Metropolitan-Vickers
 |
|
| Private (subsidiary or joint ownership) | |
| Industry | Electrical engineering |
| Founded | 1899 as British Westinghouse |
| Founder | George Westinghouse |
| Defunct | 1960 |
| Headquarters | Manchester, UK |
|
Area served
|
Worldwide |
|
Key people
|
R.S. Hilton (Managing Director) |
| Products | Electrical generators, steam turbines, switchgear, transformers, electronics, electric multiple units |
| Parent | Associated Electrical Industries |
Metropolitan-Vickers, Metrovick, or Metrovicks, was a British heavy electrical engineering company of the early-to-mid 20th century formerly known as British Westinghouse. Highly diversified, they were particularly well known for their industrial electrical equipment such as generators, steam turbines, switchgear, transformers, electronics and railway traction equipment. Metrovick holds a place in history as the builders of the first commercial transistor computer, the Metrovick 950, and the first British axial-flow jet engine, the Metropolitan-Vickers F.2. Their factory in Trafford Park, Manchester, was for most of the 20th century one of the biggest and most important heavy engineering facilities in Britain and the world.
Metrovick started as a way to separate the existing British Westinghouse Electrical and Manufacturing Company factories from United States control, which had proven to be a hindrance to gaining government contracts during World War I. In 1917 a holding company was formed to try to find financing to buy the company's properties.
In May 1917, control of the holding company was obtained jointly by the Metropolitan Carriage, Wagon and Finance Company, of Birmingham, chaired by Frank Dudley Docker, and Vickers Limited, of Barrow-in-Furness. On 15 March 1919, Docker agreed terms with Vickers, for Vickers to purchase all the shares of the Metropolitan Carriage, Wagon and Finance Company for almost thirteen million pounds. On 8 September 1919, Vickers changed the name of the British Westinghouse Electrical and Manufacturing Company to Metropolitan Vickers Electrical Company.
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