Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[roseway]

Next month the one remaining TV production factory, the Sanyo factory at Lowestoft, will close. This may not sound momentous in the face of more dramatic closures, but it's truly the end of an era. Television was invented in the UK, and as recently as 15 years ago the UK was Europe's premier producer of TV sets (although by this time the factories were all Japanese owned).

The Lowestoft factory has fond memories for me, because it was owned by Philips until 1982, and I worked for Philips and made frequent visits to the factory. It was very British in those days - a bit amateurish, run by various 'characters' in their own individual ways, but it was a bit of a home from home for me, and I missed the fun of the place when it got taken over by Sanyo.

For me, the rise and fall of the UK TV industry is the story of my working life, and I feel a pang of sadness to read of its dying breath.

[jeffbb]

HI
It joins a long list of sad closures ,where was we led the world . Motocycles, cars ,shipping the list goes on . What will be producing in the next 15 to 20 years .

[tonyappuk]

It is sad, isn't it? When I worked and lived in Cornwall I used to pass the old Bush factory on the outskirts of Plymouth on the way to London or wherever. That is of course long since gone. My working life was spent in ITA then IBA. They're gone now too transmogrified by the blessed Margaret into ITC and now OFCOM. All things change but we don't have to like it!
Tony

[Floydoid]

That was also the Pye factory at one time, a very famous name.

Eric there's a bit more about it here: http://tinyurl.com/9833op

[roseway]

Yes, when I first started visiting the factory, it was already owned by Philips but still operated under the Pye name. They also produced Dynatron TVs which were very upmarket (in price).

[tickmike]

Yes another British firm going, this is sad news.

I think I have said before that my late father built his own B&W TV's and some of that rubbed off on to me as I have in the past built my own oscilloscopes with good old valves and using ex government surplus radar crt's . 

[UncleUB]

Yes, when I first started visiting the factory, it was already owned by Philips but still operated under the Pye name. They also produced Dynatron TVs which were very upmarket (in price).

Dynatron........Did they use to have the Queens crest on them ?

[roseway]

Dynatron........Did they use to have the Queens crest on them ?

I believe they did. In reality they were only ordinary Pye chassis in expensive wooden boxes.

[roseway]

I see in the paper this morning that the story wasn't quite right. Apparently Toshiba are still making large screen TVs in Plymouth.

[kitz]

Its still sad that yet another 'british' factory is closing down