įrom its opening in 1884 until 1943, the Kilbowie factory produced approximately 36,000,000 sewing machines. Its labour force of 14,000 was about 70% female at war's end. The Singer Clydebank factory received over 5000 government contracts, and made 303 million artillery shells, shell components, fuses, and aeroplane parts, as well as grenades, rifle parts, and 361,000 horseshoes. In the First World War, sewing machine production gave way to munitions. A centenary film was made by the BBC about the female workers who stood up to the American management. It was significant in its recognition of the rights of women workers and ' collective bargaining' and predated the labour movement known as ' Red Clydeside'. Increased productivity came from 'scientific management' techniques which increased workloads whilst keeping salary overheads low, and in 1911, a mass walk out of 10,000 workers, the ' Singer Strike', took place in support of twelve women polishers, who had seen three staff dismissed, but the workload remained the same with no extra pay. A railway station with the company name was established in 1907 with connections to adjoining towns and central Glasgow to assist in transporting the workforce to the facility. Demand continued to exceed production, so each building was extended upwards to 6 storeys high.
Singer Company set up and registered the Singer Manufacturing Company Ltd. The Clydebank factory was so productive that in 1905, the U.S. With nearly a million square feet of space and almost 7,000 employees, it was possible to produce on average 13,000 machines a week, making it the largest sewing machine factory in the world. Sir Robert McAlpine was the building contractor and the factory was designed to be fire proof with water sprinklers, making it the most modern factory in Europe at that time. A total of 2.75 miles (4.43 km) of railway lines were laid throughout the factory to connect the different departments such as the boiler room, foundry, shipping and the lines to main railway stations. Built above the middle wing was a 200-foot (61 m) tall clock tower with the "Singer" name clearly displayed for all to see for miles around. Originally, two main buildings were constructed, each 800-foot (240 m) long, 50-foot (15 m) wide and three storeys high. In 1882, McKenzie, by then President-elect of the Singer Manufacturing Company, undertook the ground breaking ceremony on 46 acres (19 ha) of farmland at Kilbowie, Clydebank. By that point, Singer employed over 2,000 people in Scotland, but they still could not produce enough machines. Demand for sewing machines outstripped production at the new plant and by 1873, a new larger factory was completed on James Street, Bridgeton. The Vice President of Singer, George Ross McKenzie selected Glasgow because of its iron making industries, cheap labour, and shipping capabilities. In 1867, the Singer Company decided that the demand for their sewing machines in the United Kingdom was sufficiently high to open a local factory in Glasgow on John Street. Workers leaving Singer sewing machine factory on Clydebank Singer was also a marketing innovator and a pioneer in promoting the use of installment payment plans. The company demonstrated the first workable electric sewing machine at the Philadelphia electric exhibition in 1889 and began mass-producing domestic electric machines in 1910. The Singer company began to market its machines internationally in 1855 and won first prize at the Paris world's fair that year.
In 1885 Singer produced its first " vibrating shuttle" sewing machine, an improvement over contemporary transverse shuttle designs (see bobbin drivers). Singer consolidated enough patents in the field to enable him to engage in mass production, and by 1860 his company was the largest manufacturer of sewing machines in the world. 8294 in August 1851 for an improved sewing machine that included a circular feed wheel, thread controller, and power transmitted by gear wheels and shafting. Singer's patent model for his sewing machine
0 kommentar(er)
