George Kent Ltd
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Instrumentation, Military, Domestic appliances |
| Founded | 1838 |
| Successor | Brown Boveri Kent in 1974 |
| Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | Luton, St Neots |
Key people | Walter George Kent |
| Products | Artillery fuses, linear actuators, flow meters, ice boxes, clear view screens |
Founded in 1838,[1] George Kent Ltd was initially a manufacturer of household gadgets, then a manufacturer of munitions during World War One, and became the largest British manufacturer of instruments for industrial control systems,[2] prior to its acquisition by Brown Boveri in 1974.
Corporate history
[edit]The company was founded in 1838.[3]
The company was incorporated as a limited company in 1907,[1] and was managed by the founder's son Walter George Kent.
World War One
[edit]During World War One, Kents had a factory in Luton with over 3,000 workers, mostly munitionettes, in this case producing fuses for artillery shells.[3] They were producing 140,000 shell fuses a week.[4] After the war, this grew to 5,000 workers.
International growth
[edit]George Kent grew to have significant reach worldwide, including establishing a subsidiary in Malaysia in 1936.[5] Currently, as an independent organisation, the Malaysian company George Kent provide engineering and metering solutions in South-East Asia,[6] with a diverse set of activities including the integration of railways and the manufacture of water meters.[6]
Acquisitions and George Kent Group
[edit]In 1968, George Kent Ltd acquired Fielden Electronics[7] and Cambridge Instrument Company[8][9][10] forming the George Kent Group. This was the UK's largest industrial instrument manufacturer. Tony Benn as Minister of Technology answered questions about the Cambridge Instruments takeover in Parliament.[11]
Fielden Electronics
[edit]
Fielden Electronics of Wythenshawe, Manchester produced a data recorder known as the Servograph[12][13] and a capacitance-sensing proximity meter[14] alongside a variety of scientific instruments and process control devices.[15] These included the bikini[16] temperature controller, a temperature recorder,[17] and the E296[18] level controller.[19]
Acquisition by Brown Boveri
[edit]An acquisition in 1974 of George Kent Group by Swiss instrument company Brown Boveri caused a rename to Brown Boveri Kent. At the same time, the company Scientific and Medical Instruments was spun-out which eventually became Cambridge Instrument Company,[20] resurrecting that brand. Brown Boveri eventually merged with ASEA and is today the industrial giant ABB. Kent is maintained as a brand within ABB.[2]
Notable products
[edit]Domestic equipment
[edit]Kent's breakthrough product was a knife sharpener, first available around 1850.[21][22] Later products included an ice cabinet, being a well-insulated damp-proof box suitable for storing meat and dairy products; a miniaturised one appeared in Queen Mary's Dolls' House.[23]
Industrial instrumentation
[edit]Early Kent industrial products include water flow meters.[24] The company motto was "From drops to rivers".[25]
Power cylinders were first manufactured in the 1950s in Luton.[26] These are a type of linear actuator featuring a control loop where the position of the actuator is governed by some input pressure signal. Power cylinders continue to be manufactured, alongside similar linear actuators featuring digital control technology.[27]
Other items
[edit]Kent's produced the clear view screen, a spinning transparent panel that provided visibility in wet weather. Kent also produced avionic equipment, including aircraft fuel gauges and fuel flow meters.[28]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "George Kent - Graces Guide". www.gracesguide.co.uk.
- ^ a b "Kent – Heritage brand". ABB Group.
- ^ a b "George Kent's factory | Great War Stories". www.worldwar1luton.com.
- ^ https://www.diversefm.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Booklet-Proof-7_Final.pdf [dead link]
- ^ "Corporate Profile – George Kent".
- ^ a b "George Kent".
- ^ "Fielden (Electronics) Limited | Science Museum Group Collection". collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk.
- ^ Cattermole, M.J.G. (1987). "The Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company from 1881 to 1968". IEE Proceedings A. 134 (4): 351. doi:10.1049/ip-a-1.1987.0054.[dead link]
- ^ "Cambridge Instruments History". www.richardsradios.co.uk.
- ^ "The early history of the Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company: 1878-1968". July 1988. pp. 1–8.
- ^ "George Kent and Cambridge Instruments (Takeover) - Monday 22 July 1968 - Hansard - UK Parliament".
- ^ "Industrial and Technological Information". Journal of the Textile Institute Proceedings. 47 (2): P158. 1956. doi:10.1080/19447015608665213.
- ^ "Fielden "Servograph" in timber case, English early 20th Century. 36cm. - Price Estimate: $80 - $120". www.leski.com.au.
- ^ "Fielden (Electronics) - Graces Guide". www.gracesguide.co.uk.
- ^ "Fielden Electronics Ltd | Science Museum Group Collection".
- ^ "Bikini type 6003 temperature l | Science Museum Group Collection". collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
- ^ "New Ferranti C-band Microwave Components". Journal of Electronics and Control. 12 (5): 395. 1962-05-01. doi:10.1080/00207216208937397. ISSN 0368-1947.
- ^ "Fielden Level controller | Science Museum Group Collection". collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
- ^ "Search our collection | Science Museum Group Collection". collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
- ^ "Cambridge Instrument Co - Graces Guide". www.gracesguide.co.uk.
- ^ "Kent's knife sharpening and cleaning-machine, c. 1905. | Science Museum Group Collection". collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk.
- ^ "Image of kent's knife sharpening and cleaning machine, c 1905. by Science & Society Picture Library". www.scienceandsociety.co.uk.
- ^ "George Kent, Ltd - Ice safe". www.rct.uk.
- ^ "Flow Meter - George Kent LTD, Type A 'Orivent' Water Meter Recorder, No.1 Well, MMBW Spotswood Sewerage Pumping Station, 1923".
- ^ Catalogue description George Kent's catalogue of apparatus for the measurement of water... 1908.
- ^ "Power Cylinder Products • the history of the Kent Power Cylinder".
- ^ "KENT Power Cylinder Product Catalogue" (PDF). Retrieved 2022-02-26.
- ^ "Classic British Aviation Industry Advertisements 1909 - 1990". www.aviationancestry.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-08-04.