MK Electric is a company that makes electrical accessories

Electrical wiring

Electrical wiring in general refers to insulated conductors used to carry electricity, and associated devices. This article describes general aspects of electrical wiring as used to provide power in buildings and structures, commonly referred to as building wiring. This article is intended to...

. The company's headquarters are in Basildon

Basildon

Basildon is a town located in the Basildon District of the county of Essex, England.It lies east of Central London and south of the county town of Chelmsford...

, Essex

Essex

Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...

, England

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...

, from where it makes and sells goods worldwide.

History

In 1912 Charles Arnold and Charles Belling formed Belling and Company making electric fires. Following his release from the army in 1919 Charles Arnold founded 'The Heavy Current Electrical Accessories Company' with Charles Belling as a shareholder. This was later renamed MK Electric. The company developed electrical equipment such as high rated switches and sockets.

Multy Kontact socket

One product, the Multy Kontact spring grip socket (3-pin plug), soon became a market leader and the British Electrical Standards Association (BESA) changed standards to adopt this new product. By 1923 demand for these new products was growing rapidly and new production facilities were built in Edmonton, London

Edmonton, London

Edmonton is an area in the east of the London Borough of Enfield, England, north-north-east of Charing Cross. It has a long history as a settlement distinct from Enfield.-Location:...

. The company was then renamed MK Electric after its flagship product.

Shuttered socket

In 1928 the first shuttered socket was produced which concealed the live and neutral contacts when the plug is pulled out of the socket.

World War II

During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, production at the Edmonton factory focused on munitions to help the war effort, but development work resumed in 1945. In the 1950s MK Electric produced a lightswitch design which is still used today.

Post war

In 1966 the company floated on the Stock Exchange and became MK Electric Holding Company Ltd. The company later became a subsidiary of Honeywell

Honeywell

Honeywell International, Inc. is a major conglomerate company that produces a variety of consumer products, engineering services, and aerospace systems for a wide variety of customers, from private consumers to major corporations and governments....

 International in 2005 when its parent company Novar plc

Novar plc

Novar plc was an international group based in the United Kingdom with core activities in Security Systems, Aluminium Extrusion and Cheque Printing. It was bought by Honeywell in 2005, and its activities merged...

was acquired.

External links

• http://www.mkelectric.co.uk
• a discussion on the use British electrical wiring products in Hong Kong (in the Chinese language)