Corus 100yr brochure.indd - Tata Steel

Corus Strip Products UK
Where three histories meet
Mathern Palace, Corus and Tata Steel

Places in time
Mathern Palace near Chepstow in South Wales
is an engaging and complex building, full of
character that reflects its long history.
As with many such buildings, its history is very much
about the history of its owners. This booklet looks briefly
at the history of Mathern Palace and follows the thread
of its ownership to its current owners, Corus. From there
we tell a wider story about ownership of businesses and
a shared history that affects local communities in South
Wales and in India.
Corus Strip Products UK is part of Corus, an international
steel company acquired recently by Tata Steel of India.
The three works in the Corus Strip Products UK business,
all in South Wales, are Llanwern Works in Newport, Port
Talbot Works in the town of that name, and Aluminised
Products at Pontardulais in Swansea.
Llanwern Works is only 17 miles from Mathern Palace.
However, the connection between Mathern Palace and
Corus takes us back 50 years and 50 miles down the road
from Llanwern. There lies Port Talbot, the main works in
the business and the link between Mathern Palace and
Corus. We shall let you discover that link for yourself in
the short histories that follow, and the similarities between
two recently joined businesses in South Wales and India.
Front cover: This stone, called the Trinity Stone, once adorned the gateway of Mathern Palace. The date of the stone is 1419, but it was first noticed at the Palace in 1776. The stone teaches the doctrine
of the Holy Trinity. Such stones are common inside churches, but this is the only known example of one that was fixed to a secular building, although it is appropriate that the building was an episcopal residence.
Information about the Trinity Stone is from A History of the Parish of Mathern, by E. T. Davies, published by The Chepstow Society, 1950. The Trinity Stone is now held at the National Museum of Wales, although
when this brochure was produced, the stone was available for viewing by appointment only.
2

4
THE PLACE OF A KING.
In 1957 the Palace was purchased by
Richard Thomas & Baldwins Limited
as a guesthouse, becoming the property
of the British Steel Corporation...

Mathern Palace
In the seventh century, the Bishops of Llandaff acquired lands in Mathern
Parish from Meurig ap Tewdric, son of Tewdric King of Glamorgan. Tewdric
was killed in battle and buried in the nearby church, which bears his name.
‘Mathern’ is from the Welsh elements ‘Ma’ and ‘Teyrn’, meaning ‘the place
of a king’.
Mathern Palace was the official home of the Bishops of
Llandaff from 1333 until 1709. In 1794 the Palace and
lands were let for farming, firstly by the incumbent Bishop
and later by the ecclesiastical commissioners.
The building passed into private ownership in 1894 and
was restored and improved by H.A. Tipping, an historian,
who was also responsible for the layout of the delightful
gardens.
In 1957 the Palace was purchased by Richard Thomas &
Baldwins Limited as a guesthouse, becoming the property
of the British Steel Corporation when the steel industry
was nationalised, then British Steel plc upon privatisation,
and now Corus.
Surrounded by H. A. Tipping’s gardens, Mathern Palace
is approached through the remains of an early 15th
century gateway.
The central block of the building, which faces northeast,
consists of a tower of three storeys containing the main
entrance and a block of two storeys containing the long
parlour; an east wing projects forward of the central
block, and a west wing projects to the rear. A third wing
projecting east in line with the central block was added
after 1894.
The niche over the porch probably contained a statue of
the Blessed Virgin Mary, a figure that could not have been
displayed after the death of Henry VIII in 1547, which
confirms a pre-Reformation date for this part of
the building.
The inner tower, which includes the entrance hall and
rooms above, could date from the 13th or 14th century,
as could the central two-light window in the west wing
(most likely the original chapel).
The dining room and its doorway, and the long parlour,
are 16th century, as is the fireplace in the second
bedroom above the parlour.
5

Parallel paths
Corus Strip Products
UK and Tata Steel each
have a works that has
been operating for a
century: Port Talbot
in South Wales and
Jamshedpur in India.
And that is not all they have in common. During their
history, both have undergone programmes to improve
the performance of their businesses by changing the
culture within. They share a strong dedication to their
employees and to the communities that surround their
works. Looking at their history and, in particular, at
their activities in the community, a similar business
philosophy is evident.
Corus Strip Products UK
The origins of Port Talbot
Works go back to 1253, when
locally mined ores were worked
in small, stone-built charcoalfuelled
furnaces under the
auspices of the monks in
nearby Margam Abbey.
This continued until 1717,
when the first Baron Mansel
of Margam set up the Afan
Forge at Margam.
Port Talbot
In the 19th century, locals recognised that the area
needed a better port. Opened in 1837, Port Talbot dock was
named after its principal sponsor, Christopher Rice Mansel
Talbot of Margam. The dock was enlarged and enhanced
over the years and was the basis for the development of
metal working in the area.
The low-cost bulk steelmaking techniques pioneered by
Bessemer and Siemens in the late 1800s revolutionised the
industry. At the same time, new uses for steel greatly
increased demand.
In 1901, work began on the construction of the first Port
Talbot steel works when the Port Talbot Iron and Steel
Company Limited was formed.
6

Port Talbot Works today
Later, in 1906, Baldwins Limited acquired the works and
began erecting two blast furnaces in 1916 at a new site
called Margam Works just a half mile away. A further
merger in 1930 ultimately created Guest, Keen, Baldwins
Iron & Steel Company Limited. A third blast furnace was
completed in 1941.
Further amalgamations of the industry after the war led to
The Steel Company of Wales Limited on 1st May 1947. This
company reconstructed and expanded Port Talbot and
Margam, adding the Abbey Melting Shop, a slabbing mill,
hot strip mill and cold mill, which all began operating in
1951. By 1960, the Works had added blast furnaces 4
and 5.
The Labour Government elected in 1964 decided to
re-nationalise Britain’s steel industry—publicly owned
between 1951 and 1957—and created the British Steel
Corporation in 1967. In 1970, H.M. The Queen, formally
opened a Basic Oxygen Steelmaking plant and a new
tidal harbour.
After the difficult years of the 1970s and early 1980s, the
construction of the Morfa Coke ovens and the major hotstrip
mill refurbishment initiated a period of consolidation.
During the next decade, Port Talbot Works became one
of the most efficient steel plants in the world. But in 1988,
the British Steel Corporation was taken back into private
hands, emerging as British Steel plc.
Blast furnace 4 was rebuilt in 1992 and a new continuous
annealing processing line was opened in 1999. In the
same year, British Steel plc merged with Koninklijke
Hoogovens, a Dutch steel and aluminium producer,
to form Corus, a truly international metals company.
A third caster was added in 2005 and there were
significant heavy-end developments in 2003-2006.
Today, 3600 employees produce some 4.7 million
tonnes of steel a year, roll about three million tonnes
of it themselves and send the rest to Llanwern to roll.
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Corus Strip Products UK
1 2 3
4
1, 2: Early images of Llanwern Works 3: Llanwern Works today 4: The Aluminised Products Works at Pontardulais
Llanwern
The idea for another site arose in 1955 when the need for a
fully-integrated iron and steel works and rolling mill became
clear. The government asked Richard Thomas & Baldwins
Limited, part of the Steel Company of Wales, to look at
locations for the works. One of the sites chosen was
Llanwern in Newport, South Wales.
In October, 1962, H.M. The Queen opened the new works,
which was at first called Spencer Works after the chairman
of Richard Thomas & Baldwins. It was designed to make
two million tonnes of liquid steel and was managed and
operated by a workforce comprising managers, craftsman
and operatives from virtually all other steel works in
Scotland, England and Wales.
Steel making capability was increased to a nominal three
million tonnes in 1975. Further developments included
continuous casters in 1987 and 1995 and the Zodiac
galvanising line in 1990.
After almost forty years, steelmaking ceased in 2001,
but Llanwern continues to roll and coat strip steel.
Today, some 1600 employees roll more than 1.5 million
tonnes of steel a year.
Pontardulais
This works began as an
independent company in
1960 when it developed
the first aluminising
process in Europe. In
1969, a new continuous
aluminising line was built. The works passed through two
other companies before becoming part of Corus when the
group was formed in 1999. Now called Aluminised Products,
the works employs some 70 people and produces over
100,000 tonnes of aluminised steel, principally for exhaust
pipes, but with some use in domestic appliances and a
small amount in construction.
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Tata Steel
1 2 3 4
1: The first blast furnace was blown in 1911 2: Modernisation begins 3: The G blast furnace produced 14 million tonnes of hot metal in twelve years—the highest ever achieved by any blast furnace in India in its
first campaign 4: Tata Steel today
Tata Steel
Tata Steel is much more than just Asia’s first and India’s
largest integrated private sector steel plant. Beyond its
ranking as the World’s Best Steel Maker and one of the
lowest cost producers of steel in the world, Tata Steel is
both the creator and the keeper of a vision for itself and
for India.
Jamsetji Tata, the company’s founder, had a vision to
make India self-reliant. He wanted the industry to thrive
and prosper, but also believed in sharing that wealth for
the benefit of society at large. In the one hundred years
since its inception, Tata Steel has certainly sustained the
vision and belief of its founder.
The Tata Iron and Steel Company Limited, later called
TISCO, was registered in 1907, raising its share capital from
8000 Indian investors in just three weeks.
With the driving of the first stake in 1908, construction of the
works began at Sakchi, a site chosen for its proximity to raw
materials, its natural water supply and nearby railway station
at Kalimati (later named Tatanagar). In 1919, Sakchi would
be renamed Jamshedpur, in honour of Jamsetji Tata.
Late in 1911 the first cast of pig iron was produced and
early in 1912 the first steel was made. October that year also
saw the Bar Mill begin rolling. In 1917, the Greater Extension
Programme was launched to raise production capacity to
half a million tonnes.
By 1924, the company was manufacturing steel by the
Duplex Process and began making high-tensile steel in
1935 when a new blast furnace and coke ovens were
added. Between 1939 and 1940 a new 100-tonne blast
furnace began operating.
The company increased production with a two-million
tonne expansion programme in 1955. Beginning in
1983, TISCO embarked on a four-phase modernisation
programme, which would be completed in 1999.
A new one-million tonne capacity ‘G’ blast furnace was
commissioned in 1992, followed by the first slab caster to
go into operation and the commissioning of the one-million
tonnes per annum hot strip mill. In 1995, the company’s
production surpassed three million tonnes per annum and
became Tata Steel Limited.
At the Millennium, Tata Steel inaugurated its cold rolling
mill complex. In 2006, Jamshedpur crossed the five million
tonnes mark in crude steel production.
Some information here is from The Romance of Tata Steel,
R.M. Lala, Viking/Penguin Books India 2007.
9

Corus reaches out in South Wales
We at Corus Strip Products UK are an integral part of our local communities
and are intimately involved in supporting them. We aim to harmonise
commercial success with the wellbeing of our employees and our local
communities. Here are just some examples of our activities.
Environment
As an active business partner of Welsh Wildlife Trust, we
undertake a series of education and learning programmes
jointly with local primary schools and the Trust. The Green
Key project at Magor Marsh helps disadvantaged adults
and those recovering from mental breakdown to enter the
workplace through local environmental projects.
Community awards
We annually commit funds for awards to many local
charities and good causes. Typically we support activities
that encourage physical exercise for young people,
voluntary organisations such as the Scouts, Guides
and Sea Cadets and self-help groups active in their own
local communities or in sports clubs. We also support
coaching certification.
Event sponsorships
Twenty-seven events this year aim at education, learning,
health and wellbeing. They include the first ever BUPA
Great Wales Run in Cardiff Bay, Try-A-Triathlon—an open
day for ages from eight to eighty—and an Anglo-Dutch
Corus sponsored relay team in the Three Castles Race
from Caernarvon to Cardiff. This year we also supported
the Family Cycle Day at Margam Country Park and the
summer series of National and International Surf Life Saving
Championships on Aberavon Beach. Recently we have
focused on family orientated activity days. Our business
also supported the multi-cultural International Folk Festival
and Dance Weekend at Tredegar Park in Newport.
Education and learning
Here, we continue to focus on young people. This year we
are developing a volunteer scheme for employees to visit
local schools and talk about what we do and employment
and career opportunities in our business. Through our
links with Careers Wales, our employees have helped with
mock interviews and CV writing in schools. We and the
Community Trade Union are jointly sponsoring the Learning
Zone in the National Waterfront Museum. Some 20,000
pupils and students have used this facility in its first 12
months. We also strengthened our links with the Margam
Educational Centre this year through our Community
Assist programme, which provided framing equipment
for the Survival Zone. Talkback NP19 is a ‘youth against
crime in the community’ initiative organised and run by
youth groups in Newport. This annual weekend event is
recognised by South Wales Police as a key influence on
youth crime in central Newport.
10

1 2 3
4
1: Athletes preparing for National Surf Life Saving Championships sponsored by Corus on Aberavon Beach 2: Corus runners taking part in the first BUPA Great Wales Run raising money for local charities
3: Enjoying a family activities day supported by Corus 4: Primary school pupils undertaking survival skills training as part of a Corus Community Assist project
Health and wellbeing
For the second year, we have been working with Neath
Rugby Football Club on Primestart, which promotes
healthy eating, nutrition and exercise in all 65 primary
schools in Neath Port Talbot. It includes a series of
nutritional cookery events in the classroom and team
activity days and provides certified training for teachers
to maintain activities in the classroom all year round. We
are also working with South Wales Police to help promote
drug and alcohol awareness through an all-Wales interschools
quiz. Based on Mastermind, it concentrates on
safety awareness, road safety, drugs and alcohol, Internet
crime and anti-social behaviour.
Safety awareness
In the last eighteen months, we have launched several
safety programmes in conjunction with Community
Policing and with the approval of the Local Education
Authority, aimed at primary and secondary schools. The
first was a campaign called ‘R U Nxt!’, which highlighted
mobile phone and iPod thefts and the associated risks to
personal safety. More than 12,000 safety packs went to
secondary school pupils in Neath Port Talbot. An autumn
road-safety campaign called Avoid Close Encounters
highlighted the need for vigilance and visibility as the
nights closed in. Some 20,000 luminous wristbands were
distributed in a single day to pupils in all primary and
secondary schools in Neath Port Talbot. Anti-Bullying
Week is in November this year and we are again teaming
up with Community Policing to launch this programme,
with support from Swansea Sound and The Wave radio
stations.
Alcohol and drug misuse
The incidence of drugs and alcohol misuse in local
communities is a cause for concern and directly affects our
business. We decided not to ignore it or to dismiss people
who for whatever reasons had been drawn into this
modern plague. The business, the Community Trade
Union, and contractors representatives decided instead
to fund three counsellors for three years to work both in
the workplace and in local communities and to train
employees in drug awareness.
11

Tata Steel reaches out in India
In its hundred-year existence, Tata Steel has demonstrated its commitment
to the vision of its founder, Jamsetji Tata, for a self-reliant India and a
better quality of life for its people. During that time, Tata Steel has remained
focused on the welfare of its employees, local communities and the public.
Tata Steel believes that business is not only about the
creation of wealth, but also about creating a better world
for tomorrow. Its Social Outreach programme covers
Jamshedpur and over 600 villages in and around its
manufacturing and raw materials operations.
In virtually every aspect of community life, Tata Steel
has improved the conditions of its employees and the
community. The areas include work, family, culture,
education, income generation, recreation, sport, health,
safety and the living environment.
Tata Steel has created the planned industrial township of
Jamshedpur, The Tata Steel Family Initiatives Foundation,
the Tribal Culture Society, sports complexes, archery and
football academies, parks, a hospital and many other
initiatives.
The company has led the way in the welfare of its employees
and of Indian society, many initiatives coming ahead of
those in India itself and some ahead of Western countries.
They include the eight-hour working day, free medical aid,
leave with pay, maternity benefits, profit sharing, social
audit, pensions and empowerment of women.
Tata is recognised globally as a benchmark in social
responsibility. It has received certifications and awards
for its achievements in this area, including the Global
Business Coalition Award for Business Excellence in the
Community in recognition of its pioneering work in the
field of HIV/AIDS awareness, SA 8000 certification of the
steelworks for working conditions and improvements in the
workplace and ISO 14001 certification for Environment
Management of the Tata Steel works, mines, collieries
and civic services in Jamshedpur.
‘We think we started on sound and straightforward
business principles, considering the interests of the
shareholders, our own and the health and welfare of
the employees, the sure foundation of our success.’
Jamsetji N. Tata, Founder.
1: India’s first football academy, the Tata Football Academy
(established in 1987) has an ultra-modern gymnasium and
imparts world-class training to budding footballers.
2: Tribal Culture Centre: The Tribal Culture Society endeavours
to find sustainable solutions to the concerns of the indigenous
people and preserve as well as promote tribal art and culture.
3: Sir Dorabji Tata Botanical Park used to be a 45-acre mining area
in Noamundi. Now it is a huge garden with an amazing collection
of plants and trees.
4: A Critical Care Unit in the 850-bed Tata Main Hospital.
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2
4
3
13

Time for people
The hundred-year existence of Corus Strip Products UK’s Port Talbot
Works and Tata Steel at Jamshedpur seem short by comparison with
Mathern Palace. In its long association with the Church, Mathern Palace
must have had a positive and significant influence on the surrounding
community.
Corus and Tata Steel, now joined together, have also supported and
improved their communities in many ways—and will continue to do so.
14

Where three histories meet

www.corusgroup.com
Care has been taken to ensure that this information is
accurate, but Corus Group plc, including its subsidiaries,
does not accept responsibility or liability for errors or
information which is found to be misleading.
Corus has a policy of continuous improvement, and as
such the information in this document may be subject
to change. The latest information is available from the
addresses below.
Copyright 2007 Corus UK Limited
Design: ELEVATOR www.elevatordesign.co.uk
Mathern Palace
Mathern
Chepstow
South Wales
NP16 6JA
UK
Corus Strip Products UK
PO Box 42
Port Talbot
SA13 2NG
UK
T: +44 (0)1639 871111
F: +44 (0)1639 872020
cspuk.marketing@corusgroup.com
CSPUK31:24:UK:10/2007