- Minimax Limited
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Minimax Limited was a British manufacturer of fire extinguishers founded in England in 1903. Their unique conical fire extinguisher was known as 'The Minimax'. The company was purchased by The Pyrene Company Limited in 1955.
History
Minimax Limited opened their first office in England in 1903 in Leadenhall Street, London, with one salesman. In 1905 they won the 'highest award' for extinguishers in a St.Louis exhibition. In 1907 Minimax were suppliers to King Edward VII for protection of his motor car, and were exporting to countries such as Argentina, China, Siam, India and Tasmania. In England, extinguishers had been supplied to Westminster Abbey, Windsor Castle, Winchester Cathedral and Oxford and Cambridge Universities.
A new factory was built at Feltham, Middlesex, in 1911, at 'Minimax Corner', which became a famous landmark. Soon 1,000 extinguishers a month were being produced. The Czar of Russia placed an order for extinguishers for his yacht Polar Star, and the Siberian Railway was supplied with Minimax extinguishers. Two hundred extinguishers a day were produced during the First World War, along with many thousands of aerial bombs. Between the wars, many new developments were introduced, including CO2 extinguishers. Colliery protection with remote-controlled extinguishers became a speciality. Distillation plants for producing fresh water from salt water were made from 1939 to 1945, with one order for 600 from the Dutch Navy.
Minimax was purchased by The Pyrene Company Limited in 1955. Pyrene was taken over by Chubb Security in 1967.
External links
Categories:- Firefighting equipment
- Defunct manufacturing companies of the United Kingdom
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