Our History
Over 125 Years of
Continuous Trading
Tormo Limited made its first delivery of quality engineered components to British Industry 10 years before the Ford Model T went into production. Now trading in a 3rd Century and still family owned and operated, we have a track record that few can match whilst continuing to deliver added value benefits to our customers.
1896
Since 1896, Tormo Ltd have been supplying Quality Engineered Components to British industrial sectors and beyond.
Originating in the East End of Victorian-era London, two Brothers, Hermann and David Friedenhain, both with backgrounds in mechanical engineering, set out to make their living. As the internal combustion engine began to replace horse and cart, Hermann and David saw great opportunity in supplying goods such as wheel bearing assemblies and other tools and accessories to the nascent but rapidly developing motor industry. In fact this is where Tormo gets its name; re-arrange the letters of MOTOR and you get…
And so The ‘Tormo Manufacturing Company’ was born.
1901
At the start of the 20th Century, motorisation became more widespread, and the business flourished. The Tormo Manufacturing Company became the sole distributor of the patented ‘Torpedo’ bicycle gearbox to the British Empire. Demand for mechanical motor components continued to grow as the years progressed, not least due to the demand for mechanised vehicles fighting in The Great War.
1930s
In the 1930s, The Brothers moved their operation to Old Street, an area now better known as London’s ‘Tech City’. Still in the heart of the UK’s Capital, Tormo began to diversify its product range in order to cater to the many new industry sectors emerging at the time. Hermann and David felt that it was vital to the development and growth of the company to remain proponents at forefront of new technology – a philosophy that remains to this day.
1939
As the Second World War descended upon the world again in 1939, Tormo was once again called upon to contribute to the national war effort, supplying bearings, fasteners and countless other components to factories across Great Britain.
London’s East End was shelled heavily throughout the Second World War, and unfortunately, Tormo did not escape the carnage – bombed out of its Old Street location with the loss of not only its stockholding but also a great deal of the company’s official records. Temporarily relocating to Hermann’s home residence in North London, The Tormo brand survived and was later resurrected, re-structured and officially incorporated as Tormo Limited in 1941.
1950s
In the peacetime that followed, Tormo Limited continued to grow; now servicing the needs of various wider commercial markets; the booming motor industry remained a core market, but developing sectors such as Oil & Gas Procurement, Commercial Aircraft Manufacture and associated instrumentation spearheaded the technological advancements of the time. Now located in Hendon, Tormo’s office and warehousing operation became well-connected to new developing road links allowing effective rapid distribution of its high-quality engineering components across the country.
1960s – 70s
Throughout the 1960s & 70s, and always seeking to evolve, diversify and add new capacity to its roster, Tormo Limited began to forge links with the expert watchmaking industry in Switzerland. As a result, ultra-high-precision micro-engineered turned parts, hairsprings, instrument pivots, synthetic Ruby & Sapphire Stones and assemblies became Tormo’s stock in trade, supplying the diversifying instrumention market, aircraft industry and various other applications of this cutting-edge technology.
1980s
By the 1980’s electronics and the computer revolution had exploded across the globe, changing communication forever. High-precision connectors with precious metal plating were required in huge volumes and Tormo’s access to Swiss Escomatic production saw it become a leading supplier in this field. Dot-Matrix Print Head Technology became more widely utilised with Tormo becoming a key supplier of hard-wearing Tungsten Carbide Pins to this market.
1994
By 1994, other nations and communities were becoming more skilled in the production of turned parts and other engineered components. As the supply of more simple parts began to relocate to the east, Tormo Limited sought to reposition itself within the marketplace, withdrawing from the standard fastener business and concentrating its sales drive on high-tech areas such as Aerospace, Metrology, Motion Control, Mobile Communications, and the Medical and Surgical device sectors.
2000 – Today
Concentrating now on high precision engineering, tight tolerance parts produced on sliding heads and multi-axis CNC milling machines, our diverse product range has begun to resemble what we have now become known for. And so we continue to supply quality components to highly demanding industries, coupled with our agile supply chain management systems, borne of decades catering to our Customer needs. Now trading in its 3rd Century and still owned and run by the descendants of Hermann & David Friedenhain, remaining true to our tenet of quality, certainty and history.
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