Science Museum Group | Details | Collection of trade literature from Ferguson Pailin Ltd and successor companies

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Actions	Collection of trade literature from Ferguson Pailin Ltd and successor companies Remove from selection Add to selection TitleCollection of trade literature from Ferguson Pailin Ltd and successor companies ReferenceYA2010.38 CreatorFerguson, Pailin Limited Makers of heavy duty electrical switchgear and general electrical engineers, based in Higher Openshaw, Manchester. The company was formed in 1913 by Samuel Ferguson and George Pailin, who had worked for Ferranti as switchgear engineers. Ferranti Ltd sold its switchgear patents and stock to Ferguson, Pailin Ltd. in 1913. The company was acquired by Associated Electrical Industries in 1928, but continued to operate as a separated entity until 1960, when it was merged into AEI Switchgear. The Openshaw factory was eventually closed in 2003, having operated as part of GEC (the General Electric Company), and later GEC Alsthom. GEC Alsthom Limited In 1988 a joint-venture was formed between the General Electric Company (GEC) with Compagnie Générale d’Electricité (CGE) that led to the establishment of an Anglo-French company, GEC Alsthom in 1989. This company encompassed the Power Generation and Transmission, Rail Transport (25%) businesses from the constituent companies of GEC and CGE. The GEC Alsthom company headquarters were based at Rugby, Warwickshire and the headquarters for Transport were based at Trafford Park in Manchester. GEC Alsthom purchased train builder Metro-Cammell based at Washwood Heath, Birmingham from the Laird Group in 1989, bringing into the group a company which had a long association with GEC Traction and its predecessors as a vehicle builder. In 1998 GEC Alsthom was re-formed and became Alstom with Transport / Alstom Transport one of its major divisions. The Record Electrical Company Ltd The Record Electrical Company Ltd was formed in 1911 by John Westmoreland Record. They are a manufacturer of moving coil and moving iron indicators. These are then used in electric engine speed indicators and other electrical instruments. Formed in 1911, Record Electrical has become a specialist supplier of Analogue Moving Coil and Moving Iron indicators with the "RECORD" and "CIRSCALE" trademark's known worldwide as a symbol of quality and accuracy. The indicators are manufactured and calibrated in Altrincham. In 1971 Thorn Electrical Industries took ownership of the company. Date 1925 - 2000 Scope and ContentBrochures, reports, invitations, instruction manuals and other trade literature relating to Ferguson Pailin Ltd, AEI (Higher Openshaw), GEC (Higher Openshaw), GEC Alsthom (Higher Openshaw & Kidsgrove), ALSTOM (Higher Openshaw, Paris & Stafford) and Medelec Switchgear Ltd of Malta (licensee). The collection also includes brochures from The Record Electrical Company Ltd, an unrelated business. Extent2 boxes Archival historyThe donor worked at Higher Openshaw from 1988 until it closed in 2002, initially as a Production Engineer and then in a number of manufacturing and quality management roles. He was involved in a number of reorganisations, site amalgamations and finally in the transfer of the remaining business to Stafford. During this time, he acted to prevent the material in this collection from going to landfill as buildings were cleared. The nameplate he donated alongside this archive came from switchgear which was installed in St Helens and was being decommissioned. The donor's wife was working as the site engineer at the time and knew of the donor's interest in the history of the Higher Openshaw site and of Ferguson Pailin, so preserved the nameplate on his behalf. Levelfonds Repository nameScience and Industry Museum SubjectElectrical engineering, Engineering Conditions governing accessOpen Access Conditions governing ReproductionCopies may be supplied in accordance with current copyright legislation and Science Museum Group terms and conditions. Related object Collection of Booklets relating to Power Stations Collection of Booklets relating to Power Stations Related ArchivesFerguson-Pailin nameplate from an electrical switchgear panel donated to the Science and Industry Museum alongside this collection.Y2010.382Object

TitleCollection of trade literature from Ferguson Pailin Ltd and successor companies

ReferenceYA2010.38

CreatorFerguson, Pailin Limited
GEC Alsthom Limited
The Record Electrical Company Ltd

Date

1925 - 2000

Scope and ContentBrochures, reports, invitations, instruction manuals and other trade literature relating to Ferguson Pailin Ltd, AEI (Higher Openshaw), GEC (Higher Openshaw), GEC Alsthom (Higher Openshaw & Kidsgrove), ALSTOM (Higher Openshaw, Paris & Stafford) and Medelec Switchgear Ltd of Malta (licensee).
The collection also includes brochures from The Record Electrical Company Ltd, an unrelated business.

Extent2 boxes

Archival historyThe donor worked at Higher Openshaw from 1988 until it closed in 2002, initially as a Production Engineer and then in a number of manufacturing and quality management roles. He was involved in a number of reorganisations, site amalgamations and finally in the transfer of the remaining business to Stafford. During this time, he acted to prevent the material in this collection from going to landfill as buildings were cleared. The nameplate he donated alongside this archive came from switchgear which was installed in St Helens and was being decommissioned. The donor's wife was working as the site engineer at the time and knew of the donor's interest in the history of the Higher Openshaw site and of Ferguson Pailin, so preserved the nameplate on his behalf.

Levelfonds

Repository nameScience and Industry Museum

SubjectElectrical engineering, Engineering

Conditions governing accessOpen Access

Conditions governing ReproductionCopies may be supplied in accordance with current copyright legislation and Science Museum Group terms and conditions.

Related object

Collection of Booklets relating to Power Stations
Collection of Booklets relating to Power Stations

Related ArchivesFerguson-Pailin nameplate from an electrical switchgear panel donated to the Science and Industry Museum alongside this collection.Y2010.382Object