Personality of the Week
Page 26
Page 27
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Didsmith
LARGE, crude motorcycles, American twins with thumping 8 h.p. engines, undoubtedly had a profound effect on the thinking of Mac Goldsmith which was ultimately to bring smoother progress for travellers by road and rail in many parts of the world. As a youngster Mac Goldsmith, born near Frankfurt-on-Main, had a lively interest in the fast single track machines. Later he was to devote much thought to suspension in all its forms and the end of that particular avenue, for the present at least, is that Mr. Goldsmith is chairman and managing director of Metalastik, Ltd., deputy chairman and managing director of the John Bull Rubber Co., Ltd., director of Precision Rubbers, Ltd., and a director of C.P. Engineering, Ltd.
Even before his motorcycling days, young Goldsmith was keenly interested in cars, and under conditions of some secrecy he mastered the art of driving one when he was no more than 12 years' old. His family's business lay in agricultural engineering, but the form that this took half a century ago offered little attraction to him, his ambition being to build up an enterprise of his own in the automotive field. The bright new sphere that attracted him was to •lead in due time into the paths of aviation, railways, general engineering and even hack to the agricultural world. After working for a few years with a petrol and oil company Mac Goldsmith started his own firm, dealing with components for the motor industry. He was then 23. When the alloy piston appeared on the scene, bringing with it the problems of coefficients of expansion and the need for a rapid rise of the power unit to its operating temperature, Mac Goldsmith became the man to introduce to Germany thermostats in the automotive field.
His ambition was always to strike the new note and, realizing that no manufacturer in that country was making complete clutches for the motor industry, he pioneered clutch manufacture, In this he encountered strong opposition from the vehicle producers who had for years made whatever clutches they required for their own use. The
time was to come when about 90?;) of German makers were to use Mac Goldsmith's design which was made under licence by another concern.
A new chapter in his career started in 1932-33 when on one of his visits to the United States he heard from a Chrysler executive how that Corporation had, by accident, discovered a process of bonding soft tubber to metal, a development that was to bring into being the Floating Power engine mountings and the rubber-to-metal bonded torsional vibration damper for crankshafts. Appreciating the great possibilities for road vehicles, Mr. Goldsmith set about acquiring the process for use in Germany and devoted himself to the task of organizing a research and development unit, particularly having in mind the extension of the idea to synthetic rubber and to a wider range of metals than had first been contemplated.
With a view to furthering the project he formed a company jointly with one of the leading German rubber firms, the sequel to their efforts being the rapid adoption of the process for engine suspensions, spring bushes, flexible couplings and other purposes. Side by side with all this activity he was still running his original business and on another trip to America he decided to branch out into yet another field, acquiring first the German rights, and then the British, of Bundy tubing.
There was a fresh turn in Mac Goldsmith's affairs in 1936 when he decided he could not possibly live under
the Hitler regime. This decision brought him to live in Britain the following year, when, together with the John Bull Rubber Co., Ltd., Leicester, he formed Metalastik, Ltd. Thus the latter company are now celebrating their silver jubilee. At more or less the same time Mr. Goldsmith also founded, with Armco, Ltd., the British Bundy Company. Mr. -Goldsmith's interests in Bundy tubing were later sold in order to enable him to concentrate hi S activities on the Metalastik side. For a short while it was a great uphill fight in the endeavour to interest manufacturers in rubber-bonded components, but in September, 1939, the young organization switched over entirely to war production, much work being performed in connection with developments on submarines, aircraft and armoured fighting vehicles.
After the cessation of hostilities the decision was taken to enter the field of railway suspension, and, following lengthy tests, the London transport Executive decided to introduce rubber suspension for the bolster and axle boxes of a large number of Underground trains. London Transport were the first undertaking in the world to employ the Metalastik suspension for this purpose.
During the same period vital developments took place in the commercial vehicle field, the tank track-in pin being transformed in the commercial vehicle shackle pin. All-rubber suspension was being developed, initially for Midland Red buses and coaches. Thus Metalastik has grown from its beginnings 25 years ago, with a staff of about 15, until now between 900 and 1,000 are employed. Metalastik was made a public company in 1951, acquired Precision Rubbers, Ltd., in 1955, and merged with the John Bull Rubber Co., Ltd., in the same year. In 1958 they joined the Dunlop Group of companies.
Throughout all this period Mac Goldsmith has been the driving force. Naturalized as a British citizen in 1946, he became thoroughly integrated with the life of the surrounding community. He lives in Leicester and has a 200-acre farm in the county where he produces cereals, raises sheep and breeds prize-winning Aberdeen Angus cattle. A life governor of the University of Leicester, he takes an intense interest in social and charitable work in that city and in London. Mac Goldsmith is a Rotarian; he enjoys golf
and he is fond of horse riding. AT.