Carlton Sports, a leading producer of badminton

Badminton

Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...

 racket

Racquet

A racquet or racket is a sports implement consisting of a handled frame with an open hoop across which a network of cord is stretched tightly. It is used for striking a ball in such games as squash, tennis, racquetball, and badminton...

s and shuttlecock

Shuttlecock

A shuttlecock, sometimes called a bird or birdie, is a high-drag projectile used in the sport of badminton. It has an open conical shape: the cone is formed from sixteen or so overlapping feathers, usually goose or duck and from the left wing only, embedded into a rounded cork base...

s was established in 1946.

Carlton Sports became a subsidiary group of Dunlop Slazenger

Dunlop Slazenger

Dunlop Slazenger was a sports equipment manufacturing company formed by BTR plc by consolidating the various sports brands acquired as part their take-over of Dunlop Holdings in 1985...

 International located in Greenville, South Carolina

Greenville, South Carolina

-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...

, which is now owned by the chain of sport shops Sports World International. Most of the research is done at the Carlton Research and Development Centre in Camberley

Camberley

Camberley is a town in Surrey, England, situated 31 miles  southwest of central London, in the corridor between the M3 and M4 motorways. The town lies close to the borders of both Hampshire and Berkshire; the boundaries intersect on the western edge of the town where all three counties...

, England.

Throughout its history the company has introduced a number of advances to the manufacture of badminton equipment. These include:

• First to make an injection molded shuttle
• First to create a synthetic base
• First to design and make all-metal racquets
• First to use stainless steel in the manufacture of racquets
• First to make a truly one-piece racquet (Powerflo Series)
• First to design a flex system between shaft and handle
• First to make a one-shot injection molded shuttle skirt

The company claims to have sold more nylon shuttlecocks than any other company around the globe.