The Company Founded in 1847, as a partnership between Thomas Fothergill and Alexander Harvey, the company has been producing technical textiles since 1848. Originally, fabrics were woven from natural fibres such as cotton and the company produced the first khaki drill for servicemen's uniforms. By 1945, as a research unit had been established, the company was diversifying away from cotton and into glass and other synthetic fabrics. The company was amongst the first weavers to produce fabrics from new aramid fibres and during 1972 took advantage of the technology available from the Royal Aircraft Establishment to weave carbon fibre. The Fothergill and Harvey Group was acquired by Courtaulds in 1987 and using the technology of Courtaulds commenced production of knitted fabrics. Fothergill Engineered Fabrics regained its independence as a private limited company in early 1995. With a continuous programme of research and development and a highly motivated quality conscious workforce, Fothergill Engineered Fabrics is set to maintain and develop its role as a leading European supplier of woven and knitted high performance textiles. The current extensive range of fabrics is used by a wide variety of industries, including aerospace and defence (reinforcements and ballistic protection), thermal protection/ insulation, hot gas/molten metal filtration, automotive and construction.