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Western Electric Still in business, Kind of....

Started by Babybearjs, March 13, 2018, 12:34:34 AM

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Babybearjs

I'm sure you all know that Western Electric is still in business, but ONLY in the audio section.... I am in the process of repairing a old sears console radio with turn table and wanted to see if they made any tubes the unit takes... no, but they still make tubes! wonder how long it will be before they start making telephones again.... wouldn't that be nice!
John

Fabius

Are you sure it's THE Western Electric? The only place I've heard that still mass produces tubes is China.
Tom Vaughn
La Porte, Indiana
ATCA Past President
ATCA #765
C*NET 1+ 821-9905

jfisher

Found this on the Interweb:

http://www.westernelectric.com

Western Electric
World Headquarters
410 Chickamauga Ave, Ste 300
Rossville, Georgia 30741

They claim to go back to the original company.

Jerry

Fabius

Mr. Whitener, in cooperation with AT&T, resumed manufacturing of electron tubes within the Western Electric Kansas City Works in Lee Summit, Mo.

Very interesting. I wonder what ".... in cooperation with AT&T" means. Are they licensed to use the name, bought the name outright or in a joint venture with AT&T?
Tom Vaughn
La Porte, Indiana
ATCA Past President
ATCA #765
C*NET 1+ 821-9905

Jim Stettler

I have heard about them before. I think they bought some of the original manf. equipment and make the original bulbs to spec.

This is all old memory and hearsay,
Jim S.
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

Babybearjs

WE was renown for its audio... on almost all the old 1930, 40, and 50's movies... they are mentioned... WE sound Systems... I don't know the full history of the company, but to see them back up and running is real nice.... Now, if only the company had all of it divisions back.... wouldn't that be nice.... my WE 564 and others are such well built items.... too bad phones are so disposable now....
John

WEBellSystemChristian

I believe there was an older topic on this very subject. I thought it was some college that brought the name back for use with audio equipment.

I have always toyed with the idea of bringing back Western Electric back to their glory days...bringing back phones, fans (although made by other companies in most cases), lighting, kitchen appliances, household machinery, etc, but with the simplier, rugged, rebuildable quality that went away 50 years ago. It would all be either modern or timeless, the former having the ability to upgrade/swap components for updated parts. That way, you could keep a certain model in production for decades without phasing it out so rapidly like smartphones today.

If there were still a market for quality today, I think a big company like that could really give the others a run for their money!
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

Pourme

Quote from: WEBellSystemChristian on March 14, 2018, 04:43:53 PM
I believe there was an older topic on this very subject. I thought it was some college that brought the name back for use with audio equipment.

I have always toyed with the idea of bringing back Western Electric back to their glory days...bringing back phones, fans (although made by other companies in most cases), lighting, kitchen appliances, household machinery, etc, but with the simplier, rugged, rebuildable quality that went away 50 years ago. It would all be either modern or timeless, the former having the ability to upgrade/swap components for updated parts. That way, you could keep a certain model in production for decades without phasing it out so rapidly like smartphones today.

If there were still a market for quality today, I think a big company like that could really give the others a run for their money!

Good idea....

Western Electric Cell Phones?

~
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

WEBellSystemChristian

Quote from: Pourme on March 14, 2018, 06:03:22 PM
Good idea....

Western Electric Cell Phones?

~
Why not? ;D

Only if it's something that lasts longer than 5 years and you can fix/maintain yourself... :)
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

kb3pxr

Quote from: Fabius on March 13, 2018, 07:24:13 PM
Mr. Whitener, in cooperation with AT&T, resumed manufacturing of electron tubes within the Western Electric Kansas City Works in Lee Summit, Mo.

Very interesting. I wonder what ".... in cooperation with AT&T" means. Are they licensed to use the name, bought the name outright or in a joint venture with AT&T?

The Cooperation probably involved the trademark and maybe the facility. I've seen some minor hints of WE heritage in some AT&T equipment up into the 1990s as I have an early 90s answering machine but it had WE plugs on the telephone cord.

Quote from: WEBellSystemChristian on March 14, 2018, 06:05:41 PM
Why not? ;D

Only if it's something that lasts longer than 5 years and you can fix/maintain yourself... :)

I've had nightmares (similar principle of "The Matrix," but unrelated) where I had a bag phone with an Aqua Blue Rotary Trimline.

Babybearjs

I went to the site and found a bunch of PDF files for download.... lots of reading about the history if you want... I passed the info on to Wayne Merit for John Larue... telephone museums should have all this info if they don't yet...
John

AE_Collector


Babybearjs

back then they didn't have the history files.... just the obsolete tube listings...
John