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The Weir Group plc is an engineering company headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. The company operates in over 70 countries employing approximately 14,000 people focused on mining, oil and gas and power markets. ==History== The company was established in 1871 as an engineering firm by two brothers, George and James Weir, founding G. & J. Weir Ltd.〔(Weir Group: Fact Sheet )〕 The Weir brothers produced numerous groundbreaking inventions in pumping equipment, primarily for the Clyde shipyards and the steam ships built there. These pumps became extremely well known for their use as boiler feedwater pumps, and for ship's auxiliary equipment such as evaporators. Under W D Weir, the company turned to producing munitions and war materiel in the First World War. As well as shells, they manufactured aircraft including the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 fighter and bomber. James George Weir (aviator, son of James Galloway Weir) a director of the company formed the Cierva Autogiro Company. G & J Weir would be a financial supporter of the company during its existence. In 1943, they provided the finances for the construction of the W.9, an experimental helicopter, to Air Ministry requirements. It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1946.〔 Double-acting Weir steam pumps were virtually standard fitment on British-built steamships, being used for pumping water, fuel, air and much else well into the 1950s, as well as being used on other ships worldwide. In December 1968 the Weir Group made an offer to buy the rival British pump manufacturer Worthington-Simpson, following an offer by Studebaker-Worthington. In 1969 Studebaker-Worthington acquired Worthington-Simpson. After some negotiation, Weir's acquired 50% of Worthington Simpson. A new joint-venture company named Worthington Weir was set up to handle international sales of the two parent companies. The debt taken on by Weir to acquire their share of Worthington-Simpson was denominated in deutchmarks, and as that currency strengthened against sterling and the dollar it became increasingly expensive to service. Worthington-Simpson was profitable, but did not cover the cost of debt. During the next decade Weir was forced to sell off many assets and undertook financial recorganization in 1981. After the financial reorganization, Derald Ruttenberg and Jacob Rothschild gained effective control of 40% of the company. Ruttenberg became a board member. 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「Weir Group」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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