Durham-Duplex was founded in the US in 1875 and set up manufacturing in Mystic, New Jersey, to make the revolutionary Durham-Duplex safety razor system. This innovative product was considered to be a major advancement in shaving, especially in comparison to the traditional cutthroat razor.
Durham-Duplex was registered in the UK on 11 May 1910 and the European manufacturing plant was set up in Sheffield where it has been ever since. Initially set up to serve just the British and French markets, the plant established its quality quickly – largely due the skilled work-force in Sheffield – that soon our products were being exported to the US and Canada.
The company has been UK-owned and operated since 1960 and is still based in Sheffield, exporting machine knives and industrial blades around the world. We are very proud to be ‘Made in Sheffield’.
In addition to duty rates, which are part of exporting, something that makes our exporting to the US particularly difficult are increasingly the delays caused by American customs procedures. This means that a swift dispatch of a blade manufactured in the UK factory can languish in US customs for no apparent reason; something that reduces our competitiveness against US based stock holders delivering for more $ but quicker. We would like TTIP to be completed before the US/ ASEAN trade deal is agreed to get competitive advantage for UK/EU companies and allow us to import our UK manufactured knives to USA without time and duty restrictions.
Company Profile
www.durham-duplex.co.uk
Industry: Manufacturing
Region: Yorkshire and the Humber
Main obstacle: Customs procedures