Telegraph Condenser Company – TCC – (started by S G Brown and later controlled by BICC) – taken over by Plessey (who already made capacitors) in the early 1960s. They were still making the successor to “Duomolds” in the mid-1970s but after that, Plessey sold its capacitor division to Arcotronics of Italy (which it had previously taken over!). Arcotronics was then taken over by Nissei of Japan and are still going (Nissei Arcotronics). The UK Arcotronic site is at Towcester, Northants (a former Plessey stronghold).
Dubilier – started in the UK in co-operation with a Mr Dubilier (of the USA – the US company is called Cornell-Dubilier – still going, I believe). They seem to have ceased making capacitors themselves in the 1970s – then became simply a distributor of “badged” products made by others. In the 1980s, they were Wimpey-Dubilier at Bicester, Oxon (yes, Wimpey the builders!). Later, as Dubilier, they still had a website a couple of years ago. Dubilier did, at one time, also own Beswicks of Frome (fuses) and Greenpar of Harlow (coaxial connectors).
Hunts – taken over by Erie (UK), who were then bought by ITT. ITT then turned STC (which it had owned for yonks) into a plc and lost control. STC took over the former “ITT Components Group Europe” UK capacitor operations. They soon sold off these capacitor divisions to various buyouts, as listed previously in this thread. STC were then swallowed up by Northern Telecom (Canada) – now called Nortel. I suspect that the old Hunts site in Wandsworth may have been acquired by Keyswitch-Varley (relays).
Daly – maker of electrolytics and based in Weymouth for many years. Bought by ITT/STC and then, when STC divested, became BHC Capacitors, who were taken over by Aerovox (USA) – who went bust – and BHC is now owned by Evox Rifa of Sweden.
SRC – stability Radio Components – taken over in the late 60s/early 70s and basically closed down (by Transitron of the US).
Suflex – of polystyrene capacitors and sleeving fame. Last heard of in South Wales but now seem to be defunct.
LCR, also in South Wales. Not a lot known about them. In the early 1980s they made multi-section HT blocks for colour TV sets and later for valve amplifier enthusiasts in the 1990s but not much happening since then (that I know of).
CCL – appeared in the 1950s and later taken over by Pye (circa 1970, when the CCL logo was replaced by the Pye roundel. They seemed to dry up (parden the pun!) in the late 1970s – possibly when Philips took over complete control of the Pye of Cambridge Group. I have never been able to establish what the initials “CCL” stand for – anyone know? My guess is Cambridge Capacitors Ltd.
British Celanese no longer exists – they had a factory in Bridgwater (Somerset) – near the M5 – it produces that awful stink when you drive near it on the M5 (or go past on the train, as I prefer!). The factory is still there (and profitable), but is US owned and was on the BBC/HTV local news a few weeks ago, as its US parent was thinking of closing it, in order to get some US financial aid for one of its ailing US factories (so much for free trade!). I think British Celanese may have originally made “Cellophane” – a film based on plant material and not plastics (which are made from crude oil). Cellophane is bio-degradable, unlike virtually all plastics.
Leave a Reply