Visit to the new E. K. Cole Ltd., factory, October 1930

Visit to the new E. K. Cole Ltd., factory at Southend-on-Sea South-end-on-sea was published in The Gramophone Trader Magazine, October 1930 was published in the Turn Table Talk section as;

It would probably take an article as long as the new EKCO roof sign, which is 400 feet long. to describe the adventures of two of our staff during their visit to the new works of E. K. Cole Ltd., at Southend-on-Sea.

It is significant that in 1922 the floor space occupied by the Ekco works was only 150 square feet, whereas today the total area under cover is 80.000 square feet, and another nine acres of land are available for further extensions.

Few people realise the number of operations that time necessary before a modern all-electric receiver is ready to be despatched to the dealer, and it is remarkable that such efficient sets are so low in price. In the Ekco factory a product, whether it be a set, an eliminator, or a component part, seldom travels over the same ground twice. At one end of the works, we see the various components, coils, chokes, transformers, etc., being made and tested before being passed on to the assembly benches. By the time the finished article reaches the packing department at the other end of the shop, it has gone through scores of operations and passed a number of exacting tests all of which are carried out by experienced hands.

In between the B.B.C. broadcasting hours, gramophone records are broadcast through a private transmitter which can be " picked up " in any part of the works. One of the first things to be noticed was that all workers engaged in wiring operations used resin as flux. This is most important in the manufacture of coils, transformers, and any component where fine gauge wire is being used. Even in the wiring up of sets, where the connecting wire is of a larger gauge, the resin should always be used if corrosion is to be kept down to a minimum.

Perhaps the outstanding feature of the whole Ekco organisation was the apparent contentment of the employees. This is, no doubt, due to the ideal conditions under which they work. The management has their employees' interests at heart. This is a good policy. A contented mind is a willing worker; a willing worker means good production and possibly, in this case, good reproduction. 

Gramophone Trader Oct 1930, Page 221.

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