A. Reyrolle & Company was a British engineering firm based in Hebburn, Tyne and Wear in the North East of England. For many years the company was one of the largest employers on Tyneside.
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.jpg) Aerial view of Reyrolle factory, Hebburn, 1962 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Engineering |
| Founded | 1886 |
| Defunct | 1998 |
| Fate | Acquired |
| Successor | Siemens |
| Headquarters | Hebburn, UK |
| Products | Switchgear |
History
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The company was founded by Alphonse Constant Reyrolle, a French electrical engineer and entrepreneur,[1] 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 manufactured switchgear for power stations worldwide and employed 12,000 people.[3]
The company had its own football team, which evolved into Hebburn Town F.C.[4]
The company merged with C. A. Parsons and Company to form Reyrolle Parsons in 1968.[5] In 1977 Reyrolle Parsons merged with Clarke Chapman to form Northern Engineering Industries plc,[5] which was acquired by Rolls-Royce plc in 1989.[5]
The business was acquired in 1998 by VA Technologie AG,[6] which was acquired by the industrial conglomerate Siemens in 2005, reuniting the company with Parsons under the new owners.[7] Siemens supported the Reyrolle installed base on a global basis, with Operations and Protection based at the remaining section of the original Reyrolle Works in Hebburn, although this constitutes only around 10 percent of the original site.[8] The Major Projects division is based at a modern office building on the nearby Monkton Business Park.[9]
The New Zealand division, Reyrolle Pacific, was sold by Siemens AG/VA Tech to a private individual in New Zealand.[10] This included the switchgear factory in Petone, with a staff of about 100.[11] Reyrolle Pacific Switchgear became RPS Switchgear and manufactures retrofit breakers for the original LMT switchgear, and vacuum breakers and panels for 11 kV substations.[11]
References
edit- ^ Son of Martial Reyrolle and Marie Faye
- ^ Jones, W.S (1996). "A lesson in industrial survival". IEE Review. 42 (2). IEEE Xplore: 75–78. doi:10.1049/ir:19960214.
- ^ a b "Open Writing: 50 - The Office Messenger". Openwriting.com. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
- ^ Reyrolles at the Football Club History Database
- ^ a b c "Cranes in NZR Service". Nzrcranes.org. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
- ^ "Reyrolle switchgear and Peebles Transformers sold by Rolls-Royce to VA Tech". International Power Generation. October 1998. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- ^ "Siemens". Siemens.com. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
- ^ Welcome to Siemens Reyrolle Archived April 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ 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
- ^ a b "RPS Switchgear Home". Rpsswitchgear.com. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
Further reading
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- 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