The Fenner Group was founded in 1861 by Joseph Henry Fenner in rented rooms at 21½ Bishop Lane in Hull, England. Early products manufactured by the Company included leather belting which formed the link between the driving engines and driven machines of the day. In 1893 the company moved to Marfleet, then a small village outside Hull.
By the 1890's the Company was exporting its products widely across Europe and into India, in addition to selling into the Far East through various agents. In 1913, immediately prior to the First World War, exports comprised over 70% of sales. The wartime loss of its principal markets forced the company to focus on the domestic opportunities. The company survived the early war years and then began to prosper.
In 1921 Fenner began developing woven textile belting and was soon producing some of the finest transmission belting on the market, at the same time developing processes that would form the basis of Fenaplast Conveyor Belting some 30 years later.
In 1937 Fenner commenced the manufacture of textile reinforced V-belts and a wide range of pulleys, which were to become a mainstay of the power transmission business through to the 1990's, in various developing forms.
The business had passed from father to son and then to grandson and indeed there was a Fenner as a director up to 1957, although in 1937 Fenner had become a Public Company with share capital of £250,000. During World War II the Hull factory suffered substantial damage and rebuilding the facility commenced in 1947. By December 1948 it was fully operational once more.
In the 1950's, Fenner began to expand on a worldwide basis establishing companies in Australia, South Africa and India. This was followed by the Group's first acquisition in the USA in 1970.
New products were introduced to give the Group a more diversified base from which to operate. A new R&D facility had been built in Hull in 1961, followed by a modern manufacturing facility in 1971. There then followed a period of consistent growth and consolidation, enlivened by fighting off a hostile takeover bid from Hawker Siddley in 1984.
The 1990's were a decade of transformation for Fenner. Major restructuring took place, two rights issues and a series of acquisitions and disposals were made. The business was transformed from a diversified engineering group into one focused on reinforced polymers and well positioned to make further strategic acquisitions.
These developments have continued into the 21st Century. Further acquisitions have seen Fenner become a world leader in heavyweight conveyor belting and a manufacturer in advanced polymer components such as moulded fluoropolymers, extruded polymer products and precision engineered fabrics.
Today, the Fenner Group employs over 3,700 people worldwide, with annual turnover in excess of £400 million and is administered from headquarters based on the outskirts of Hull.
The main thrust of the Group's activities now lie in Heavyweight Conveyor Belting, Precision Polymer Products and Advanced Sealing Technologies. The Group is a dominant force in the markets in which it operates across five continents with 29 manufacturing facilities plus sales/service companies based throughout the world.
For further information please read our Group Brochure.
