How Hereford's Denco became famous name in air conditioning

Diane Campbell posted a photo of the drawing room at the Denco offices in the 1970s on our Facebook page We Grew Up in Hereford.

Denco was based in Holmer Road, in Hereford, and exported its products all over the world, growing into one of the city’s largest employers after forming in 1944.

Denco Holdings was created as a public listed company in 1960 when Allan Miller joined the company.

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With ongoing success, in 1962, the premises in Hereford doubled in size, and in 1968, the company became part of the William Press Group before Den Colam handed over to Allan Miller in 1970.

He took the company further again, but then in 1981 he also left for a much-deserved retirement.

It was at this point when the name Denco Miller simply became Denco.

In 1982, the William Press Group merged with Leonard Fairclough and Sons to form a new company: AMEC PLC.

Years later, the business left Holmer for a site alongside the A49 at Moreton-on-Lugg with around 250 members of staff.

In later years one man made his way from the shop floor to the boardroom.

Two decades after Mark Shutler started as an apprentice on the shop floor he led a management buy-out of Denco, the only company he has ever worked for.

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In 2006 he sold the Hereford-based business to German engineering giant GEA.

But in 2015, after other name changes, the company became DencoHappel and redundancies were announced in Hereford with manufacturing eventually ceasing at the site.

In 2016 Swedish company Fläkt Woods and DencoHappel joined forces and Denco was renamed to FläktGroup.

People in the Facebook group reminisced about their time working there after Ms Campbell said her father was Des Williams, who was a director after working for the company for many years.

Andrew Mann said he remembered Mr Williams when he worked at the company from 1968 to 1974 as a trainee and then a draughtsman.

He said Mr Williams was chief draughtsman and Arthur Twydale was his boss.

Other names such as Bill Crosby, Bill Morris, and Paul Fosberry were mentioned by members.

• Do you have your own memories of Denco? Share them on Facebook by searching for We Grew Up In Hereford.