Avon Inflatables
Encyclopedia
Avon Inflatables, Ltd is a manufacturer of inflatable boat
s, RIB
s and marine safety equipment. The company is based in Dafen, near the town of Llanelli
in Carmarthenshire
, Wales
, and supplies the leisure, commercial and military markets.
in the English
county of Wiltshire
, and moved to its current location in the 1960s.
Until 1994, Avon Inflatables formed part of Avon Rubber
, but the business was then sold and now operates independently of its former parent. Since 1998, the company has been a division of Zodiac Marine
of France
.
Inflatable boat
An inflatable boat is a lightweight boat constructed with its sides and bow made of flexible tubes containing pressurised gas. For smaller boats, the floor and hull beneath it is often flexible. On boats longer than , the floor often consists of three to five rigid plywood or aluminium sheets fixed...
s, RIB
Rib
In vertebrate anatomy, ribs are the long curved bones which form the rib cage. In most vertebrates, ribs surround the chest, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the chest cavity. They serve to protect the lungs, heart, and other internal organs of the thorax...
s and marine safety equipment. The company is based in Dafen, near the town of Llanelli
Llanelli
Llanelli , the largest town in both the county of Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed , Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby...
in Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, and supplies the leisure, commercial and military markets.
History
The company was originally founded in 1959 in the town of Bradford on AvonBradford on Avon
Bradford on Avon is a town in west Wiltshire, England with a population of about 9,326. The town's canal, historic buildings, shops, pubs and restaurants make it popular with tourists....
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, and moved to its current location in the 1960s.
Until 1994, Avon Inflatables formed part of Avon Rubber
Avon Rubber
Avon Rubber p.l.c. is a manufacturer of high technology rubber-based products for a number of manufacturing sectors. It is a constituent of the FTSE SmallCap Index...
, but the business was then sold and now operates independently of its former parent. Since 1998, the company has been a division of Zodiac Marine
Zodiac Marine & Pool
Zodiac Marine & Pool is a French company known for its boats and swimming pools; however they are best known for their widely used small inflatable boats.In 1998, the company acquired the Llanelli-based competitor Avon Inflatables...
of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.