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British United Shoe Machinery (BUSM) Ltd. was the head office in Leicester, England of a company which for most of the 20th century was the world's largest manufacturer of footwear machinery and materials, exporting shoe machinery to more than 50 countries. In the 1960s and 1970s, it was Leicester’s biggest employer employing more than 4,500 locally and 9500 worldwide.〔 Most of the workforce was recruited via an apprentice scheme which trained a large proportion of Leicester’s engineers.〔〔.〕 The company had "a respected reputation for technical innovation and excellence",〔 between 1898 and 1960, it developed and marketed nearly 800 new and improved shoe machines and patented more than 9,000 inventions, at one time employing 5% of the UK's patent agents. The collapse of the company in October 2000 destroyed the pensions of the workers. Their story became "one of the most vivid examples of what can go wrong with..Private Equity" and brought "shame on Apax." The company subsequently went into administrative receivership and was the subject of a management buyout. This new company itself went into administration in September 2006. In November 2006 a new independent company, Advent Technologies Ltd, was formed by former workers of BUSM providing technical support, advice and spare parts for the range of BUSM machinery. ==Formation== During the nineteenth century, many shoe manufacturing processes were mechanised and the resulting numerous small factories merged over time. In 1882, Tomlin and Sons of Leicester, cutlery and shoe machinery manufacturer〔(【引用サイトリンク】accessdate=19 January 2010 )〕 and William Pearson of Leeds were acquired by Merry and Bennion which by the mid-1890s was a leading supplier of UK shoe machinery. Renamed Pearson and Bennion, in 1898 it moved to the new Union Works factory in Belgrave Rd Leicester. In February 1899, the 3 major US shoe machinery companies,Goodyear Machinery Company, Consolidated Hand Lasting Machine Company and McKay Shoe Machinery Company merged to form United Shoe Machinery (USM).〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=USM in Beverly USA Background and history )〕 Pearson and Bennion's managing director, Charles Bennion went to Boston to negotiate a merger and the company which would eventually become BUSM was incorporated in October 1899 with the Union Works factory as its headquarters. The 1st years accounts dated 31 May 1900, showed 200 employees, profits of £16500 and £300,000 capital. A further of land was purchased in 1901 from the Belgrave Road Cricket and Bicycle Grounds, the former home of both Leicester Fosse FC and Leicester Tigers. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「British United Shoe Machinery」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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