Global Fastener News

April 30, 1985 FIN – Sheffield, Incorporated, headed by William O. Bradley, Steven Forsythe and John Jagiela, completed the purchase of Armco’s Kansas City, Missouri, fastener operations in late February.

The transaction included approximately 300 cold-headers, bolt makers, nut makers and single die cold headers and some secondary equipment according to both Sheffield and Armco.
The sale also included 6 buildings with a square footage of 480,000 on some 12 acres and Armco’s hot-formed facility. Little or no inventory was involved.
According to Forsythe, Sheffield’s president and chief operating officer the cold-formed facility reopened in March and is currently producing both ferrous and nonferrous bolts and nuts up through 1 1/8 inch diameter and over 10 inches in length. Though the hot-forged facility is not operating at this time the plant is presently employing 25 people with a target figure of 50 set for the end of the year. Forsythe expects the plant to eventually employ 200.

Sheffield is actively recruiting manufacturers’ representatives. Forsythe said and will sell to both OEM’s and distributors, including the automotive industry.

Selling to the automotive industry may present some interesting opportunities for this reincarnated manufacturer: General Motors has announced that it will spend some $750 million on a new assembly plant at its existing plant in Kansas City, Kansas. And though the new plant is designed to replace the existing plant, the old plant may continue to operate at the same time depending on the circumstances surrounding full-size cars. The new plant will build new intermediate-size cars. Both plants will be able to produce around 280,000 cars per year. However, GM’s Kansas City facility also features a stamping plant, which also will be modernized.

Sheffield’s principal personnel at this time are as follows: Bradley is Sheffield’s chairman and chief executive officer. Forsythe is the president and chief operating officer. Jagiela a Minnesota financial attorney is a silent partner. And Jerry Isenhower is the plant manager. Sales are currently being handled by Forsythe and Isenhower.

Isenhower had worked for Armco in Kansas City. Bradley and Forsythe, according to Forsythe have “35 years” of cold-heading experience.

FIN has reason to believe they worked for a company called TCR Corporation, Minneapolis, Minnesota. TCR Corp’s president, Robert Bradley, is William’s brother. As we understand it, William Bradley is a vice president at TCR. However, Sheffield is not a part of TCR, but rather a separate organization made up of investors from TCR and other investors.

TCR manufactures rivets, corn picker pins, clevis pins, hinge pins, chain pins, hinge parts and cold-headed parts. Special screws, culvert rivets, culvert rods, screw machine products and agricultural & industrial hose fittings.

Armco’s Kansas City operations officially called Armco Midwestern Steel Division, started in 1888 as the Kansas City Bolt & Nut Company. It supplied track bolts and other fastener products for the railroads as the country expanded westward.

In 1925, the company changed its name to Sheffield Steel Corporation adopting the name of the community which surrounded the plant. In May of 1930, the company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Armco Steel Corporation.

Until a few years ago, it produced standard and special ferrous fasteners – hex head bolts and the like – as well as farm fencing, alloy bars grinding balls and rods, hot-rolled bars, semi-finished steels and industrial rod & wire. Some of the products have been discontinued.

The fastener plant once employed some 475 people. It closed down in January of 1983. Sheffield is located at 7000 Roberts Street, Kansas City, MO 64125. ©1985/2010 GlobalFastenerNews.com