Ron Hickman
Encyclopedia
Ronald Price Hickman OBE
(21 October 1932 – 17 February 2011) was a South African
born, Jersey
based car designer and inventor who designed the original Lotus Elan, the Lotus Elan +2 and the Lotus Europa
, as well as the Black & Decker
Workmate.
He was born in Greytown, Natal
, South Africa
where he worked as a courthouse clerk after leaving high school and he moved to London
in the 1950s where he was employed by a music publisher. He worked for the Ford Motor Company
at Dagenham
as a stylist and then became the director of Lotus Engineering in the 1960s, designing the first Lotus Europa
as part of Lotus' GT40 project bid. He came up with the wood-and-steel foldable Workmate bench when he damaged a chair he was using to steady a piece of wood that he was sawing through when making a wardrobe. His offer of a licence for the product he developed was rejected by several companies who couldn't see a large market for it, so Hickman sold the benches himself to professional builders at trade shows until Black & Decker saw the light in 1973 and began producing them. By 1981 it had sold 10 million benches. More than 30 million of the benches have now been sold, and Hickman defended his patent
numerous times against manufacturers attempting to copy it.
In 1977 he moved to Saint Brélade, Jersey, where he had a design factory and belonged to the Jersey Old Motor Club. He died at age 78 in hospital on the island after a five month long illness caused by a serious fall.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(21 October 1932 – 17 February 2011) was a South African
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
born, Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
based car designer and inventor who designed the original Lotus Elan, the Lotus Elan +2 and the Lotus Europa
Lotus Europa
The Lotus Europa was a two door mid-engined GT coupé built by Lotus Cars from 1966 to 1975. In 2006 Lotus began production of a totally new, Lotus Elise-derived design, a mid-engined GT coupé named Europa S....
, as well as the Black & Decker
Black & Decker
Black & Decker Corporation is a corporation based in Towson, Maryland, United States, that designs and imports power tools and accessories, hardware and home improvement products, and technology based fastening systems...
Workmate.
He was born in Greytown, Natal
Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal
Greytown is a town situated on the banks of a tributary of the Umvoti River in a richly fertile timber-producing area of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.-History:...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
where he worked as a courthouse clerk after leaving high school and he moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in the 1950s where he was employed by a music publisher. He worked for the Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
at Dagenham
Dagenham
Dagenham is a large suburb in East London, forming the eastern part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and located east of Charing Cross. It was historically an agrarian village in the county of Essex and remained mostly undeveloped until 1921 when the London County Council began...
as a stylist and then became the director of Lotus Engineering in the 1960s, designing the first Lotus Europa
Lotus Europa
The Lotus Europa was a two door mid-engined GT coupé built by Lotus Cars from 1966 to 1975. In 2006 Lotus began production of a totally new, Lotus Elise-derived design, a mid-engined GT coupé named Europa S....
as part of Lotus' GT40 project bid. He came up with the wood-and-steel foldable Workmate bench when he damaged a chair he was using to steady a piece of wood that he was sawing through when making a wardrobe. His offer of a licence for the product he developed was rejected by several companies who couldn't see a large market for it, so Hickman sold the benches himself to professional builders at trade shows until Black & Decker saw the light in 1973 and began producing them. By 1981 it had sold 10 million benches. More than 30 million of the benches have now been sold, and Hickman defended his patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
numerous times against manufacturers attempting to copy it.
In 1977 he moved to Saint Brélade, Jersey, where he had a design factory and belonged to the Jersey Old Motor Club. He died at age 78 in hospital on the island after a five month long illness caused by a serious fall.