United Nail and Foundry Company

The United Nail and Foundry Company Limited, a metalworks firm based in St. John's, Newfoundland, was established after a resolution of amalgamation was approved by the the shareholders of the Newfoundland Consolidated Foundry Company Limited and the St. John's Nail Manufacturing Company Limited. On 6 May 1930 the provisional directors, Marmaduke G. Winter, Charles P. Ayre, Tasker Cook, Daniel A. Ryan, Charles A. C. Bruce, Albert O'Reilly and Samuel J. Foote met for their first meeting, with Frederick W. Angel as chair.

After the amalgamation large investments were made to set up an up-to-date industrial plant, new machinery and new equipment was purchased to expand into electro-plating, non-ferrous casting, galvanizing, semi-steel casting and later steel and alloy casting. 1931 saw the opening of the plating and oxidizing plant, brass and aluminum plant and soil pipe fitting plant. The galvanizing and holloware plants had begun construction and were opened in 1934 and the steel plant in 1937.

The company survived the 1950's and 1960's but they were not profitable as it expanded to cope with work from the opening of the Wabush mines. The foundry had the contract to do the castings but found it harder and harder to get the business as the foundry was using outdated equipment and could not keep up with the orders. The demand for cast metal stoves and ranges had also declined as electric ranges and alternative modes of heating came on stream. The nail factory was also using the old process of nail manufacturing, so they became less competitive with outside manufacturers who shipped their products into the province. Finally a major fire in 1972 destroyed the office, shipping warehouse, pattern shop, plating and fitting shops. The business did not rebuild and in 1979 it ceased operations and went into receivership in 1982.

Created - April 29, 2013

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