Founded in 1838,[1]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,[2] prior to its acquisition by Brown Boveri in 1974.
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.[3] They were producing 140,000 shell fuses a week.[4] 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.[5] Currently, as an independent organisation, the Malaysian company George Kent provide engineering and metering solutions in South-East Asia,[6] with a diverse set of activities including the integration of railways and the manufacture of water meters.[6]
Fielden logo following acquisition by George Kent group
Fielden Electronics of Wythenshawe, Manchester produced a data recorder known as the Servograph[12][13] and a capacitance-sensing proximity meter[14] alongside a variety of scientific instruments and process control devices.[15] These included the bikini[16] temperature controller, a temperature recorder,[17] and the E296[18] level controller.[19]
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,[20] resurrecting that brand. Brown Boveri eventually merged with ASEA and is today the industrial giant ABB. Kent is maintained as a brand within ABB.[2]
Notable products
Domestic equipment
Kent's breakthrough product was a knife sharpener, first available around 1850.[21][22] 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.[23]
Industrial instrumentation
Early Kent industrial products include water flow meters.[24] The company motto was "From drops to rivers".[25]
Power cylinders were first manufactured in the 1950s in Luton.[26] 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.[27]
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.[28]
