About AMB
Our History
Albert Marsh and Bestelite Hardfacing Company Ltd (AMB Co. Ltd) are a family-owned company steeped in history and it’s that ethos, that togetherness that has seen the company thrive over the course of the past 83 years.
The story began in 1938 when the original company was established by Albert Marsh, a highly skilled engineer with a solid background in a number of different Sheffield industries. Our first premises were on Portobello Street where we produced brick linings for refractors.
With the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Albert’s little business was suddenly galvanised to aid the war effort. The government needed armaments and the business was transformed overnight into a 24-hour production line, with over 50 people, almost exclusively women, working around the clock. Unfortunately, our factory suffered a direct hit from the Luftwaffe, but that didn’t deter our British spirit and we quickly transferred to a new site on Solly Street. After the war, we returned to our traditional refractory work, which continued in much the same vein well into the 1950s.
Bryant then joined forces with a friend, Jim Bardsley, who was the head salesman for Stellite. It was from this relationship, the company that was to become AMB Co. Ltd began manufacturing stellite rollers and the business went from strength to strength.
