Eaton-Williams celebrates 70 years
Eaton-Williams one of the few remaining British air conditioning manufacturers is celebrating its 70th anniversary. Few companies can boast such a major achievement and fewer still can lay claim to have paid such a major contribution to the development of air conditioning and humidification technology.
The company was first formed in 1936. Under the direction of Ray Eaton-Williams
who took control from his father in 1946 the company quickly benefited from
Ray’s engineering expertise. One of the first changes saw the enhancement
of the production line and the development of a patented washable polythene
air filter. The latter was enthusiastically embraced by the electronics industry
as it filtered cooling air into electronic equipment.
This paved the way for further developments in cooling. Eaton-Williams designed and supplied a complete cooling system for the equipment used at the Long Range Weapons Establishment in Australia. Designing a cooling solution for such a strategic project, which influenced the global arena, was a major breakthrough for the company in 1954 and heralded the start of computer cooling.
Other projects started emerging including an invitation by The Ministry of Works to control humidity in the Tate gallery’s storerooms, home to millions of pounds of art treasures that gave birth to the first electronic controlled humidification system.
In parallel, the computer industry was rapidly emerging as a major industry in its own right and helped steer Eaton-Williams into supplying close control air conditioning for computer rooms. Customers included ICL, WH Smith, Unilever, London Electric and the BBC.
Moreover, with the opening up of overseas markets, Eaton-Williams took on projects in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union with a key project at Moscow’s Institute of High Energy Physics.
One of the major landmarks for the company was the formation in 1976 of Vapac Humidifiers Ltd and the development of the Vapac Electrode Boiler Steam Humidifier. This development shaped the development of humidifiers for years to come with Vapac taking a pioneering lead that resulted in an extensive range of products in addition to its own VOS-6 operating system. In 2002, Vapac’s first gas fired humidifier was unveiled.
On the air conditioning front, Eaton-Williams grew organically which saw the emergence of Edenaire specifically to design and build customised air handling solutions to meet customer’s specific requirements. Notable successes included heat exchangers for MRI body-scanner for Philips and Toshiba. This was pioneering technology, which typically characterised Eaton-Williams own development. As a group of companies.
To quicken the pace of growth the company went on the acquisition trail snapping up the Qualitair brand that enabled it to provide a broader product offering.
In 2000, the company looked for a suitable partner to sustain its growth culminating in its purchase by Rhode Island based Nortek Inc, which overnight, gave Eaton-Williams the resources of a multinational organisation. This enabled the purchase of Colman Moducel in 2001 that provided additional manufacturing facilities and an extensive product range of air handlers and air distribution products. Major projects that have demonstrated the company’s skills have included, The Eden Project, Jaguar Cars, The Jubilee Extension and perhaps the most high profile of all (literally) The London Eye.
With new markets emerging and trade in the Far East growing steadily, Eaton-Williams is still playing an innovative role. In 2004, the company launched its latest enterprise, Eaton-Williams Process Cooling to manufacturer thermoregulators that provide accurate and reliable temperature control for the most demanding applications.
“Eaton-Williams is an established designer of cooling. The development of thermoregulators was a natural progression and enables us to provide temperature control for a broader mix of industries and applications including extrusion, moulding tools and many other processes in the plastics and rubber industries.” Says Gerry Stapley, Managing Director, Eaton-Williams.
Eaton-Williams also has an extensive export business with a network of distributors and agents across the globe. The company has come along way in 70 years. It is still very much in the driving seat. Although environmental concerns and energy saving are now key drivers for the company, it has not detracted from its roots and is still a solutions led company. Wherever there is a need to control heating and/or cooling Eaton-Williams continues to have the expertise and ability to provide a solution.