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Our
Company History
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1917 - Hammond Manufacturing
traces it's roots back to a small basement shop set-up during the years of the
First World War by Oliver S. Hammond - tool & die maker by day and amateur
inventor by night. (Yep...Fred's dad!!! For those who knew Fred - famous radio
amateur VE3HC) The company became O.S. Hammond & Son and soon included
sons Len, Roy, Ken and Fred. Later Oliver's first "shop" was a 20 by
30 foot facility behind the family home. The shop was powered by a boiler that
burned just about anything. The steam from the boiler powered a small steam engine,
which turned the main shaft and pulleys. Remember, there was no electricity service
yet! Steam power, human power, light of day or lantern was a fact of life!
1920
- The company began to build early radio sets, just as the first radio stations
began to spring to life one by one around the United States. Starting out with
a single tube radio (link here to a local 1923 Guelph,
Ontario newspaper article) and progressing to 5 and finally 6 tube models
in 1926.
Below, one of only three known
remaining Hammond "Model 12" 5 tube receivers (built between 1923-1924).
On display at the HAMMOND
MUSEUM OF RADIO.
1926 - The company
was forced to stop production of radio's due to the famous patent/royalty "radio
wars" of the 20's.
1927 -
The company was incorporated as Hammond Manufacturing. During this time, the Hammond’s
started to manufacture audio power amplifiers, radio battery chargers and battery
eliminators which resulted in the production of transformers and metal cases for
the first time. Link to pages covering these products from one of our early distributors,
Aikenheads Radio Catalog
(1929-1930) (PDF file - 934K).
These products, more than 75 years later, represent the core of our business.
Check out the "Classic" section of our
site for more history on our audio, R.F. & current day products dating back
to these roots.
| 1930's -
The Company continued to grow in spite of the turbulent economic times,
building a variety of transformers for electric radio transmitters and audio
amplifiers. |
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Our
oldest surviving catalogue from 1939, 19 Pages
- 2 pages of 19" racks & panels
- 14 pages of transformers
- 2 pages of variable caps
- 1 page of RF chokes
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1940's -
Our previous years experience put Hammond in the forefront of the manufacture
of magnetic components during World War II for communication transmitters and
very specialized transformers for radar.
1950's -
a time of expansion into even more specialized transformers & enclosures for
defense, communication, industrial, TV/Radio and amateur applications. Interested
in a travel back in time, probably at the peak of the radio era? Download our
1950's Catalog #65, we even gave transformers their own names!!! Transformer
Section (25 pages) of Catalog65.pdf
(6.2 MB)
Events in Korea and the beginning
of the Cold War once again thrust upon the Company significant volumes of military
transformers, especially as a result of the construction of extensive early
warning radar systems across Alaska, Canada and Greenland.
1960's - 1970's -
The prosperous decades of the 60's and 70's saw the Company expand into an even
broader range of specialized and catalog transformers and cabinetry for the electrical
and electronic industries. It is during this time that the company expands into
the U.S. and World markets.
In 1978, Rob and Bill Hammond acquired
control of the company and thereby ensured passage of the business into the
third generation of the Hammond family. The Company was then re-organized into
three separate profit centers for transformers, cabinetry and power supplies.
A Corporate service group was also established for the sales, marketing and
distribution of catalog products.
1986
- Hammond took another step in Corporate evolution by trading its shares on the
Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX)
- (Traded under the symbol HMM.A).
1996 -
Hammond Manufacturing joins the World Wide Web! A user friendly, low bandwidth,
specifier site is created. Our design theme continues to this day.
1999 -
Sadly, both Fred Hammond (VE3HC)
and his brother Roy Hammond passed away
this year. In September the Hammond
Museum of Radio was relocated to its new home in the expanded facility
on Southgate Dr. in Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
2001 -
On January 1, the Hammond Transformer Group was spun off to form a new independent
public company, Hammond Power Solutions Inc. (Bill Hammond as Chairman and CEO,
www.hammondpowersolutions.com)
Manufacturing a broad range of Dry-Type Electrical Transformers. Traded on the
Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX)
under the symbol HPS.A
Hammond Manufacturing Co. (Rob Hammond
as Chairman and CEO) www.hammondmfg.com
continues to produce the companies other products - Electrical Enclosures, Racks
& Rack Cabinets, Small Enclosures, Electronic Transformers & Outlet
Strips. Trading continues on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX)
under the symbol HMM.A
2007 -
Ken
Hammond passed away this year. The last of the four sons from the the original
O.S.
Hammond & Son company (see 1917 notes - above).
Since
its modest beginnings in the basement of the family homestead 91 years ago,
Hammond has grown into two separate, medium-sized companies with combined annual
sales of over $200 Million & over 1,200 employees located in 12 facilities
around North America, the UK and Australia.
We
see a future bright with promise and opportunity for both companies!
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Compliments of The
Kitchner-Waterloo Amateur Radio Club Inc. (KWARC)
& Paul Cassel (VE3SY)
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Copyright; © 1996-2008 Hammond Mfg Co Inc
URL: http://www.hammondmfg.com
