Misplaced Pages

Founded in 1838, 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, prior to its acquisition by Brown Boveri in 1974.

Corporate history

The company was founded in 1838.

The company was incorporated as a limited company in 1907, and was managed by the founder's son Walter George Kent.

World War One

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. They were producing 140,000 shell fuses a week. After the war, this grew to 5,000 workers.

International growth

George Kent grew to have significant reach worldwide, including establishing a subsidiary in Malaysia in 1936. Currently, as an independent organisation, the Malaysian company George Kent provide engineering and metering solutions in South-East Asia, with a diverse set of activities including the integration of railways and the manufacture of water meters.

Acquisitions and George Kent Group

In 1968, George Kent Ltd acquired Fielden Electronics and Cambridge Instrument Company 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.

Fielden Electronics

Fielden Electronics of Wythenshawe, Manchester produced a data recorder known as the Servograph and a capacitance-sensing proximity meter alongside a variety of scientific instruments and process control devices. These included the bikini temperature controller, a temperature recorder, and the E296 level controller.

Acquisition by Brown Boveri

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, resurrecting that brand. Brown Boveri eventually merged with ASEA and is today the industrial giant ABB. Kent is maintained as a brand within ABB.

Notable products

Domestic equipment

Kent's breakthrough product was a knife sharpener, first available around 1850. 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.

Industrial instrumentation

Early Kent industrial products include water flow meters. The company motto was "From drops to rivers".

Power cylinders were first manufactured in the 1950s in Luton. 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.

Other items

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.

References

1. ^ "George Kent - Graces Guide". www.gracesguide.co.uk.
2. ^ "Kent – Heritage brand". ABB Group.
3. ^ "George Kent's factory | Great War Stories". www.worldwar1luton.com.
4. https://www.diversefm.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Booklet-Proof-7_Final.pdf
5. "Corporate Profile – George Kent".
6. ^ "George Kent".
7. "Fielden (Electronics) Limited | Science Museum Group Collection". collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk.
8. 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.
9. "Cambridge Instruments History". www.richardsradios.co.uk.
10. "The early history of the Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company: 1878-1968". July 1988. pp. 1–8.
11. "George Kent and Cambridge Instruments (Takeover) - Monday 22 July 1968 - Hansard - UK Parliament".
12. "Industrial and Technological Information". Journal of the Textile Institute Proceedings. 47 (2): P158. 1956. doi:10.1080/19447015608665213.
13. "Fielden "Servograph" in timber case, English early 20th Century. 36cm. - Price Estimate: $80 - $120". www.leski.com.au.
14. "Fielden (Electronics) - Graces Guide". www.gracesguide.co.uk.
15. "Fielden Electronics Ltd | Science Museum Group Collection".
16. "Bikini type 6003 temperature l | Science Museum Group Collection". collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
17. "New Ferranti C-band Microwave Components". Journal of Electronics and Control. 12 (5): 395. 1962-05-01. doi:10.1080/00207216208937397. ISSN 0368-1947.
18. "Fielden Level controller | Science Museum Group Collection". collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
19. "Search our collection | Science Museum Group Collection". collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
20. "Cambridge Instrument Co - Graces Guide". www.gracesguide.co.uk.
21. "Kent's knife sharpening and cleaning-machine, c. 1905. | Science Museum Group Collection". collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk.
22. "Image of kent's knife sharpening and cleaning machine, c 1905. by Science & Society Picture Library". www.scienceandsociety.co.uk.
23. "George Kent, Ltd - Ice safe". www.rct.uk.
24. "Flow Meter - George Kent LTD, Type A 'Orivent' Water Meter Recorder, No.1 Well, MMBW Spotswood Sewerage Pumping Station, 1923".
25. Catalogue description George Kent's catalogue of apparatus for the measurement of water... 1908.
26. "Power Cylinder Products • the history of the Kent Power Cylinder".
27. "KENT Power Cylinder Product Catalogue" (PDF). Retrieved 2022-02-26.
28. "Classic British Aviation Industry Advertisements 1909 - 1990". www.aviationancestry.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-08-04.

• ABB
• British companies established in 1838
• Companies based in London