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An
early Rotary
Dough Mixing plant as supplied by the company.
It could mix 280 lbs of dough in 4 minutes.
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Supplying specialist machinery
to the baking industry for nearly 120 years,
Scobie & McIntosh (Bakery Engineers)
Ltd holds something of a record, and their
name has become synonymous with quality and
friendly service over that time.
It all started over 120 years ago when
Mr Scobie and Mr McIntosh founded the original
company. Mr Scobie did not remain and left
Mr McIntosh to start the family interest
which continues today. The early beginnings
included the manufacture of cake tins for
bread, alongside a myriad of hand tools
with forgotten names like Dockers, Peels,
Hozzles and Chains and Fomenting Tubs.
The company's catalogue of 1904 makes fascinating
reading.
Housed at first in Niddrie Street in Edinburgh,
the company moved to 53 Cockburn Street
with a works at Greenside Place (behind
the present day Playhouse Theatre). The
product range widened to include ornate
copper tea and coffee urns and early machinery
for bakers. |
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| It is interesting to note that
the works made aerial vanes for torpedoes
during the Great War and casings for marine
radios in the Second World War.
In 1922 the company under the last Mr
McIntosh, or "Uncle Mac" as he
was affectionately known moved to Fountainbridge.
It was there following the recession in
the 30s that the company was taken under
the wing of Uncle Mac's brother's-in-law,
James and John Brown, Ironfounders and
owners of Forth & Clyde & Sunnyside Ironworks
in Falkirk. James, a strong and staunchly
patriotic Scot, determined his daughter
should not marry a Sassenach, and was sure
he could prevent the match by insisting
that the dowry should be the small loss-making
company. He did not reckon on the determination
of Peter Alderson who took up the challenge,
giving up a career in law in London to
do so. He gradually changed the image of
the company into a respected national supplier,
and introduced, with great vision, catering
equipment in the early 1950s. The factory
moved to Annandale Street and began production
of stainless steel fabrication. Branches
were then in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Belfast
and Newcastle. |
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Vintage
hot air oven , supplied in a choice of
one to three decks.
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An image of the works
in 1904
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Peter's son Geoffrey joined
the company in 1965 and was despatched south
to develop the English end of the market.
He returned to Edinburgh in 1979 to take
over the reins as Managing Director, a position
he continues to hold..
The company moved to Sighthill in 1988,
opening the new factory and showroom with
a major international conference.
Self service display counters became the
main production and are seen in major supermarkets
today. Kitchen installations became extremely
varied and clients included football stadia
(notably Rangers, Celtic, Hearts, Hibs,
Aberdeen and many English clubs), oil rig
galleys, hotels, schools and hospital kitchens.
The emerging in-store supermarket bakeries
became customers alongside the craft bakers. |
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| In 1996, to focus on these
two distinctive markets, the company was
divided into two entities, Scobie & McIntosh
(Catering Equipment) Ltd, led by a buy-in
team and now located in Livingston, West
Lothian, and Scobie & McIntosh (Bakery
Engineers) Ltd remaining in Edinburgh with
service facilities in Leeds. After a major
re-branding exercise and a move of many of
the company's functions to extensive new
premises at Birstall near Leeds in early
2003, the company looks forward to
an increasingly dynamic future as one of
the leading companies in its sector. |
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