An engineering firm operating in Coventry and Warwickshire is celebrating a century of business in the area. Kigass opened in 1924 and is now a fourth-generation family business based in Warwick. Kigass has been a titan in UK engineering, with their work ending up in the places you wouldn’t notice or expect.
Rolls Royce is a client of theirs for over 40 years, as every Rolls Royce aircraft is fitted with a Kigass component. Formula One has also been on their file for more than a quarter of a century and the company also supplies the Ministry of Defence with components too.
Descendant of founder Charles Wardman, managing director Joanne Wardman-Smith expressed pride in the company’s impressively long tenure. “When my great grandfather established his business 100 years ago, little could he have imagined the impact of that move and the legacy he would leave, employing generations of workers in Warwickshire and serving some of the best known names in British industry over several decades.
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“Over the past century Kigass has been at the forefront of engineering in some of the most exacting industries and in that time has continued to evolve alongside those industries, working with arguably some of this country’s most celebrated disruptors. “I am immensely proud of everything achieved by my great grandfather Charles, my grandfather Rex and father Arthur and I hope in turn they would be proud of the contribution Kigass continues to make to British industry today. “
In just a few short months after the company was formed in London’s Mayfair, it moved to Leamington Spa and quickly established a solid reputation as a leading manufacturer of starter motors for diesel cars – a niche that allowed the company the scope for exponential growth with more American cars arriving in the UK at the time.
As time progressed, the company transferred its skills and expertise to aerospace, with much of the RAF’s aircraft being fitted with Kigass primers. In 1957 the company accepted an offer to fix one of its new push-button primers on to Stirling Moss’ MG EX181, which went on to break a new land speed record of 245.64 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.
By the 1970s, the company diversified into a number of businesses including plastics, springs, toolmaking and electronics. At the time Kigass counted Ford among its largest clients, supplying starting pumps for Ford tractors and manufacturing door handles for all Ford cars as well as Nissan and Honda.
In the late 1990s, the company sold much of the business portfolio to an American company, yet held on to the individual premises of each of the businesses sold marking the launch of a property arm of Kigass. They also retained ownership of the engineering business.
Looking ahead to the future, Wardman-Smith said “We are committed to continuing to deliver engineering excellence and our overarching aim is to continue evolving and ensuring Kigass is here for another century and beyond.”
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