KBC
History
KBC
or Ken Bowes & Co. Ltd was a manufacturing company based in South Australia
(SA) and was founded by Ken Bowes in the 1936. Ken Bowes starting his business
operating out of his home garage in Forestville, SA with 9 employees. In 1938
KBC opened a factory in Woodlands Park SA and by 1949 employed 90 employees
(Australasian Manufacturer Annual 1949).
Although the company produced domestic appliances such as the bean
slicer and clothes ringer it was the tool construction and die casting of
military components such as ammunition parts (shell and bomb noses) and tank
attack guns that kept the company busy during the Second World War (WWII)
(Australasian Manufacturer Annual 1949) In 1939 KBC constructed a purpose built
plating facility to further its ability to provide a one stop service.
Following
the war KBC continued with die casting of components such as motor body
hardware and accessories (e.g. car door handles) automotive and aeroplane
engine parts and refrigerator hardware. In this post war period KBC
reintroduced the domestic appliances the clothes wringer and bean slicer and by
1949 had produced 300,000 units of the bean slicer. During this period KBC
added an assembly line and electric winding section to the factory (The
Hardware Journal 1949).
KBC’s
entry into the hardware market begins in 1948 with the launch of the ¼” KBC
Electric Drill (The Hardware Journal 1948). This drill was destined for the
cabinet maker, metal or plastic worker electrical and general handyman. The
entire body of the drill was made from die cast zinc alloy, was 7 3/8” long and
weighed 4lb. 4 ½ oz. (metric?). It was unique for having incorporated an easily
removable front plate on the handle to allow the user easy access to the
connection terminals (Australasian Manufacturer Annual 1949).
It
is still unclear exactly when KBC ceased operations. Some knowns are that two
drills with similarities to KBC drills appear on the cover of a Lightburn
catalogue in 1962 (Lightburn 1962) and a Lightburn employee is documented as
demonstrating KBC drills in Queensland in 1965 (Australian Hardware Journal
1965). I also have in my own collection several drills with Lightburn technical
data labels but still visible on the side housing the in-moulded graphics ‘KBC
Power Chief’. I can only assume that for a short period beginning in 1962
(Lightburn 1962) an agreement to co-distribute KBC drills must have existed
between KBC and Lightburn. KBC drills sold under the Lightburn brand are still
available in 1972 (Lightburn 1972).
Products
1938 Wringer and Bean Slicer
1948 Electric Drill
1949 Juice Extractor
1950 Electric Food Mixer
1957
Electric Drill Power Chief, ¼” and
5/16”
1965
Electric Drill 3/8” Dual Speed K15.
Personnel
Ken
Bowes, Director (Australasian Manufacturer Annual 1949)
John
Morand, Sales Manager, approx. 1950 (The Hardware Journal 1950)
Allan
E. Pearce, Sales Representative Victoria and Tasmania (The Hardware Journal
1950)
Kevin
Jones, KBC Demonstrator Queensland, approx. 1954 (Pandolfo 2011)
References
Australasian
Manufacturer Annual (1949). "Diecasting, Home Appliances Lightweight
Electric Drill." Australasian Manufacturer Annual.
Australian
Hardware Journal (1965). "KBC Drills Demonstrated at Bundaberg."
Australian Hardware Journal(February).
Lightburn
(1962). Ask To See A Lightburn. Adelaide, Lightburn.
Lightburn
(1972). Lightburn Golden Power Tools: A Price List. Adelaide.
Pandolfo,
B. (2011). Interview with Kevin Jones Sydney.
The
Hardware Journal (1948). "KBC Electric Drill." The Hardware
Journal(October).
The
Hardware Journal (1949). "Wringers, Electric Drills." The Hardware
Journal(April).
The
Hardware Journal (1950). "KBC Food Mixer Demonstrations." The
Hardware Journal(December).
The
Hardware Journal (1950). "Personalities." The Hardware
Journal(March).
version 1 09/10/12
version 1 09/10/12
