Company History: A. B. Farquhar
(Page 6 of 8)
September/October 1992
Gail E. Knauer
It was in this decade that management of the company passed to
Francis Farquhar, upon the death of A. B. Farquhar on March 5,
1925.
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The diminishing steam boiler market made it necessary for
Farquhar to expand its product line. This they accomplished by
acquiring manufacturing rights to the Iron Age line of farm
implements (developed by Fred Bateman) in 1930, and the Portable
Machinery Company's line of conveyors in 1931. Production of
steam traction engines was gradually phased out throughout the
1930s, and the company made a successful transition to the
manufacture of implements and conveyors. By 1938, business was good
enough to warrant operating the plant 24 hours per day.
Farquhar employees were unionized in 1939. A Labor-Management
Committee was formed in 1942, the same year that the shops were
opened to women. All records indicate that this was a smooth
process.
During World War II, Farquhar was one of 10 official plants
whose whistles were to be used for Civilian Defense warningsa
steady three-minute blast would serve as a first warning, an
up-and-down wavy alert meant 'take cover,' to be followed
when appropriate by a three-minute 'all clear.'
The men and women of A. B. Farquhar Co., Ltd., were awarded the
Army-Navy Production Award (known as the 'E for Excellence
Award') on February 8,1943 during ceremonies at York's
William Penn Senior High School. The award recognized the
company's high achievement in producing such necessary war
materials as 81 mm mortars and mounts, smokeless powder presses,
decontaminating units, material handling conveyors, and
sterilizers. The award consisted of a U. S. flag to be flown over
the plant, and a flag lapel pin for every employee. Only 2% of
American industrial plants had received this award to that date.
The company continued to maintain outstanding production figures,
and was subsequently honored with a total of four service stars,
which were added to the award banner.
On January 1, 1944, another change in corporate structure
changed the company name to A. B. Farquhar Company, a Pennsylvania
corporation. Francis Farquhar's tenure as president came to an
end in this year, and he was replaced by William J. Fisher. Fisher
had been with the company since January 1901, when he started as a
machinist apprentice in the shops. He transferred to engineering in
1905, and worked his way up through the ranks, becoming vice
president and general manager in 1932, and finally president in
1944.
The company issued stock and went public in late March of 1947.
President Fisher listed the company's principal products at
that time as 40% farm implements, 30% material handling conveyors,
20% hydraulic presses, and the remaining 10% a combination of saw
mills and special machinery for the food handling industry. There
were 1150 people on the payroll in 1947.
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