Robin Hudson, Product Manager for Moore & Wright
Sometimes, the most meaningful connections to your work aren’t found in meetings or spreadsheets, but in something as simple as a well-used tool in your father’s garage.
Moore & Wright has a long and storied history. Founded in 1906 by Frank Moore in Sheffield, with later investment from Mrs Wright, the company began life in a modest workshop before expanding into a purpose-built factory. From the outset, it was driven by the desire to provide engineers with practical, reliable tools, calipers, screwdrivers, punches, and later, at the request of the UK Government in the 1920s, precision micrometers.
By the time the Second World War broke out, Moore & Wright had become the UK’s largest producer of precision tools, so strategically important that the government supported its expansion to meet wartime demand. The post-war years saw continued innovation, adding telescopic gauges, small hole gauges, and an extended range of vernier calipers to its portfolio.
Fast-forward nearly a century. I recently stepped into the role of Product Manager for Moore & Wright, a name I’ve long been proud of, but one that took on new personal significance just a few months ago.
While explaining my new role to my parents, my father quietly disappeared into the garage and returned with something small, heavy, and wrapped in memory: a Moore & Wright micrometer, Model 961B, manufactured in Sheffield in 1957. It had been issued to him by Sperry Gyroscope, the company he worked for, back when engineers were expected to own and maintain their own precision tools. It was still in its original case. Even more impressively, after all these years, the zero marks still aligned perfectly. The tool was as accurate today as it was the day it left the factory.
That moment hit me. I was now responsible for a product line that had literally passed through generations, reliable enough to be treasured, durable enough to endure, and precise enough to still meet standard after 70 years.
As manufacturers, we often talk about legacy and craftsmanship, but here I was holding it in my hand. For me, Moore & Wright is more than a brand, it’s a story of engineering tradition, continuity, and pride, not just across the industry, but across my own family.
And now, that micrometer sits on my desk. Not just as a keepsake, but as a daily reminder of what we’re really building at Moore & Wright - tools that last, and a legacy that matters.