In 1935, he arrived in London with just 50 pounds in his pocket. He set up a small workshop under the Bow Arches in the East End, making steel props for the construction industry. These props could be adjusted in length using a robust screw thread and erected by a single unskilled workman in seconds—greatly reducing labour costs and eliminating the wasteful use of timber.

His ingenious design was initially considered too revolutionary for a trade that had relied, since biblical times, on wooden scaffolding poles sawn to fit each job.

With financial help from a local English lawyer, Mr. A. Crow, de Vigier founded his first company, Acrow Engineers Ltd.

During the war years, Acrow contributed to the production of vital components for Churchill tanks and Mosquito aircraft, as well as Acrow steel road forms used in runway construction. The company also manufactured Bailey Bridges for essential bomb-damaged crossings and parts for the Mulberry Harbours used during the Normandy Landings.

After the war, Acrow went public and expanded globally, offering a wide range of products designed to make construction projects more efficient—including equipment for the North Sea oil industry and emergency cooling systems for Polaris submarines.

Bill de Vigier was always an enlightened employer. He enjoyed lunching with his workers in the factory canteen and introduced equal pay for female welders after discovering they made fewer errors than their male counterparts on Mosquito engine frames.

In 1977, he was part of the first British trade delegation to Peking and served on the Board of British Airways. That same year, he was honoured by the British government for his achievements in export.

Bill was a restless entrepreneur who thrived on challenges but cared little for material rewards. An exceptional salesman, he had a unique ability to inspire unwavering loyalty among his employees. He served on the boards of 45 companies, including Vigier Cement.

Although London was his business base, he spent a quite some time in Solothurn. When asked about his nationality, he would reply, “You don’t change your nationality by changing your passport. I am Swiss, and that is that.”

Bill de Vigier died in 2003 at the age of 92. The Financial Times obituary from January 2004 reads:
“A colossus of the building industry, de Vigier was an unequalled salesman who thrived on challenge.”
“The Acrow prop was the first technological breakthrough in scaffolding since biblical times.”