Armstrongs and Vickers faced multiple challenges during the period 1901–1918. They experienced a surge in artillery orders for the Boer War and were criticized by the government for the pace of their response, leading to prickly relationships with the War Office. The end of the war saw a precipitous decline in orders, leaving Armstrongs and Vickers with excess capacity. With domestic austerity crimping Admiralty procurement plans, the two firms sought sales abroad, but with limited success as the recession hit globally. The two firms collaborated on their negotiations with the British Government over royalty payments as they looked for rewards for the risks they had taken. They also colluded on setting international prices. Both firms diversified into motor car production and aircraft development and began to create international subsidiaries and partnerships. With the deterioration in the international environment a new surge in orders looked inevitable, though the British Government was slow to give orders to industry, precipitating the 1915 “shell crisis,” and public criticism of the firms. Initially the firms struggled to produce sufficient armaments and the government became deeply engaged in industrial planning. Production of artillery, ships and aircraft was ramped up dramatically at the firms.