EKCO

EKCO (abbreviated from Eric Kirkham Cole Limited) was a British electronics company founded by Eric Kirkham Cole CBE[1] in Southend-on-Sea during 1924. The company started out by making radio sets, before progressing onto television sets and lighting. The company's knowledge of radio saw it expand into developing radar before and during World War II. The company expanded into making its own plastic bodies for radio sets, with EKCO Plastics later becoming a manufacturer of domestic wares. The company merged in 1960 with Pye to become British Electronic Industries Ltd, which was purchased by Dutch firm Philips in 1967, with the EKCO brand disappearing from brown goods during the 1970s.

Early history

The company's founder Eric Kirkham Cole was born in July 1901 at Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, and was educated at Southend Day Technical School, followed by a three-year apprenticeship. He joined his father's business in fitting electrics to houses.[2] Cole and his future wife Muriel Bradshaw started out making radio sets in 1922 in a rented room in Westcliff-on-Sea, at a rate of about six a week, which were all battery powered as per the norm at the time.

Post-war

It is estimated that by 1945 EKCO had over 8,000 people working for it across various sites making mains and portable TVs, mains and portable radios, radiograms, tape recorders, car radios, electric heaters, and electric blankets.[15] In 1947, the company introduced the Wireless Set No. 88 VHF man-pack transceiver for use by the British Army.[16]

Ekco bought the Dynatron business in 1954[17] and the Ferranti brown goods brand in 1957 (though not Ferranti's heavy industries, defence electronics or meter businesses). The company also had a component subsidiary, Egen Electrics, on Canvey Island.[18]

Radar & Instrumentation

In the early 1950s, a new subsidiary Ekco Electronics Ltd, was created to manage the development of radar and instrumentation manufactured at both Malmesbury (radar) and Southend (instrumentation).[19] During the 1950s, the company produced a number of military radar systems including the ARI 5820 ranging radar for the Hawker Hunter;[20] the ASV Mk. 19 air to surface vessel radar for the Fairey Gannet,[21] and the Red Steer tail warning radar for the Avro Vulcan.[22] EKCO also supplied weather radars for a variety of civil aircraft such as the Bristol Britannia,[23] De Havilland Comet,[24] Vickers Vanguard, Vickers VC10 and BAC 111

Westland Sea King helicopters used the Ekco AW391 search radar,[27] while the company also made the E390/564 weather radar for the Concorde and BOAC Boeing 747 fleet.[28][29] The Rochford factory was sold to Lesney Products in 1968, with a works being transferred back to the Ekco Works at Southend.[30][31] In 1970, EKCO's radar activities were subsumed into MEL, the military electronics subsidiary of Philips.[32][33]

Plastic moulding

The company began to use injection moulding to make plastic radio cases in 1947, and expanded into making plastic parts for other manufacturers. By the mid to late 1950s, E. K. Cole had grown to be one of the largest producers of industrial plastics in Europe, purchasing companies such as Kilgore in 1955.[34] Ekco Plastics Limited was formed in 1956 as a wholly owned subsidiary.[35] In 1959, the largest plastic injection moulding machine in Great Britain was installed in the factory.[36] The new moulding machine allowed Ekco to produce single mouldings for Frigidaire for the first time.[2]

Ekco Plastics was based at Priory Crescent, Southend.[37] They developed a range of plastic consumer products, beginning with the 'Superbath' baby bath, designed by Martyn Rowland who would later design the

Heating and Appliances

Ekco started making Thermotube tubular heaters at Malmesbury in 1940.[51] The company would develop further products including electric blankets,[52] Panelec solid embedded floor warming system,[53] Greenhouse heating,[54] Teamakers and Hostess trolleys.[55] In 1962, Ekco merged with Pye subsidiary L G Hawkins & Co Ltd to form Ekco Hawkins. The production was moved to Hawkins factory in Hastings, with the company later being renamed Ekco Hastings.[56] The company later became part of Philips small electrical appliance department.[57]

Ekco-Ensign

In the late 1930s, Ekco began producing its own radio valves at its Southend-on-Sea works. Following the company's decision to abandon the venture, the plant was converted to a lamp factory. In 1943, Ekco acquired Ensign Lamps based in Preston. In 1950, Ekco sold 51% of its lighting subsidiary, Ekco-Ensign Electric Ltd, to Thorn Electrical Industries.[58]

traded as	EKCO
industry	Electronics and Plastics
founded	1924 in Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom
founder	Eric Kirkham Cole
defunct	Electronics early 1970s. Plastics in 1986.
fate	Merger with Pye
successor	Philips
hq location	Priory Crescent
hq location city	Southend-on-Sea
hq location country	United Kingdom
num locations	9
key people	David Harman Powell Martyn Rowland
products	Radio Television Plastics Radar Heating Lighting
brands	Ferranti Dynatron
num employees	8,000
parent	1960-1963 British Electronic Industries 1963-1967 Pye of Cambridge 1967-1978 Philips (via Pye Holdings) 1978-1986 Courtaulds
subsid	EKCO Electronics Ecko-Ensign Ecko Plastics Egen Electrical Ekco Instrumentation

Early history

World War II

Post-war

Radar & Instrumentation

Plastic moulding

Heating and Appliances

Ekco-Ensign

Merger and restructuring

Legacy

External links

References