W & J Knox Ltd was first established when the Knox family set up a small textile mill in Kilbirnie to spin the locally-grown flax fibre and to manufacture linen thread. It was first registered as a company in 1778 then subsequently named W & J Knox in the 1800s by the sons of the founder.
Two centuries later, Knox is still based in the same Ayrshire town, with the Norwegian Selstad Group a majority shareholder since 2021.
The Knox family was involved with the company for the first 200 years, with ownership passing through the generations, and agents being set up all over the world. Hearsay places an agent in New Zealand only 10 years after Captain Cook’s discovery, and written records show trade agreements in place in the early 1800s in Canada. Cosalt plc purchased the company from Linndustries in the 1970s, with an MBO passing ownership to the local management team from 2004-21. Norwegian company Selstad has been the majority shareholder since 2021.
We believe it’s the fact that Knox has continually moved on and embraced other markets and products that is the reason the company is still in existence after so many years. The early family business spun flax fibre and became well-known worldwide for linen thread, and a vast range of twines. Trawls were produced for over one hundred years for traditional fishing, by hand from natural fibres, then by machine, with Knox becoming deeply involved in the manufacture of knotless Raschel nets for aquaculture in the early 1970s. This new century has seen the business further diversify, entering into a manufacturing partnership with Garware Technical Fibres Ltd and actively developing new netting and associated products.
Here's to the next 100 years.
We’ll be exhibiting again at Aquaculture UK in Aviemore on Tuesday 14 and Wednesday 15 May. Come along to stand E20 and meet the Knox team.
The Knox team will be in attendance at Aquaculture UK in Aviemore on 23 & 24 May. Please come and meet us on stand 59.
We are delighted to announce that we have been successful in upgrading our ISO accreditation to ISO 9001:2015.
Why not come to visit us on Sunday? Stoneyholm Mill is open as part of Ayrshire Doors Open Day from 10am – 4pm…
The porous and robust X12 material from GWRL is now being tested in Scottish waters, with monitoring showing better oxygen exchange than with standard polyester material.
Colin McMillan has notched up a phenomenal 40 years at Knox. Well done, Colin!
