Helix is a family run United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 based manufacturer of scholastic stationery

Stationery

Stationery has historically meant a wide gamut of materials: paper and office supplies, writing implements, greeting cards, glue, pencil case etc.-History of stationery:...

. It currently employes 75 people, and exports to over 65 countries, with offices in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 and Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 and with UK headquarters based in Lye, West Midlands

Lye, West Midlands

Lye is a suburban area of the Black Country in England, between Halesowen and Stourbridge in Dudley Metropolitan Borough, West Midlands. It was formerly a village in the parish of Oldswinford, Worcestershire...

.

History

Helix was established in 1887, under the name The Universal Woodworking Company Ltd., manufacturing wooden rules

Ruler

A ruler, sometimes called a rule or line gauge, is an instrument used in geometry, technical drawing, printing and engineering/building to measure distances and/or to rule straight lines...

 and metal laboratory apparatus.In 1894 it patented the drawing compass

Compass (drafting)

A compass or pair of compasses is a technical drawing instrument that can be used for inscribing circles or arcs. As dividers, they can also be used as a tool to measure distances, in particular on maps...

, and with it, launched the Helix brand, following on from the initial success of the compass and rule, in 1912 the companies first mathematical set was created and in 1935 the brand "Helix Oxford" was launched. 1955 saw the company become known as the Helix Universal Company, moving its headquarters to Lye, where it is still based today. In the 1960s the name again changed to its current name Helix International Ltd..

Brands

• Helix
• Splat and Tribe- fashion stationary
• Helix Oxford- high quality mathematical instruments and stationery)
• Helix Technical-technical drawing instruments for older students and professional use