History
Colonel Frank Sheppee founded the company in 1907 with the company initially involved in the manufacture of steam driven traction engines, motorbike and cycle aids, as well as being involved with vacuum cleaners and washing machines. But it was not until the 1920s that the Company specialized in developing machines for the glass container industry. This extended to the development of high-speed glass forming machines as well as ware handling equipment.
Using its expertise and innovations in the field of transfers, lehr loaders and drive systems, the Company is now at the forefront of warehandling solutions and is well known to the glass industry worldwide.
With glass production speeds in excess of 1000 bottles per minute today, there is a growing accent on innovation and reliable performance. Sheppee works closely with individual companies to provide cost effective solutions to current production challenges.
To supply these solutions, Sheppee has a complete machining facility including CNC machines, CAD design and a team of fully skilled Electronic and Mechanical Engineers.
Sheppee International Limited, the Company founded in April 1993, will continue the tradition of innovative engineering started by the original Sheppee family company.
Timeline
Scroll through over 100 years of Sheppee history.
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1902
Col. Sheppee opened the factory at James Street and started Sheppee Motor Company -
1905
Steam powered Charabanc -
1907
Sheppee Motor Co. stand at the Olympia -
Cabriolet Col. Sheppee used as his personal vehicle -
The first work's trip -
First lorry sold was to Moore and Sharp of Ovenden, Halifax. -
1908
Sheppee made snow chains which were later used by the British Army in the desert! -
1917
Sheppee stopped producing vehicles and concentrated on the machining and engineering of spare parts for various industries including Glass vessel manufacturing. -
1923
Avenues of manufacturing included a motorised bike known as a Cykelaid.... -
....and an electric washing machine with Ewbank's of Accrington -
1926
The Rankin Automatic Glass Feeder made for John Lamb and Co. of Castleford -
The Rankin Automatic Glass Feeder made for John Lamb and Co. of Castleford -
1930
Staff picture including Sam Jowitt (left in suit) who had risen through the ranks and became shareholder and Mangaing Director -
1939
Rotery Glass forming machine at Redfern -
Six section I.S. Machine with Mechanical timing -
1948
Mechanical Lehr Loader -
1950
New product: STK-9004 Transfer -
1963
Full lehr loader set up including Lehr Loader unit, Lehr front unit, the conveyor end unit and interchangable transfer unit -
Mechanical stacker at Mina Glass, Iran -
1978
New product: Speedliner MK4 Lehr Loader -
Drawing office -
The workshop at James Street -
1982
New product: STK-9031 Radial Transfer -
New product: T3000 Transfer unit -
1986
New product: STK-9284 Adjustable Transfer Drive Gearbox at Stolzle -
1992
Receivers were called in... -
...and all employees effectivly lost their jobs….. -
…but a French bottle plant Saverglass agreed to continue a deal which allowed some stability and kept Sheppee Engineering trading. -
John Pratt Chairman -
1993
The management bought out the company... -
…and moved to new premises near Elvington. -
Sheppee International was born and focus was put on ware handling technology and solutions for the glass container industry -
Jeff Yoward Managing Director -
1994
New product: PRO-5001 - shown at Rockware, UK -
New product: STK/9400 Pushbar - shown at BA Sierakow, Poland -
1997
New product: CCA/1100, later became the CCA/1200 - shown at Produvisa, Venezuela -
1998
By now 80% of production is being sent overseas -
1999
New product: SWT Transfer- shown in training centre -
New product: FT7 Transfer - shown at Shandong Haupeng, China -
New product: HST Transfer - shown in production -
2001
New product: Independent Transfer Drive -
2002
New product: MRS-9000 - shown with CCA at National Glass, Egypt -
2003
New product: AWT Transfer - shown at Wadeville, S. Africa -
10 year anniversary of Sheppee International Limited -
2004
New product: AWTS Transfer - shown at HNG Badadurgargh, India -
New product: Triflex - shown at Fevisa, Mexico -
New product: Parallel Transfer - shown at AGI Glasspac, India -
2006
New product: VFT-1000 Transfer -
2007
In it's Centerary year Sheppee won the York Press Business Awards for International Trade -
2008
Due to the retirments of John Pratt and Jeff Yoward a new management team took over headed by Elliott Seymour -
2009 Hit by recession a small number of redundencies were made
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2010
New product: T2 - shown at OI Danville, USA -
The Training and Development Centre is used to test different set up's and for training engineers away from the factory floor. -
2013
Sheppee were proud to receive the Queens Award for International Trade -
They also won Business of the Year at York Business Awards -
2014
Sheppee was acquired by Groupe Rondot -
2016
Sales Team at Glasstec -
New product: ITS developed and introduced at Glasstec 2016 -
Rondot Groupe merged with IS Engineering and RISE Groupe was created -
New product: TriflexS -
New Product: SpeedlinerS - shown at Glasstec 2018
