A. Reyrolle & Company
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A. Reyrolle & Company
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Engineering |
| Fate | Acquired |
| Successor(s) | Siemens |
| Founded | 1886 |
| Headquarters | Hebburn, UK |
A. Reyrolle & Company was a British engineering firm, which for many years was one of the largest employers on Tyneside.
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Contents
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History
The company was founded by Alphonse Constant Reyrolle,[1] a Frenchman, in 1886 at Fitzroy Square in London to produce scientific instruments.[2] He moved the business to Hebburn on Tyneside in 1901.[3] At its peak it employed 12,000 people[3] and manufacturered switchgear for power stations worldwide including Drax Power Station in North Yorkshire.
The company even had its own football team which evolved into Hebburn Town F.C.
The company merged with C.A. Parsons and Company to form Reyrolle Parsons in 1968.[4] In 1977 Reyrolle Parsons merged with Clarke Chapman to form Northern Engineering Industries plc,[4] which itself was acquired by Rolls Royce plc in 1989.[4]
The business was acquired in 1998 by VA Technologie AG[5] which itself was acquired by the industrial conglomerate, Siemens in 2005, reuniting the company with Parsons under the new owners.[6] Siemens continue to support the Reyrolle installed base on a global basis, with Operations and Protection still based at the original Reyrolle Works in Hebburn, Tyne & Wear, and still providing the most comprehensive support of the entire Reyrolle installed base.[7] The Major Projects division of the company is now based at a modern office building on the nearby Monkton Business Park.[8]
The New Zealand based division of Reyrolle, called Reyrolle Pacific was sold by Siemens AG/VA Tech to a private individual in New Zealand.[9] This included the operating switchgear factory from which it still operates today in Petone with a staff of about 100.[10]
Reyrolle Pacific Switchgear later became RPS Switchgear and still manufactures retrofit breakers for the original LMT switchgear as well as modern vacuum breakers and panels for 11 kV sub stations.[11]
See also
References
- ^ Institution of Engineering & Technology
- ^ IEEE Xplore
- ^ a b The Office Messenger
- ^ a b c NZR Cranes
- ^ Anti-trust case decisions
- ^ Ruling by European Union Anti-trust Authorities
- ^ Welcome to Siemens Reyrolle
- ^ Staff devastated by redundancy news Shields Gazette, 21 May 2010
- ^ Reyrolle PAcific Board records - History of Reyrolle Pacific Swicthgear, 7 - 17 Bouverie Street, Petone, Lower Hutt
- ^ Verified by Wellington Hutt Chamber of Commerce, NZ Trade & Export
- ^ RPS Switchgear (Formerly Reyrolle Pacific Switchgear)
Further reading
- Arcs, Sparks & Engineers: A Centenary History of A. Reyrolle & Co. Ltd. (1901–2001), Alan Wright (Ed.), Reyrolle Heritage Trust Press, 2001, ISBN 978-0-9538972-0-9
- The Reyrolle Story, Robert Owen, Write Good Books, 2007, ISBN 978-1-905295-07-4
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