Mackie International
Encyclopedia
James Mackie & Sons was a textile machinery engineering plant and foundry in Northern Ireland
. The company closed in 1999. Latterly called Mackie International, at its height James Mackie & Sons was one of the largest employers in Belfast
. Mackie's, as they were known locally, were a major supplier of munitions during World War II
.
The company was founded by James Scrimgeour in the 19th century but he got into financial difficulties and in 1858 the company was taken over and renamed by his manager, James Mackie. It was still owned and run by the Mackie family until the early 1970s at which time the family gave the company to its employees to be run as a workers cooperative. With hindsight, the Mackies may have seen the future of British manufacturing and engineering and decided to cut their losses. The decision came not long after a major industrial dispute and prolonged strike which may also have influenced their thinking.
In 1955 the company built a factory in India for the manufacture of machinery for jute mills. This was taken over by the Government of India in 1978. Through various changes it still exists as Lagan Engineering Company Ltd, a joint venture with the Government of India.
United States
President Bill Clinton
made a speech at the Belfast site in 1995, addressing a mixed audience in light of the beginning of the Northern Ireland peace process
. In 2001 the Industrial Development Board bought the site for redevelopment, which resulted in the Springvale Business Park.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. The company closed in 1999. Latterly called Mackie International, at its height James Mackie & Sons was one of the largest employers in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
. Mackie's, as they were known locally, were a major supplier of munitions during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
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The company was founded by James Scrimgeour in the 19th century but he got into financial difficulties and in 1858 the company was taken over and renamed by his manager, James Mackie. It was still owned and run by the Mackie family until the early 1970s at which time the family gave the company to its employees to be run as a workers cooperative. With hindsight, the Mackies may have seen the future of British manufacturing and engineering and decided to cut their losses. The decision came not long after a major industrial dispute and prolonged strike which may also have influenced their thinking.
In 1955 the company built a factory in India for the manufacture of machinery for jute mills. This was taken over by the Government of India in 1978. Through various changes it still exists as Lagan Engineering Company Ltd, a joint venture with the Government of India.
United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
made a speech at the Belfast site in 1995, addressing a mixed audience in light of the beginning of the Northern Ireland peace process
Northern Ireland peace process
The peace process, when discussing the history of Northern Ireland, is often considered to cover the events leading up to the 1994 Provisional Irish Republican Army ceasefire, the end of most of the violence of the Troubles, the Belfast Agreement, and subsequent political developments.-Towards a...
. In 2001 the Industrial Development Board bought the site for redevelopment, which resulted in the Springvale Business Park.