The two major industries in 20th century Norwich were shoe manufacture and printing, and Walker Rubber had its origins in both. In 1941, James Walker bought Ralph's Shoe Machining Co. Ltd., which specialised in the repair of machinery for those industries.
Ten years later, following the death of his father, Basil Walker re-registered the company as Walker Engineering Co. (Norwich) Ltd. But as the shoe industry declined in the face of foreign competition, the light engineering sector declined along with it, so the company diversified into the factoring of rubber and plastics.
The business thrived, and in 1977 a branch was opened in Ipswich. By 1986, the company had moved into manufacturing at its premises in Pitt Street, Norwich, while the existing activities moved into new premises at Hellesdon Park Road. Two years later, Basil Walker retired and his son Keith succeeded him as Managing Director, and under his stewardship, the growing company moved to purpose-built, 10,500 sq. ft. premises on the Sweetbriar Industrial Estate on Norwich's outer ring road.
In June of 2002, Keith's son and daughter, Clive and Lorraine, became joint Managing Directors - the fourth generation of Walkers at the helm -- and with their complementary areas of experience and expertise, the company has continued to grow and flourish.
Keith Walker sadly passed away in 2003. |
