Victor Insulator Company

Last updated

Victor Insulators, Inc. based in Victor, New York (founded 1893 by Fred M. Locke) is the oldest insulator company in North America. They originally made glass insulators for electrical lines. They suspended operations during the Great Depression, but resumed operations in 1935 as Victor Insulators. In 1984, the managers purchased the company from Brown Boveri and resumed operating under the name. [1] They also made diner coffee mugs in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. [2] They are still making insulators at the same location to this day.

Contents

Coffee mugs

During World War II, the Victor Insulator Company responded to a request from the military to develop dining ware that was sturdy, and wouldn't slide easily on tables. The company developed a bowl and a dual-wall coffee mug using the same materials they use to make insulators. They won the government contract, but their coffee mug design quickly caught on in restaurants and diners.

The popular American off-white colored diner-style coffee mug would soon be copied by companies as far away as China. When Victor Insulator Company couldn't compete with the counterfeits on the market, they decided to close their coffee mug manufacturing in the late 1980s. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ceramic</span> Inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat

A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain, and brick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insulator (electricity)</span> Material that does not conduct an electric current

An electrical insulator is a material in which electric current does not flow freely. The atoms of the insulator have tightly bound electrons which cannot readily move. Other materials—semiconductors and conductors—conduct electric current more easily. The property that distinguishes an insulator is its resistivity; insulators have higher resistivity than semiconductors or conductors. The most common examples are non-metals.

The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Company. In 1932, RCA became an independent company after the partners were required to divest their ownership as part of the settlement of a government antitrust suit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porcelain</span> Ceramic material

Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between 1,200 and 1,400 °C. The greater strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arise mainly from vitrification and the formation of the mineral mullite within the body at these high temperatures. End applications include tableware, decorative ware such as figurines, and products in technology and industry such as electrical insulators and laboratory ware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diner</span> Type of casual restaurant

A diner is a type of restaurant found across the United States and Canada, as well as parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of foods, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a combination of booths served by a waitstaff and a long sit-down counter with direct service, in the smallest simply by a cook. Many diners have extended hours, and some along highways and areas with significant shift work stay open for 24 hours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mug</span> Type of cup

A mug is a type of cup typically used for drinking hot drinks, such as coffee, hot chocolate, or tea. Mugs usually have handles and hold a larger amount of fluid than other types of cups. Typically, a mug holds approximately 240–350 ml of liquid. A mug is a less formal style of drink container and is not usually used in formal place settings, where a teacup or coffee cup is preferred. Shaving mugs are used to assist in wet shaving.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyocera</span> Japanese ceramics and electronics company

Kyocera Corporation is a Japanese multinational ceramics and electronics manufacturer headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It was founded as Kyoto Ceramic Company, Limited in 1959 by Kazuo Inamori and renamed in 1982. It manufactures industrial ceramics, solar power generating systems, telecommunications equipment, office document imaging equipment, electronic components, semiconductor packages, cutting tools, and components for medical and dental implant systems.

Fairbanks, Morse and Company was an American manufacturing company in the late 19th and early 20th century. Originally a weighing scale manufacturer, it later diversified into pumps, engines, windmills, coffee grinders, radios, farm tractors, feed mills, locomotives, and industrial supplies until it was purchased by Penn Texas in 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tableware</span> Items used for setting a table and serving food

Tableware items are the dishware and utensils used for setting a table, serving food, and dining. The term includes cutlery, glassware, serving dishes, serving utensils, and other items used for practical as well as decorative purposes. The quality, nature, variety and number of objects varies according to culture, religion, number of diners, cuisine and occasion. For example, Middle Eastern, Indian or Polynesian food culture and cuisine sometimes limits tableware to serving dishes, using bread or leaves as individual plates, and not infrequently without use of cutlery. Special occasions are usually reflected in higher quality tableware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ajinomoto</span> Japanese food and biotechnology company

Ajinomoto Co., Inc. is a Japanese multinational food and biotechnology corporation which produces seasonings, interlayer insulating materials for semiconductor packages for use in personal computers, cooking oils, frozen foods, beverages, sweeteners, amino acids, and pharmaceuticals. Aji-No-Moto is the trade name for the company's original monosodium glutamate (MSG) product, the first of its kind, since 1909. The corporation's head office is located in Chūō, Tokyo. As of 2022, Ajinomoto operates in 36 countries worldwide and employs an estimated 34,198 people. Its yearly revenue in 2022 is around ¥1.36 trillion JPY or $10 billion USD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coffee cup</span> Tableware product

A coffee cup is a container, a cup, for serving coffee and coffee-based drinks. There are three major types: conventional cups used with saucers, mugs used without saucers, and disposable cups. Cups and mugs generally have a handle. Disposable paper cups used for take-out sometimes have fold-out handles, but are more often used with an insulating coffee cup sleeve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiki mug</span> Ceramic drinking vessel

A tiki mug is a large ceramic cocktail drinking vessel that originated in tiki bars and tropical-themed restaurants. The term "tiki mug" is a blanket term for the sculptural drinkware even though they vary in size and most do not contain handles. They typically depict Polynesian, mock-Polynesian, tropical, nautical, or retro themes, and as the term is used generically do not always emulate a tiki. When used to serve drinks they are frequently garnished with fruit or decorative drink umbrellas and swizzle sticks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Doulton</span> British ceramics manufacturing company

Royal Doulton is an English ceramic and home accessories manufacturer that was founded in 1815. Operating originally in Vauxhall, London, and later moving to Lambeth, in 1882 it opened a factory in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, in the centre of English pottery. From the start, the backbone of the business was a wide range of utilitarian wares, mostly stonewares, including storage jars, tankards and the like, and later extending to drain pipes, lavatories, water filters, electrical porcelain and other technical ceramics. From 1853 to 1901, its wares were marked Doulton & Co., then from 1901, when a royal warrant was given, Royal Doulton.

Keurig is a beverage brewing system for home and commercial use. The American company Keurig Dr Pepper manufactures the machines. The main Keurig products are K-Cup pods, which are single-serve coffee containers; other beverage pods; and the proprietary machines that use these pods to make beverages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kazuo Inamori</span> Japanese philanthropist and entrepreneur (1932–2022)

Kazuo Inamori, was a Japanese philanthropist, entrepreneur and the founder of Kyocera and KDDI. He was the chairman of Japan Airlines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitall Tatum Company</span> American glass factory

The Whitall Tatum Company or Whitall Tatum (1806–1938) was one of the first glass factories in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pin insulator</span>

A pin insulator is a device that isolates a wire from a physical support such as a pin on a telegraph or utility pole. It is a formed, single layer shape that is made out of a non-conducting material, usually porcelain or glass. It is thought to be the earliest developed overhead insulator and is still popularly used in power networks up to 33 KV. Single or multiple pin insulators can be used on one physical support, however, the number of insulators used depends upon the application's voltage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CoorsTek</span> American ceramic manufacturing company

CoorsTek, Inc. is a privately owned manufacturer of technical ceramics for aerospace, automotive, chemical, electronics, medical, metallurgical, oil and gas, semiconductor and many other industries. CoorsTek headquarters and primary factories are located in Golden, Colorado, US. The company is wholly owned by Keystone Holdings LLC, a trust of the Coors family. John K. Coors, a great-grandson of founder and brewing magnate Adolph Coors Sr., and the fifth and youngest son of longtime chairman and president Joseph Coors, retired as president and chairman in January 2020 after 22 years at the helm.

The Könitz Porzellan GmbH is a company in Könitz, a district of the commune Unterwellenborn. The company includes the Wiedemannsche Druckerei, the brand WAECHTERSBACH as well as the Weimarer Porzellanmanufaktur.

References

  1. "Boronizing improves tool life during green finishing," Ceramic Industry: the exclusive global voice of ceramic business and manufacturing. Troy: March 1998.Vol.148, Iss. 3; pg. 26
  2. February 2004 Porcelain Insulator News
  3. Clemens, Chris (2016-03-06). "How the Victor Coffee Mug Changed the Way We Drink Coffee |". Exploring Upstate. Retrieved 2019-03-05.