Historisch overzicht van de bedrijfsactiviteiten van Laurens Hammond
Laurens Hammond (1895-1973) was responsible for numerous inventions, including:
* an alternating current electric clock (patented in 1929)
* a synchronous electric motor (patented in 1932)
* the first electric organ (patented in 1934)
* the first all-electronic organ (patented in 1939)
* the first spinet electronic organ for homes (patented in 1949)
Altogether, Hammond was granted about 280 patents from 1912 until his death in 1973.
The company founded by Laurens Hammond with his associates was incorporated in 1928 as the Hammond Clock Company.
It became the Hammond Instrument Company in 1937, after the company started making electric organs next to clocks.
In 1953 it was renamed Hammond Organ Company after it was decided to discontinue the production of clocks.
The Hammond factory was located at 2915 N. Western Ave. from ca. 1930 to 1949 and at 4200 W. Diversey Ave. from 1949 to 1986, although other plants and offices were to be found around the Chicago area.
In 1967, after the Hammond Organ Company acquired the Wells Lamont Corporation, being a glove manufacturer, the name of the parent company was changed to the Hammond Corporation and the Hammond Organ Company became a division of the Hammond Corporation (Wells Lamont proved not to be a profitable investment) .
Below you will see the Hammond share-holder document:
Wholly or partially owned subsidiairies were established outside the United States, in order to distribute and in some cases manufacture Hammond organs.
These included:
Hammond Organ (U.K.) founded in 1964, to handle distribution in the United Kingdom.
Hammond Organ Europe N.V. founded in 1967
Hammond International Canada, Ltd. founded in 1969
Northern Hammond has been manufacturing in Canada by Northern Electric at the Montreal plant and at the Belleville Ontario Plant on Water Street for a few years.
Northern Electric became Northern Telecom in the 1970s and was renamed again to Nortel.
The Belleville plant has been moved to Sydney Street and the old plant on Water street where the organs were made is still standing (thoroughly renovated into a professional commercial center)
The Northern Hammonds are essentially the same as the Chicago Hammonds with some very minor differences.
Nihon Hammond Limited Company Osaka Japan, founded in 1970 in partnership with Sakata Shokai, Ltd. (headed by Mr. Takahiro Miyatake) to manufacture and distribute Hammond organs in the Far East and parts of Europe.
Below you will find a serial number plate of an instrument produced by Nippon Gakki (Yamaha)
Hammond Organ Australia, PTY Ltd. founded in 1982.
The Marmon Group, Inc. owned by the Pritzker family of Chicago, acquired the Hammond Corporation in 1977 and thus the Hammond Organ Company finally became a division of The Marmon Group. See http://www.marmon.com
The Marmon Group governs (at this point in time 2012) around 140 companies and services.
The Marmon Group finally sold the Hammond Organ Company in 1986 to Hammond Organ Australia, PTY Ltd, at the time owned by Noel Crabbe of Australia.
More info on this transition: http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/95236939?q=%22Hammond+organ%22&c=article&versionId=108587579
At this point in time manufacturing of Hammond organs was discontinued in Chicago and the lights were switched off and the doors were closed by Mr. Dennis Fioramonti for the last time. Tentative plans called for the manufacturing of Hammond organs in Japan.
Please find a link to an interesting video interview, made October 12, 2006 featuring the present director Mr. Manji Suzuki. This dedicated gentleman is the founder and president of the Suzuki Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company in Hamamatsu Japan.
Mr. Mangi Suzuki has a deep passion for the music industry.
He is the founder and president of Suzuki Musical Instrument Manufacturing Company and began as a harmonica maker. Over the years Mr. Suzuki has developed innovative instruments like a full line of wood harmonicas for music education. His passion has always been to introduce music into the lives of young people.
During the 1980s he purchased the Hammond Organ Company and for the first time ever brought in the Leslie Speaker Company under the same ownership.
The recording of Mr. Suzuki’s interview shows his dedication and a real sense of history, as his career was revolutionary on many levels.
Please find the link to the interview with Mr. Manji Suzuki:
http://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/manji-suzuki