The history of Ajax Machine Tools.

Ajax was formed in 1939 by George Carter and Donald Walker and was named after the battle cruiser Ajax, which was later adopted by Halifax during World War II.

Ajax began manufacturing Industrial Drilling and Milling Machines in their Halifax Factory, in the North of England.

The company set out to make drilling and milling machines for the war effort setting the current day precedent for quality and good reliable design.

After the war Ajax started to manufacture washing machines and other domestic appliances branded “ADA” . In 1950, a new public company, AJAX Domestic Appliances “ADA”, was incorporated to manufacture washing machines and other appliances.

In 1952 A new machine tool factory was being equipped at Holmfield, Halifax. When this was occupied, West Mount would be used solely for ADA washing and ironing machines.

In 1953, Ajax Machine Tool Company became a Limited Liability Company.

The Company’s success and increased manufacturing capacity led to its acquisition by the Dutch Electronics Group, Philips International, in 1958.

Further developments in the 1960s resulted in the relocation of the Company’s facilities to Manchester and the introduction of new products, including Centre Lathes, Turret Milling Machines, and Grinding Machines, to complement its existing range of machine tools.

By 1979, the Company was located at its purpose-built facility in Bredbury, Stockport, and became part of the CEI Group within the Specialist Engineering Sector, eventually transferring to Grasby Plc.

At this time, NC (Numerical Control) machines were introduced to the range, which subsequently evolved into CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines in the 1980s.

This expansion allowed Ajax to strengthen its position in the international market.

July 1, 1992, marked a new era in the history of the company with the successful completion of a management buyout from the Grasby Group by Geoff Taylor, who then continued as Managing Director.

In October 2001, the company was taken over by the Viking Group of Companies, which, in addition to having its own brand, also owned Startrite Machinery, and subsequently relocated Ajax to Birmingham.

In November 2002, the company was taken over again by its current owner, Mr. Savin, who relocated it to Hampshire and has since taken the company to new heights with new products, better prices, and far greater efficiency.

In January 2012, the company implemented plans for a new range of 3, 4, and 5 Axis High-Speed Machining Centres, built with Heidenhain controls, to meet the demands of the rapidly growing aerospace market. The first machine was completed for an in-house show in October 2013.

Ajax Machine Tools Int Ltd is now recognized as one of Europe’s leading suppliers of both Conventional and CNC Machine Tools. In addition to servicing a wide and diversified range of British-based companies and institutions, it is also exporting to over forty countries worldwide.

Within the Export Division, both management and staff have many years of experience in all aspects of international trading. This, coupled with their commercial and technical expertise and positive entrepreneurial approach, creates a highly successful combination capable of meeting the ever-increasing competitive demands of today’s international marketplace.

Backed by a comprehensive Spares and Technical Support Division, we are committed to providing a complete service that ensures our customers’ needs come first. This approach builds strong, lasting relationships with all our customers.

Today, we continue to work hard to future-proof our operations by training apprentices and learning new practices to keep pace with modern manufacturing techniques. You can be assured that we are here as part of your team, ready to work with you to keep production moving.

We now have an in house training school for CNC machine training to help our customers who need operators.