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A Time of Expansion - Part 2 |
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This was
followed later in the year by another joint venture, this
time in the UK. Clevite Elastomers Inc, the USA's largest
manufacturer of suspension mountings for the heavy truck
market, teamed up with Avon's vibration management and suspension
mounting division to create Avon-Clevite Limited. A new
100,000 square foot factory was custom built to house the
new company in Chippenham, Wiltshire, UK and opened by His
Royal Highness the Duke of Kent. In 1996, the company became
wholly owned by Avon and changed its name to Avon Vibration
Management Systems Ltd.
Also in 1992, Avon Automotive opened its second factory
in Trowbridge which manufactures windscreen wiper blades.
Previously the work had been carried out at Kingston Mills
in nearby Bradford on Avon, but the success of the business,
which at the time employed 50 people, merited a new purpose-designed
facility.
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In November
of the following year, the new specialist rubber mixing
area was opened at the Melksham site. Its predecessor was
formerly housed in the old Kingston Mills factory in Bradford
on Avon, which was closed earlier in the year as part of
the wide ranging restructuring of Avon's Wiltshire operations
which had been ongoing since the end of 1991.
At the end of 1993, it was announced that the formal ties
between Avon Tyres Limited and SP Tyres were to be severed.
Avon bought back SPs 20% share in Avon Tyres and SP purchased
the remaining share in Motorway Tyres and Accessories Ltd.
In January 1994, Avon-S&H, which manufactured and assembled
components for the automotive air conditioning systems decided
to close its Melksham based facility and move production
to Williamstown, South Wales. This move provided space for
Avon Tyres to extend truck radial tyre production.
A month later, Avon Inflatables Ltd disposed of its fibre
moulding operation, Avon (Cowes) Ltd, to Island Plastics.
Island Plastics were to continue manufacturing hulls for
Avon Inflatables, but the sale would allow Avon to benefit
from Island Plastics' considerable technical expertise as
well as being able to concentrate on the manufacture of
inflatable tubes.
At the same time, the Aerosol Products Group established
a manufacturing unit in Illinois, North America. Avon had
already supplied aerosol gaskets to the US market for over
20 years, but the opening of the new plant would mean they
could provide a better, faster and more cost effective service
to their US customers.
Another Avon group keen to expand its US market was Avon
Inflatables and in February 1994, the marketing and distribution
of Avon inflatable craft in the US was undertaken by Avon
Seagull Marine, California, a wholly owned subsidiary of
Avon Inflatables.
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In April 1994, Avon Spencer
Moulton in France formed a strategic alliance with Japan's
Fukuyama Rubber Company to become Fukuyama's sole manufacturer
and licensee of rubber crawler track in Europe. This agreement
has gone from strength to strength and has allowed Avon
Spencer Moulton to expand its market supplying such blue-chip
customers at Bobcat, JCB and Neuson.
In June 1994, the Avon board decided that it would concentrate
fully on its three core activities of automotive components,
technical products and tyres. To this end, Avon Inflatables
Limited was sold to a new company, Avon Marine Limited.
As a result of the sale, it was agreed that Avon Inflatables
would still have the right to use the Avon name and trademark
and to purchase high specification rubberised fabrics from
Avon Tyres Ltd. |
Bobcat equipped with Avon
crawler track |
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