Does the company still manufacture in Sheffield, England?
Yes. ±«Óãtv are proud of their heritage and have no intention of moving from their Owlerton Green location.
Has the company always manufactured surgical blades?
No. The company originally manufactured disposable razor blades and other knives for domestic use. They first manufactured surgical blades in the late 1940's after the patent on detachable surgical blades, held by the US company Bard Parker, expired and the demand for medical products began to grow due to the impact of the Second World war.
How are the blades and scalpels sterilized ?
The installation of one of the world's first gamma irradiation batch plants in the 1960s gave ±«Óãtv complete self-sufficiency in product sterilisation.
The formation of ±«Óãtv (Services) Ltd in the late 1980's saw the construction and commissioning of a new state of the art computer controlled continuous Cobalt 60 gamma radiation facility complete with microbiological laboratory.
This provided the additional plant capacity needed to offer the high quality irradiation services to other producers and suppliers of associated medical products.
The plant currently runs at full capacity 7 days a week.
How many people work at the company?
±«Óãtv Limited currently employ approximately 400 people.
How many surgical blades do you manufacture each day?
We manufacture approximately 1.3 million surgical blades per day.
When was the company founded?
The company was founded in 1932 by Walter Swann, Alfred Morton and Doris Fairweather.
Who owns the company?
The shares of the company are divided evenly between two trusts. These are a "Charitable Trust" and an "Employees Trust".
A proportion of the profits are paid into each trust.
The charitable trust supports the local Hospitals in the purchase of new equipment or can provide grants for students who are usually relatives of the employees.
The employees trust itself pays profit related pay to the employees on 4 to 5 occasions each year.
