End of the road in UK for Swift Levick

Swift Levick, which used to be based in Attercliffe, but moved to Barlborough, near Chesterfield, 14 years ago, shortly before being bought by US-based Arnold Magnetic Technologies, has been running down its operations and will be auctioning off its remaining equipment on October 9.

Items due to go under the hammer in the online auction, organised by SHM Smith Hodgkinson, from Birmingham, include three vacuum sintering furnaces, general machine tools and a foundry.

Swift Levick was founded in 1883 by Thomas Swift Levick and a Mr. M'Gillivary. The company produced high quality crucible steel and, after the initial partnership was dissolved, Thomas Levick was joined by his three sons.

In 1912, one of the sons, Henry decided to start manufacturing permanent magnets, which had nearly all been manufactured in Germany until then.

Swift Levick was acquired by the Duport Group in 1978, who sold the firm on to the Magnetic Materials Group three years later.

The company was acquired by Outokumpu, the Finnish group best known for producing stainless steel, in 1989.