About us
J.W. Pickavant & Co Ltd was formed in 1921 by Jack Pickavant in direct response to the growing automotive requirements of the day. Marketing motor accessories, spares and tools, J.W.Pickavant soon took on Joe Sykes as its first salesman who would call on garages and engineering shops, setting a precedent for our modern day sales team. A demand for the repair and service of more sophisticated cars and trucks saw J.W. Pickavant evolve into the manufacturers of specialist service tools, a field which Sykes-Pickavant are still synonymous with today. The new objective for the company became to create specialist tools to complete specific jobs quickly and efficiently, many of which were exclusive.
Joe Sykes left J.W. Pickavant in 1931 to set up as a tool distributor called Sykes and following the war, with prevalent import rationing, he also branched into manufacturing and assembly. By 1950 Joe began to export Sykes products overseas, with the first markets being Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. There was no resentment between the two companies, instead they operated alongside one another as friendly competition.
The affectionate rivals formed a merger in 1968, becoming Sykes-Pickavant Ltd. who began operating in this capacity from January 1st 1969. A large new factory and office block was subsequently built in the 1970s in Lytham, St. Annes. Quality control, manufacturing and distribution were easily overseen from this base of operations.
By the 1980s, forty percent of Sykes-Pickavant’s business was export. Expansion continued into Europe and Asia whilst the company made the most of major tool shows to announce top-of-the-line solutions tailored to the market. Still to this day, Sykes-Pickavant attends many popular automotive exhibitions, offering visitors hands on experience with its products.
Nowadays, Sykes-Pickavant Ltd. and Sykes-Pickavant Export operate as sister companies to bring specialist automotive solutions to the whole of the globe. Meeting the changing requirements posed by vehicle and equipment design, Sykes-Pickavant products are constantly changing to stay on top of and often ahead of the game. The company offers a huge range of products, many which have evolved from original solutions which have stood the test of time and others which have been especially created to tackle more modern issues.
Sykes-Pickavant uses a wide local supply chain for sourcing its products, maintaining its UK and European product fulfilment.
The current product range covers Torque, Engine, Suspension, Hybrid, Bodyshop, Workshop Equipment, Lighting and Braking.
For our Industrial, Agricultural & Marine customer base, Sykes-Pickavant continues to be a world leader in both Mechanical and Hydraulic Pulling and Extracting products, for the removal of anything from bearings, to gears, flywheels, races and seals.
Sykes-Pickavant Bespoke is also a dedicated service offering clients specific project related design and development unique to satisfying their demands.
Sykes-Pickavant products are available through all major distributor groups in both the Automotive and Industrial sectors in the UK, and are also available through specialist distribution partners in most countries Worldwide.
2021 will see the centenary of Sykes-Pickavant who is proud of its strong heritage and longstanding ethics of supplying high quality, practical and time saving products to the automotive and industrial sectors. The passion and commitment to continue to provide customers with up-to-date and top-of-the-range solutions will be a core value for Sykes-Pickavant for many more years to come.