Kelvinator Australia Ltd
The company was formed in 1932 by the late William Queale under the name of Mechanical Products Limited, the name being changed to Kelvinator Australia Limited in 1934.
The company was engaged in the manufacture and distribution (under licence from several companies in the United States of America) of domestic refrigeration appliances, air conditioners, washing machines, refrigeration equipment for commercial application and equipment for the oil industry .
Kelvinator and Leonard products were made under licence from Kelvinator International Corporation and Temprite beverage cooling equipment, under licence from Eaton Corporation. Petrol dispensing pumps were made under licence from Dresser Industries Inc., while meters and other oil industry equipment were made under licence from A.O. Smith Corporation.
The Head Office of the Company was at Anzac Highway, Keswick, where the headquarters of the sales, engineering and finance functioned and the spare parts division was located. Production operations in this area consisted of a foundry and a machine shop for the manufacture of refrigeration compressors and of meters and pumps for the oil industry.
The main manufacturing operations were at Woodville North, where, in addition to manufacturing the above-mentioned products, the company operated a large tool room and an injection moulding plastics plant; both of which were suppliers to the automotive industry. The major work at this site was sheet metal fabrication, painting and assembly of all the company's products.
The headquarters of the service division and Wayne Pumps Australia Pty, Ltd. were also located at Woodville North. Sales and service operations were located in each state capital in Australia and in some other major cities. Approximately 90% of the output of the company was sold interstate and, on a number of occasions, overseas.
The company expanded steadily from an initial work force of about 20 in 1932 to a total in 1975 in all states of approximately 2,500; it therefore made a significant contribution to the economy of South Australia as an employer of labour and as a user of local sub-contractors. Further growth for the company could be foreseen in the continued expansion of the appliance, automotive and oil industries in Australia.
From The Kelvinator Story, 5 May, 1975. (available from viewing from the West Torrens Historical Society)
Kelvinator diagrammatic overview of all plants, Keswick circa 1977
Top building is Plant 3 containing the foundry at rear fronting Kent Road, maintenance and store in front facing Ashford Road.
Middle building is Plant 2 containing machine shop (built c. 1940) and canteen in the south of the building. The building was completed c. 1942 and expanded northward along Ashford Street c. 1970.
Ashford Road is between plants 2 and 3. Croydon Road is eastern boundary of Plant 2.
Bottom building is Plant 1 containing parts and service at rear, design lab at front left of building and offices at front right.
Everard Avenue is between plants 2 and 1. Plant 1 fronts Anzac Highway with Everard Avenue as northern boundary.
Car park is to the north, just off Anzac Highway, east of Croydon and Hampton Roads intersection.
In January 1980 Kelvinator Australia became a part of the Australian-owned Email group of companies. Email was taken over by the Swedish-owned Electrolux Group in 2001; Electrolux continues to market white goods in Australia under the name of Kelvinator. Operations at the Keswick site ceased in about 1983. In 1984-85 the former Kelvinator land was sold to 4 parties: the former Plant 1 site to Aberfraw Pty Ltd of Waymouth Street, Adelaide for $900,000 in October 1984; the former Plant 2 site to Le Cornu Furniture and Carpet Centre of Anzac Highway, Keswick for $700,000 in June 1985; and the Plant 3 site to the Southern Television Corporation Pty Ltd of Tynte Street, North Adelaide for $450,000 in April 1984. The former car park site was sold to Chart Pty Ltd of Waymouth Street, Adelaide in October 1984 for an undisclosed amount.