SHER
Sher was a
Melbourne based company that manufactured a wide variety of power tools,
including portable electric drills, circular saws, routers, etc. Sher also owns
the title of being the first manufacturer of power tools in Australia
.
Sher was
founded by migrant entrepreneur William Peter Sher. Born Wilhelm Peter
Schlesinger on November 6, 1902, Vienna, Austria, he studied electrical
engineering at the Technische Hochschule, now known as the Vienna University of
Technology graduating in 1922. At the completion of his studies he worked as a
lighting engineer and then with the French railway. In 1926 he joined the Mecox
engineering company which manufactured power tools, this was followed by moves
to Switzerland and Berlin. In 1928 he married Elsa Rabinovicz in Vienna, and
fearing persecution by the Nazis, migrated to Australia in 1939. (Woodhouse
2002)
Sher was
given approval by the Australian Government to migrate to Australia as he was
considered he could contribute to his country of adoption because of his
previous experience in power tools. Settling in Melbourne, Sher found
employment with Richardson Gears Pty Ltd in Footscray, he even made the
suggestion to Richardson to develop power tools but they refused. Sher however,
believed that an opportunity to satisfy the need for portable power tools
existed and in March 1940 formed a business partnership with Alexander Faill.
Together they established a small workshop in Little William Street
Melbourne,(Kennedy 1977) it is from here they began production of a 3/8’ (9.5mm) portable electric drill, the first
Australian made portable electric drill. (Camperdown Chronicle 1940) This
partnership was formalised into the company, Red Point Tool Co. Pty Ltd and
operated out of premises in Prahran, Victoria.
In 1940, the
Directorate of Machine Tools and Gauges, one of the original sections within
the Department of Munitions was established to manage the production,
reconditioning, acquisition or disposal of equipment and tools which included
electric power tools. (National Archives of Australia 1987) With the onset of
war, stocks of imported products were soon depleted and many components were
urgently needed by the armed forces and essential industries, Sher’s power
tools were deemed necessary for the war
effort by the Directorate of Machine Tools and Gauges, this ready-made market
allowed Sher to begin full-scale production.(Hardware Trader 1958; Sher Power
Tools 1959 circa)
Following the
war, demand for supplies by the military
declined, but the void was quickly replaced by the need to provide for the
post-war development that Australia was experiencing. The continued growth of
the company required larger premises, by 1952 they had out grown Prahran and a
double storey building with a large parcel of land was purchased in
Collingwood.
In 1951 Sher
travelled to Japan, there he saw small electric drills that were being used in
the aircraft industry. (Kennedy 1977) Sher realized that existing power tools
in Australia were not meeting the needs of the ‘Do-It-Yourself’ market, he
purchased the tooling and everything necessary to manufacture a small and
lightweight ¼” (6.4mm) drill, the Drillmaster (Pandolfo 2012). In 1952 the
Drillmaster went into production, it was initially manufactured using flock-filled
Bakelite, and essentially became the first Australian made plastic, double
insulated drill. But the plastic Drillmaster was not accepted by the Australian
consumer as plastic was not seen as a suitable material for a power tool, and
so shortly afterwards an aluminium die cast version was produced. (Pandolfo
2012)
In 1957 the
company changed its name to Sher Power Tools Pty Ltd and produced another
Australian first, a ½” dual speed electric drill, the Shermatic. Rapid growth
was experienced by the company and in 1962 recorded a net profit of £101,464.
In 1963 Sher was incorporated to acquire the whole of the issued capital of
Sher Power Tools Pty Ltd.(Woodhouse 2002)
In 1967 the American power tool company Skil Corporation took control
over Sher Tools Australia Ltd.
William Sher
remained as director and chairman until 1972 after which he leaves to join his
son Ronald at Ronald Sher Pty Ltd. William Sher passed away in 1977.
References
Camperdown
Chronicle (1940). Electric Drilling Machines. Camperdown Chronicle. Melbourne:
1.
Hardware
Trader (1958). "Expansion of Sher Power Tools." Hardware
Trader(October): 1.
Kennedy, K.
(1977). "In Profile: William Sher." Australian Hardware
Journal(March): 1.
National
Archives of Australia. (1987). "Directorate of Machine Tools and Gauges,
Department of Munitions."
Retrieved 11 May, 2012, from
http://naa12.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/AgencyDetail.aspx?reg_no=CA%203718.
Pandolfo, B.
(2012). Interview with Ron Sher. Melbourne.
Sher Power Tools
(1959 circa). The Sher Story. S. P. T. P. Ltd. Collingwood.
Woodhouse, F.
(2002). Sher, William Peter (1902 - 1977) Australian Dictionary of Biography.
Melbourne, Melbourne University Press. 16: 232-233.
version 2 15/05/12
