Gestetner

Gestetner was a British office-equipment company and brand associated with stencil duplicators, especially the Cyclograph and later rotary duplicating machines. The name came from David Gestetner, a Hungarian-born inventor who worked in Vienna and New York before moving to London. He filed his first copying patent in Britain in 1879 and subsequently developed the Cyclostyle stylus and Cyclograph duplicating system. In 1881 he established the Gestetner Cyclograph Company to manufacture duplicators, stencils, styli, ink rollers and related supplies. The company's technology addressed a practical office problem. Before inexpensive duplicators, producing a short run of identical documents generally meant copying them by hand or sending the work to a commercial printer. Gestetner's stencil process allowed an operator to prepare one master and reproduce it mechanically, reducing labor and making the copies more uniform. A stylus cut a pattern through a wax-coated stencil; ink was then forced through the openings onto sheets of paper. Later machines used rotary drums and, in some models, scanning and stencil-burning mechanisms that automated master preparation. Gestetner established its manufacturing base in London and opened a major works at Tottenham Hale in north London in 1906. The facility became a substantial industrial operation, employing several thousand people during its history. Through branch offices, distributors and service operations, Gestetner products reached customers in a large number of countries; the company's historical account describes a network serving 153 countries. The brand therefore became strongly associated with office copying well beyond Britain, and “Gestetner” entered everyday usage as a genericized verb in some contexts, including the expression “Gestetnering.” Control of the business remained with the Gestetner family for much of the twentieth century. Management passed from David Gestetner to his son Sigmund Gestetner and later to Sigmund's sons David and Jonathan. The company also broadened its portfolio and international reach through acquisitions, including Nashua, later known as Nashuatec, as well as Rex Rotary, Hanimex and Savin. These transactions connected Gestetner with a wider group of copying and office-equipment businesses at a time when stencil duplicators were increasingly complemented or replaced by photocopiers and other reproduction technologies. In 1995 the international Gestetner company and brand were acquired by Japan's Ricoh Corporation. The business was subsequently renamed NRG Group PLC, which marketed and serviced Ricoh products under several principal brand names, particularly in Europe, South Africa and the Middle East, while also operating through dealers elsewhere. On 1 April 2007, Gestetner Group became part of Ricoh Europe under a broader organizational merger. Ricoh also combined the Gestetner dealer network with Lanier's network in North America, explaining that the two brands had been marketing identical products for many years. In practical terms, American customers using Gestetner-branded equipment could be directed toward equivalent Lanier-branded products. Gestetner's historical importance rests less on a current standalone product range than on its role in the development of office reproduction. The Cyclograph made the preparation of modest document runs accessible to businesses, schools, public institutions and other organizations that did not need a commercial printing press. The Model 66, designed by Raymond Loewy, is among the best-known machines associated with the brand; surviving examples are held by institutions including the British Museum and Churchill War Rooms. Following Ricoh's reorganization of the brand and dealer networks, Gestetner's independent corporate identity became less prominent, although its machines, terminology and historical legacy remain part of the history of duplicating and office-technology equipment.

David Gestetner was born in Hungary in 1854 and later worked in Vienna and New York before relocating to London. He filed his first copying patent in Britain in 1879. In 1881 he patented the Cyclostyle, a stylus used with his stencil-copying system, and founded the Gestetner Cyclograph Company. The company produced duplicating machines and the consumables needed to operate them, including stencils, styli and ink rollers. The Cyclograph used a thin, wax-coated sheet as a stencil. Writing or typing with the special stylus broke the wax surface along the intended marks, leaving openings through which ink could pass. The prepared stencil was placed on a screen or drum, and a rotating mechanism pressed ink through the openings onto sheets of paper. This allowed a single original to generate a consistent short run of copies. The technology was particularly useful for offices and organizations that needed more than a few copies but did not require a commercial print job. The company expanded its engineering and manufacturing activities in London. Its works at Tottenham Hale opened in 1906 and became a large facility that employed several thousand people during the twentieth century. Gestetner developed a substantial international sales and service presence, with branch offices and dealers supplying equipment in many countries. The brand became so closely associated with duplicating that “Gestetner” was sometimes used as a verb for making stencil copies. Leadership remained within the founding family for much of the company's development. David Gestetner was succeeded in management by his son Sigmund Gestetner, followed by Sigmund's sons David and Jonathan. The business also pursued expansion through acquisitions. Its associated companies included Nashua, later renamed Nashuatec, Rex Rotary, Hanimex and Savin. These businesses broadened the group's geographic coverage and product relationships as office reproduction moved from manual and stencil processes toward more advanced copying technologies. One of the best-known Gestetner machines was Model 66, designed by industrial designer Raymond Loewy. The model illustrates the company's combination of mechanical utility and industrial design. Historical examples are held by the British Museum and Churchill War Rooms in London. Gestetner duplicators, meanwhile, remained recognizable as products that could reproduce documents rapidly without the infrastructure of a traditional printing press. The competitive environment changed significantly as photocopiers and other reproduction systems became widespread. In 1995 Ricoh acquired the international Gestetner company and brand. The business was renamed NRG Group PLC and continued to market and service Ricoh products under several brand names, with particular emphasis on Europe, South Africa and the Middle East. The organization also retained dealer relationships in other regions. A further reorganization took effect on 1 April 2007, when Gestetner Group became Ricoh Europe. Ricoh merged the Gestetner dealer network with the Lanier network in North America. The company stated that Gestetner and Lanier had marketed identical products for many years, so North American customers could generally be served with equivalent Lanier-branded equipment. This marked the end of Gestetner's prominence as an independently organized international office-equipment business, while the name continued to have historical significance in duplicating technology.

• 2007

  Integration into Ricoh Europe

  [1]Gestetneren.wikipedia.org

  Gestetner Group became Ricoh Europe, and its dealer network was combined with Lanier's network in North America.

• 1995

  Acquisition by Ricoh

  [1]Gestetneren.wikipedia.org

  Ricoh acquired the international Gestetner company and brand.

• 1906

  Tottenham Hale works opens

  [1]Gestetneren.wikipedia.org

  Gestetner opened a major manufacturing works at Tottenham Hale in north London.

• 1881

  Cyclostyle patent and company foundation

  [1]Gestetneren.wikipedia.org

  Gestetner patented the Cyclostyle stylus and founded the Gestetner Cyclograph Company to manufacture duplicating equipment and supplies.

• 1879

  First British copying patent

  [1]Gestetneren.wikipedia.org

  David Gestetner filed his first copying patent in London, establishing the technical and commercial foundation for the future business.

Historically positioned as a practical, efficient and widely serviceable office-copying brand for producing short and medium document runs. Its distinctive value was the ability to create many mechanically consistent copies from a single stencil without relying on a commercial printer.

• Stencil duplicator · 1881

  Gestetner Cyclograph

  The Cyclograph was Gestetner's foundational stencil duplicating system. An operator prepared a wax-coated paper stencil with a special stylus or, after typewriters became available, by typing directly onto the stencil. Ink was forced through the resulting openings onto paper, allowing offices to produce consistent short runs without handwriting every copy or using a commercial printer.

• Rotary duplicator

  Gestetner Model 66

  Model 66 was one of the most recognizable Gestetner machines and was designed by industrial designer Raymond Loewy. It represented the mature rotary-duplicator format, using a prepared stencil mounted around a rotating drum so that ink could be transferred repeatedly to paper. Surviving examples are held in museum and historic collections.

• Office duplicating equipment

  Gestetner rotary duplicators

  Gestetner's rotary machines used a stencil wrapped around a drum or screen. Ink was distributed across the stencil surface and pressed through the cut areas onto sheets fed through the machine. Later variants incorporated mechanisms that scanned an original and created the master stencil by burning or perforating it as the drum rotated.

• Consumables and accessories

  Gestetner stencil and duplicating supplies

  The company supplied the operating materials required by its duplicating systems, including wax-coated stencil sheets, Cyclostyle styli, ink rollers and duplicating ink. These consumables were central to the recurring office workflow and helped establish Gestetner as a complete duplicating solution rather than only a machine manufacturer.

• 2007

  Integrate Gestetner and Lanier dealer networksStrategy

  Background

  Ricoh stated that Gestetner and Lanier had marketed identical products for many years in their respective dealer channels.

  Action taken

  Ricoh incorporated Gestetner Group into Ricoh Europe and merged the Gestetner dealer network with Lanier's North American network.

  Aftermath

  North American customers could use equivalent Lanier-branded products in place of earlier Gestetner-branded equipment.

  Source

• 1995

  Sell the international business to RicohM&A

  Background

  Gestetner was operating in an office-equipment market increasingly shaped by photocopiers and broader document-imaging businesses.

  Action taken

  The international Gestetner company and brand were acquired by Ricoh Corporation of Japan.

  Aftermath

  The business was renamed NRG Group PLC and continued marketing and servicing Ricoh products under multiple brand names.

  Source

• 2007

  Gestetner Group becomes part of Ricoh Europe[1]Gestetneren.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  On 1 April 2007, the Gestetner Group was reorganized as Ricoh Europe. Ricoh also merged the Gestetner and Lanier dealer networks, citing the fact that the brands had been selling identical products for years.

• 1995

  Ricoh acquires the international Gestetner company and brand[1]Gestetneren.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Ricoh of Japan acquired the international Gestetner business and brand, beginning the transition of the company into Ricoh's wider office-equipment organization.

1. 1Gestetneren.wikipedia.org