Thomas McPherson arrived in Australia with his family in 1853 and joined Fulton's Foundry who were blacksmiths, engineers and millwrights, in Flinders Street, Melbourne. The foundry employed 150 men (when the average number of employees in all other engineering plants was only 6) and advertised that: 'they could manufacture castings, in iron and bronze and repair engines, boilers, scales, weighing machines, wool presses, jack screws, ploughs and drays'. In fact, they supplied the first steam engines, pumping equipment and hoisting machinery for the Ballarat gold mines, and boilers for Murray paddle boats. It was a surprisingly well equipped shop for the period, being able to turn shafts 600 mm in diameter and 7 m long and having an 2100 mm boring mill together with large planing and boilermaking machines.

Thomas McPherson & Sons was founded in 1860. In 1880 a plant was set up for the manufacture of jute wool packs, previously imported from Scotland but it closed 12 months later due to competition from India.

Fasteners and tools

Nut and bolt production has been associated with McPhersons for many years -the original plant being set up in 1900. The plant was bought from the Acme Machinery Company of the USA and skilled personnel were also imported to commission it. Innovation came in 1923 with the development of the cold forging process for these products, with a substantial improvement in quality. This new plant was able to supply the rivets for the Sydney Harbour Bridge which in itself was then the most advanced bridge design for the period.

Driven by shortages caused by the First World War, machine tool manufacture was begun in 1915. The company had previously acted as the agent for a range of these machines imported from various companies overseas. Initially a basic general purpose lathe was produced and the intention was to cease manufacture at the end of the conflict. Post-war demand, however, dictated that a range of machine tools be produced including woodworking equipment. An enhancement of the range and volume took place during the Second World War but overseas competition caused the operation to become uneconomic by 1970.

A range of pumps was also produced alongside the machine tool manufacturing, to provide a steady load for the plant. Tools, dies, gauges, drills, cutting tools etc., were produced initially by the company, Patience and Nicholson Ltd., that later became wholly owned by McPhersons. Files, grinding equipment and grinding supplies were produced and three world producers, each jealous of their industrial property, were joined together in Australia at the suggestion of McPhersons to produce a world quality and range of abrasive supplies. Chain products, tungsten carbide tools, brake parts were set in production for the first time in Australia by the company in the war and post-war period.

Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering