Crystalate Manufacturing Company
Encyclopedia
Crystalate Manufacturing Company Ltd. was a British plastics and later electronic components
manufacturing company that operated in one form or another from August 1901 through August 1990. It is best known for its gramophone record
s (under many record labels) made of moulded Crystalate
plastic.
The company was founded 2 August 1901, to make billiard balls and other items as well as gramophone records, using a plastic formulation branded Crystalate
, licensed from its American patent holder. The company claimed in advertisements to be the first to press disk records in the UK, a claim neither proven nor disproven, and over time focused more on the music market, producing gramophone record production
matrices for more than 20 other companies by 1906, though not operating a record label itself until the 1920s.
After merging with Sound Recording Co. Ltd. (exactly how and when remain unclear), Crystalate Manufacturing became, in 1920, the third company (and the second British one) to operate the Imperial label
, and by the mid-1920s had four distribution depots in England and one each in Scotland and Ireland. On 30 January 1928, the company re-incorporated in Golden Green, Kent
, as Crystalate Gramophone Record Manufacturing Co. Ltd.. It subsequently established affiliates in France and Germany, set up a new headquarters and studio, Crystalate House, in London, and bought a one-third interest in the American Record Corporation
conglomerate in 1929. Brands pressed by Crystalate included Crown and Rex Records
.
The company saw financial difficulties, like so many others, throughout the Great Depression
. After years of stiff competition from EMI
(later the fourth Imperial Records
producer) and British Homophone, among a total of 22 British record labels in the mid-1930s, Crystalate Manufacturing's troubled record section was bought out by Decca Records
for US$
200,000. but it continued making non-recording products as Crystalate Ltd.
The company continued on in the electronic components industry at least into the early 1990s as Crystalate Holdings, which manufactured resistors in the UK, with annual sales of $180 million as of 1990. In November 1983 Crystalate bought Royal Worcester
for £23 million in a hostile takeover in order to acquire Welwyn Electronics, selling the china and ceramics divisions to the London Rubber Company and Coors
the next year. Crystalate was chaired in the late 1980s by Lord Jenkin of Roding. In 1989 the company issued a profit warning — net profits had plateaued since 1984 — and in 1990 Vishay Intertechnology
bid to buy Crystalate Holdings, but was turned down in favour of a British company, TT Group, in August 1990. TT Group became TT Electronics in 2000.
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
manufacturing company that operated in one form or another from August 1901 through August 1990. It is best known for its gramophone record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
s (under many record labels) made of moulded Crystalate
Crystalate
Crystalate is an early plastic, a formulation of nitrocellulose, camphor, and alcohol invented in the late 19th century and patented by American inventor George Henry Burt...
plastic.
The company was founded 2 August 1901, to make billiard balls and other items as well as gramophone records, using a plastic formulation branded Crystalate
Crystalate
Crystalate is an early plastic, a formulation of nitrocellulose, camphor, and alcohol invented in the late 19th century and patented by American inventor George Henry Burt...
, licensed from its American patent holder. The company claimed in advertisements to be the first to press disk records in the UK, a claim neither proven nor disproven, and over time focused more on the music market, producing gramophone record production
Production of gramophone records
For the first several decades of disc record manufacturing, sound was recorded directly on to the master disc at the recording studio...
matrices for more than 20 other companies by 1906, though not operating a record label itself until the 1920s.
After merging with Sound Recording Co. Ltd. (exactly how and when remain unclear), Crystalate Manufacturing became, in 1920, the third company (and the second British one) to operate the Imperial label
Imperial Records (1920)
Imperial Records was the second United Kingdom-based label of that name, which went into business in 1920. Imperial was owned by the Crystalate Gramophone Record Manufacturing Company Ltd. of Tonbridge, Kent, England. The company's main recording studio was in London...
, and by the mid-1920s had four distribution depots in England and one each in Scotland and Ireland. On 30 January 1928, the company re-incorporated in Golden Green, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, as Crystalate Gramophone Record Manufacturing Co. Ltd.. It subsequently established affiliates in France and Germany, set up a new headquarters and studio, Crystalate House, in London, and bought a one-third interest in the American Record Corporation
American Record Corporation
ARC, the American Record Company, also referred to as American Record Corporation, or as ARC Records, was a United States based record company...
conglomerate in 1929. Brands pressed by Crystalate included Crown and Rex Records
Rex Records (1933)
Rex Records was a United Kingdom-based record label founded in 1933 by the Crystalate Gramophone Record Manufacturing Company, also the parent of British Imperial Records. Rex Records were sold at the Marks & Spencer chain stores. The label was discontinued in February 1948...
.
The company saw financial difficulties, like so many others, throughout the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. After years of stiff competition from EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
(later the fourth Imperial Records
Imperial Records
Imperial Records is a United States based label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd and reactivated in 2006 by label owner EMI.- The independent and Liberty Records years :...
producer) and British Homophone, among a total of 22 British record labels in the mid-1930s, Crystalate Manufacturing's troubled record section was bought out by Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
for US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
200,000. but it continued making non-recording products as Crystalate Ltd.
The company continued on in the electronic components industry at least into the early 1990s as Crystalate Holdings, which manufactured resistors in the UK, with annual sales of $180 million as of 1990. In November 1983 Crystalate bought Royal Worcester
Royal Worcester
Royal Worcester is believed to be the oldest remaining English pottery brand still in existence today.-Overview:Royal Worcester is a British brand known for its history, provenance and classically English collections of porcelain...
for £23 million in a hostile takeover in order to acquire Welwyn Electronics, selling the china and ceramics divisions to the London Rubber Company and Coors
Coors
Coors Brewing Company, or Coors, is a division of the Molson Coors Brewing Company.Coors may also refer to:-Companies:*Adolph Coors Company, a former holding company controlled by the heirs of founder Adolph Coors...
the next year. Crystalate was chaired in the late 1980s by Lord Jenkin of Roding. In 1989 the company issued a profit warning — net profits had plateaued since 1984 — and in 1990 Vishay Intertechnology
Vishay Intertechnology
Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. , is one of the world's largest manufacturers of discrete semiconductors and passive electronic components. Vishay has manufacturing plants in Israel, Asia, Europe, and the Americas where it produces rectifiers, diodes, MOSFETs, optoelectronics, selected integrated...
bid to buy Crystalate Holdings, but was turned down in favour of a British company, TT Group, in August 1990. TT Group became TT Electronics in 2000.