page_title: British United Shoe Machinery
section_title: Expansion and business strategy
hierarchical_section_title: British United Shoe Machinery / Expansion and business strategy
caption_attribution_description: English: British United Shoe Machinery factory buildings &amp; bridge over Ross Walk, Leicester, 1986. The older building, known as Union Works, is on the right while the newer building is on the left with the bridge allowing traffic-free access between them. BUSM owned nearly as far as the eye can see on the left, ending at the Training School in a separate building beyond the factory.
context_page_description: British United Shoe Machinery Ltd. with head office in Leicester, England, was formed around the turn of the 20th century as a subsidiary of United Shoe Machinery Company of the U.S.A., becoming part of a group which for most of the 20th century was the world's largest manufacturer of footwear machinery and materials, exporting shoe machinery to more than 50 countries. After two takeovers and a BUSM-based management buyout the USM group became headquartered in Leicester until entering administration in 2000.
  In the 1960s and 1970s, it was Leicester's biggest employer employing more than 4,500 locally and 9500 worldwide. Most of the workforce was recruited via an apprentice scheme which trained a large proportion of Leicester's engineers. The company had "a respected reputation for technical innovation and excellence", between 1898 and 1960, it developed and marketed nearly 800 new and improved shoe machines and patented more than 9,000 inventions, at one time employing 5% of the UK's patent agents.
  The collapse of the company in October 2000 destroyed the pensions of the workers. Their story became "one of the most vivid examples of what can go wrong with..Private Equity".
context_section_description: The new British United Shoe Machinery was uniquely able to supply a footwear manufacturer with all machinery needs.   By 1908 the company's technical innovations were sufficiently noteworthy to attract a visit from the British Association for the Advancement of Science.  The company followed US policy of leasing machinery, which had the advantage of minimising entry costs for new customers. Lease restrictions however caused much resentment and there was particularly strong opposition from Northampton manufacturers who feared it was becoming a monopoly.
  Despite the huge increase in demand for military footwear, World War I saw over 800 of the highly skilled workers joining the armed forces. Under the Munitions of War Act 1915 passed in response to the Shell Crisis of 1915, the company became a "Controlled Establishment" with workers pay and conditions very tightly regulated by the Ministry of Munitions. BUSM's expertise in precision engineering led to orders for a range of military equipment including Naval gun mountings and aero engine parts as well as shells and fuzes.
caption: British United Shoe Machinery factory buildings & bridge over Ross Walk, Leicester, 1986
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