Babcock International Group plc is a British aerospace, defence and nuclear engineering services company based in London, England. It specialises in managing complex assets and infrastructure. Although the company has civil contracts, its main business is with public bodies, particularly the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence and Network Rail. The company has four operating sectors, with overseas operations based in Africa, North America, South America, Europe and Australia. Babcock is listed on the London Stock Exchange, and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History 1891 to 1979 Babcocks International traces its history back to the 19th century and the American heavy industrial manufacturers Babcock & Wilcox Company which had been founded in 1867 by partners Stephen Wilcox and George Babcock to manufacture and market Wilcox's patented water-tube boiler. During the 1870s and 1880s, the company, having decided to expand internationally, developed an initial footprint in the British market, centering on cities such as Glasgow, Scotland. On 9 April 1891, Babcock & Wilcox chose to establish a separately financed (capitalised at £250,000 initially) British company, called Babcock & Wilcox Ltd. The initial board members of the British company included the renowned Scottish structural engineer Sir William Arrol and Andrew Stewart, of the Lanarkshire based steel tube makers A & J Stewart & Menzies, subsequently Stewarts & Lloyds. Following its establishment, the British company's sphere of operation was defined as 'the world except for North America and Cuba', which was the preserve of the US Babcock & Wilcox venture. Starting in 1885, B&W's steam boilers were manufactured in the Singer Manufacturing Company's Kilbowie Works at Clydebank near Glasgow. Around this time, the inventor and businessman Isaac Singer was a significant and influential shareholder in the business. During 1895, Babcocks & Wilcox Ltd opened a new boilermaking works, based on the site of the Porterfield Forge on the opposite side of the River Clyde near Renfrew. In 1900, the company secured £1.57 million of investment, which was used to finance the expansion of its global presence via numerous overseas subsidiary ventures. During 1913, B&W began its involvement with the Rosyth Dockyard after winning a bid to construct a steam generation plant on the site; this presence served as a starting point for the firm's subsequent extensive involvement in the ship repair sector. During both the First World War and Second World War, B&W was a major supplier to Britain's defence establishment.