At Tomlinson Ltd, we are extremely proud of our long history. Our story began back in the 1920s when John A. A. Tomlinson set up a business in Leicester producing equipment for the printing industry. Later, in 1939, John’s son, John ‘Barrie’ Tomlinson, joined forces and the company became ‘John Tomlinson (Processes) Ltd’.

In early 1960 Barrie became the head of the business and, due to expansion, John Tomlinson (Processes) Ltd moved into a newly built factory on Oakland Road in Leicester, which remains the home of Tomlinson’s today.

Eager to stay up-to-speed with the latest industry developments, Barrie expanded the engraving component of the business and in 1973 ‘Tomlinson (Engraving) Ltd’ was founded. In that same year, David Tomkins, son of Jack Tomkins, an executive director with John Tomlinson (Processes) Ltd, joined as a director and the company continued to thrive.

During the 1980s, however, the business went though some changes including the introduction of web offset and Cyrel Flexo printing together with the decline of hot metal printing plates. As a result John Tomlinson (Processes) Ltd and Tomlinson (Engraving) Ltd merged, and in 1987 ’Tomlinson Ltd’ was born.

By 1996 Tomlinson Ltd had cemented its reputation as one of the UK’s leading suppliers of magnesium and copper etched dies and hand-engraved embossing dies and foiling dies.

Further development was to come in the 1990’s when David Tomkins was instrumental in introducing precision CNC engraving technology taking Tomlinson’s die-making capabilities into the digital age; Tomlinson Ltd has continued to invest in the latest CNC technology ever since.

Family ties were further strengthened when Barrie Tomlinson’s daughter, Lynne Tomlinson-Hands, joined the board in 1998. Lynne remained a Director until 2019 when she officially retired from the day-to-day running of the business but stayed connected by becoming the Founder Trustee on the board of Tomlinson Trustees.

Ahead of Lynne’s departure, Tomlinson Ltd proudly became an Employee owned company in the summer of 2017 making each member of the Tomlinson workforce an equal owner with a vested interest in the firm’s operation and advancement.

Following Lynne Tomlinson-Hand’s retirement, three new directors were appointed to steer Tomlinson’s into the future. Production Director, Jon Colburt, Business Development Director, Ginger Singh-Kauldhar, and Finance Director, Jim Littler, all boast many years of loyal service to Tomlinson Ltd and are dedicated to ensuring the firm’s ongoing success.

Today, Tomlinson Ltd continues to manufacture high-quality brass and magnesium foiling and embossing dies and has cemented its reputation as the UK’s leading and longest-established independent die-maker.

We’ve got strong roots in the print industry and a clear path for building a bright future.