The company history dates back to
1906 when Robert Bunning, a journey man blacksmith settled
in Gressenhall at the heart of rural Norfolk. In 1925 he was
joined by his son George Thomas Bunning whose initials form
the business name as it is known today.
The gradual evolution from rural
blacksmith to leading agricultural machinery manufacturer
was an organic progression. The business developed in
conjunction with market forces and consequentially expanded
into general agricultural repairs as demand for horse
shoeing lapsed.
The experience gained from
undertaking such repairs was to form a solid foundation for
future developments and with the early sixties fast
approaching, George had since introduced his three sons
Robin, David and John Bunning to what was now a strong
family concern.
Advances in technology continued to
act as the key provocateur of incremental change. The core
business activities were naturally adapted to reflect such
changes and by 1960 production had finally commenced.
The first product to materialise was
a simple farm trailer fabricated from mild steel using a
modest inventory of both equipment and labour. As time
progressed so the demand for specialist trailers escalated,
as did overall production capacity.
The onset of manufacturing forced rapid expansion to take
place in terms of both plant and human resources. This
expansion continued throughout the 1980’s when the present
site reached it’s current size, incorporating approximately
5 acres of acquired land on which two new factory workshops
were erected to house the now 35 strong workforce.
Facilitated by new technologies, product lines were extended
to include tanks, bowsers and later, in 1983, manure
spreaders.
George Thomas Bunning retired in 1982 leaving the business
in the hands of his three sons, all of whom skilled
engineers, subsequently became equal partners. Partnerships
were replaced by directorships following the 1995
incorporation.
To the present day, G. T. Bunning & Sons Limited is still
very much a family business with members of the fourth
generation now actively involved.
Aided by a readiness to develop new ideas, the company
continues to maintain a significant presence in a market
demanding both high quality products and innovation in
design.
