Ormiston Wire: how to keep a business thriving for 200 years

A lot of businesses are flash in the pan successes, here today and gone tomorrow – and yet even the most wildly profitable rarely last more than 50 years. 

Think about it – companies like Amazon have had their doors open for less than three decades and, while there’s no sign of their success slowing any time soon, anything could happen to them. 

That’s to say nothing of most SMEs, which are likely to fail within less than a decade of establishing themselves. 

It takes a great deal of tenacity, then, for a company to stay open for more than two centuries – but that’s exactly what Ormiston Wire have managed. 

The wiring company was established in 1793, and has remained a family-led business since its inception. As a niche enterprise, you may not have heard of Ormiston – but you should have. 

This is a company that’s worked behind the scenes with some of the biggest businesses in the world, as well as provided wiring to smaller companies across the UK. 

To salute this landmark achievement, here are a few of the most impressive projects Ormiston Wire has been involved with. Take notes and, who knows, your company might stand the test of time too. 

Thunderbirds

Thunderbirds was one of the biggest television shows of the sixties, and has retained a constant presence in the public consciousness ever since. Its blend of space race politics and child-friendly action made it a family favourite that attracted an audience of millions – and Ormiston Wire was essential to its success. 

The company provided the high-tensile wiring used to operate the marionettes,and created wiring that transmitted an electrical current that powered the characters’ facial expressions. They even went so far as to chemically treat the wiring to make it less visible on film. 

Thomas Heatherwick

Thomas Heatherwick is one of the most exciting artists alive today, and his abstract sculptures have attracted a populous appeal that’s uncommon in the modern art world. 

His Heatherwick Studio was established in 1994 and spans the disciplines of architecture, furniture, product design, fashion, engineering, sculpture and urban planning.

Amidst this helterskelter of creativity lies the need for many different building materials – including wiring. Heatherwick needed 27,000 high tensile wires for his beguiling sculpture, Bleigiessen. The result was a sculpture that hit the headlines and reaped rewards – and it welcomed Ormiston Wire into the art world. 

Mercedes-Benz

Car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz is known the world over – but it had to call on Ormiston Wire for help in the safety department. 

It requested that Ormiston create an additional safety element for its SLR series which would restrain the engine block in the event of a crash – and it was successful enough to be used until the model was discontinued in 2009. 

Ormiston Wire are the model of an effective company that’s willing and able to diversify its product to suit any client’s needs. If you’re a budding young business owner, take a leaf out of their book!