Linotype and Machinery
of Broadheath, Altrincham, Cheshire.
of 188-9 Fleet Street, London. (1908)
of John Street, London, WC1. - Head Office. (1947)
See Linotype Co for early history.
1903 Public company. The company was registered on 11 August, to amalgamate the Linotype Co and the Machinery Trust. [1]
1914 Listed as printing machinery manufacturers. Specialities: linotype composing machines, Miehle and Centurette two-revolution presses, L and M offset litho rotary, L and M litho rotary, Renaissance press, autoplate, Metropolitan rotary press, Duplex tubular plate press, Duplex press (flatbed web), L and M die press, L and M automatic metal furnace, Rowe roller making machinery, L and M electric motors. Employees 1,550. [2]
WWI. At the outbreak of the First World War, it was estimated that there were 30,000 linotype machines in operation across the world.
Linotype machines were exported early in their history. L and M had branches in Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt and Borneo. The linotype machine was adapted for printing in many scripts, including Devanagari, Gujarati, Tamil, Telegu, Kanarese, Malay, Hindustani, Uriya, Persian, Sanskrit and Arabic.
1914 L and M were particularly proud of the fact that the Vatican installed four linotype typesetting machines.
During both world wars, L and M made munitions, gun parts, aeroplane engines, and tank parts.
1947 British Industries Fair Advert as Makers of Precision Machinery for Printers. Machinery includes: Linotype, Miehle, Two-Revolution Press, Perfector, Two-Colour, Centurion, Centurette, Intaglio, Autoplate Machinery, L and M, etc. (Printing Machinery Section - Olympia, Ground Floor, Stands No. B.1467 and B.1471) [3]
1961 Manufacturers of Linotype composing machines, the Miehle and Two-Revolution printing machines, Stereo machinery, etc for printing trade. [4]
During the 1960s, the company started to investigate the use of computers.
1970s/80s L and M suffered from increased competition.
1983 The American company retained the name 'Linotype', while the British company adopted L and M' as its official name in 1983.
2001 The company still existed, manufacturing machinery such as printing presses and stitching machines. As sales fell, the company structure was altered. The company at Broadheath was divided into separate groups, each responsible for different products, entirely based in Manchester.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ The Stock Exchange Year Book 1908
- ↑ 1914 Whitakers Red Book
- ↑ 1947 British Industries Fair Advert 401; and p169
- ↑ 1961 Dun and Bradstreet KBE
- [1] Museum of Science and Industry