During the post PSF period up to my arrival in October 1978, the Rearsby output was essentially a series of small ferrous assemblies, many of them mechanisms. Many were based on pressings. There was limited coherence or logical relationship between products. Hinges, brackets, tie-rods, welded body sub-pressings, axle tubes, clutch plates, handbrake levers, pedals, simple gear levers, etc.
Rearsby queued up, against external (to BL) competitors at motor manufacturers (OEM) Buying Departments to obtain a customer drawing which ideally encompassed Rearsby's range of installed production capacity. Presswork, machining, welding, heat treatment, painting and assembly in combination. We didn't sell pressings. There were plenty of Midlands’s metal-bashers for OEMs to choose from.
Where Rearsby excelled was in the production and material control ability to combine several processed together in a mechanism, especially if it was a 'safety critical' component. That is, an assembly which had to function smoothly and reliably every time at very low cost, whose failure would impact upon safe performance of the vehicle. The hand brake lever would be a good example. Blanking/presswork, machining, heat-treatment, and zinc passivate plating, painting and assembly. The accelerator (gas), clutch/brake pedal assemblies and manual/automatic gearshift, which were to grow in importance later, were others.
One of my engineers said to me " There are many who think they can produce a handbrake lever, it appears simple enough, but at around £1 each?! The latter is the clever bit." Would-be competitors came and went.