A Proud Heritage

Robert Legg was founded in London in 1849 and was originally established as a general engineering company. It became involved in the Primary tobacco industry during the 1870’s manufacturing presses and cutters. Legg’s progressed over the next 80 years to lead the market in tobacco processing equipment, and was acquired by the American based AMF in 1960.

In 1969, the then Managing Director of AMF Legg, Bill Dickinson, decided to set up his own company to provide a similar range of equipment and services to the tobacco industry, and so Dickinson Engineering Ltd was founded. Many staff from AMF Legg joined the new company, which quickly established itself as a major supplier of primary equipment. AMF sold the Legg business via a management buyout in 1986 and it then traded under the name of GBE Legg. In 1998 Dickinson Engineering Ltd acquired GBE Legg and the company name was changed to Dickinson Legg Ltd.

Meanwhile, Garbuio SpA an Italian engineering company which originally specialized in food processing machinery entered the tobacco equipment business when it acquired the German Quester company’s intellectual property during the late 1980’s. The business quickly grew, firstly in Green Leaf Threshing equipment and then in Primary. Specialist personnel from within the industry were contracted to develop the product range, notably with a new generation of cutters and cylinders.

In 2003 the owners of both Dickinson Legg Ltd and Garbuio SpA recognized that a merger was desirable in view of the commercial pressures within the Primary equipment market but it was not until March 2006 that the Garbuio acquisition of Dickinson Legg Ltd was successfully completed.

Today the enlarged group trades under the name Garbuio Dickinson providing the Tobacco industry with the best products and services from both companies, whilst being at the forefront of technological developments and innovations. Garbuio Dickinson is the market leader in terms of volume and product range.