1860's

early 1900's

1935

1950's

1960's and 70's

1980's

1990's

Other innovations of the early 1900s were the development of analyses and heat treatment processes including the Sorbitic treatment for rails and steel tyres. The most successful was the Sandberg special controlled cooling process for rails, which became part of the mandatory specifications for rails in the USA. Before its introduction some 11,000 rails were being replaced each year, whereas only a handful failed during subsequent years.

Perhaps one of the most spectacular of the Sandberg enterprises was Peter Sandberg's involvement in salvaging gold bullion and coinage to the value of £1 million from the P&O liner Egypt in 1935.

At that time, this was the deepest successful salvage operation ever undertaken. Fifty years later, US President Ronald Reagan was presented with a gold sovereign from the Egypt's salvage, when he was visiting Lloyds after NASA had just successfully completed the highest salvage operation - the retrieval of a malfunctioning satellite using the Space Shuttle.

Alec Sandberg ("little Alec"), son of Alec and grandson of the founder, joined the practice in 1950, becoming senior partner five years later. He realised that the railway consultancy had limited diversity and thus it was that a full materials consultancy, inspection and testing organisation was developed to service the civil engineering and building industries. The existing practice and its laboratories were substantially extended.

During this phase of the firm's growth, the need for strong in-house laboratory support for the firm's consultancy services led to the expansion of the laboratory testing services. As the laboratories grew, so did their client base from the initial position of the provision of an in-house service. The laboratories were now operating as their own revenue and profit centres.

In the 1960s, following an initiative by Alec Sandberg, the Ministry of Transport began to employ independent testing consultants for its own construction work, particularly in the then growing programme of motorway construction.

Throughout the major developments of the UK's highways, the firm provided independent materials testing services including site laboratories on 50% of all contracts.

As the amount of new UK highways infrastructure diminished in the late 1980s, the inspection activities of the firm developed. Increased use of materials such as glass and stone cladding was matched by further growth and expansion of our expertise. As with most "new" materials and markets, the firm thrived on solving the inevitable initial technical problems that arise with new inventions and materials.

Whilst this new work was developing the firm had become renowned as expert advisors on the restoration of historic buildings, including cathedrals and palaces.

Having been absent in Asia for sometime, the firm was pleased to return to Hong Kong in the 1980s, involved once again in some of the most prestigious international projects of the time.

In 1992, Neil Sandberg, son of Alec and fourth generation, joined the firm. Previously Neil worked for John Mowlem and Company and Ove Arup and Partners in the UK, followed by Greiner Inc, an American consulting engineer, in the USA.

In 1998, as recognition to his and the firm's services to civil engineering, HRH Prince Charles presented Alec Sandberg with an OBE.

Throughout the firm's history there has always been emphasis on problem avoidance… and, where we were called in too late, in problem solving! This approach continues to the present day, where we are working for clients worldwide offering the services described within this web site.