Founded in Keighley in the 1890’s, Trico is an acronym for ‘The Rustless Iron Company’. The sole purpose of the company being the vitreous enamelling of metal products and components for what was then a significant Northern based metal working industry. Before the advent of plastics in the 1950s the company prospered with the ability to enamel anything from a bath to a cap badge.
The widespread use of plastics as an alternative use for bowls, sinks, mugs and other household items, together with the decline of the UK manufacturing base, has meant a reduction and rationalisation of the enamelling industry with Trico not being immune. 1998 marked a significant landmark in the history of the business with the relocation of the company from Keighley to Bingley and its acquisition by Mariner Holdings plc.
Mariner had already established links with the vitreous enamel industry in that it owned English Enamels Ltd, a Midlands based company performing a small amount of contract enamelling but also specialising in vitreous enamel signage. Established in 1937 and originally owned by T.I. the company had built itself a reputation for high-quality signage.
The integration of the two businesses onto one site at Bingley to combine their skills and improve service was vital. Trico had invested heavily in purchasing from Germany a completely new enamelling factory and it was only logical for English Enamels to take advantage of modern equipment to further uplift quality.
Today, both businesses have been combined under the Trico banner. Although many of the products from the early days have
disappeared, the appreciation of the qualities of vitreous enamel is again becoming widespread. The richness of colours, heat and
fade resistance, anti-graffiti, resistant to acid and longevity of life means that again demand is increasing for the company’s products. The company is the only UK based manufacturer with the ability to mass produce panels, enamel cast iron, produce high quality signage as well as serving the needs of cooker, central heating manufacturers as well as a multitude of other applications.