

  ECC allowed housing volumes to decline, sold land in 1994 and 1995, and demerged the quarrying division under the Camas name.

  Aftermath

  The group became more concentrated on china clay before its eventual acquisition by Imetal in 1999.

  Source

• 1986

  Attempt to acquire Bryant HomesM&A

  Background

  ECC sought to enlarge its position in private housebuilding after expanding through Edwin H. Bradley.

  Action taken

  It made a contested bid for Bryant Homes.

  Aftermath

  The bid failed, although ECC retained a 29 percent holding in Bryant Homes.

  Source

• 1984

  Acquire Edwin H. BradleyM&A

  Background

  ECC was using cash generated by its clay operations to expand into private housebuilding and construction materials.

  Action taken

  The group acquired Edwin H. Bradley, adding Bradstone products and Bradley Estates land holdings.

  Aftermath

  ECC became a substantial housebuilder, producing more than 1,000 private homes annually during the subsequent expansion.

  Source

• 1931

  Consolidate operating assets after the downturnStrategy

  Background

  A major fall in industry output between 1929 and 1931 left ECC losing money amid persistent excess capacity.

  Action taken

  ECC became a holding company and transferred its operating assets to English Clays Lovering Pochin, retaining a 63 percent interest.

  Aftermath

  ECC later bought the other shareholders' interests and regained full ownership of the operating business.

  Source

1. 1English China Claysen.wikipedia.org