Hills Industries
Encyclopedia
Hills Industries is a diversified Australian
company that makes home, hardware
and electronics. The company has been described as an Australian legend, and was founded on the production of a single product, the Hills Rotary Hoist
.
Lance Hill's brother-in-law Harold Ling returned from the war and joined him to form a partnership in 1946. Ling became the key figure in expanding the production and marketing of the Hills hoist. In 1947 Hills Hoists
began manufacturing a wind-up clothes hoist. This design, often incorrectly credited to Lance Hill, had been patented by Gilbert Toyne
in 1925. It was an all-metal model (Australian Patent No. 24553/25) with its enclosed crown wheel-and-pinion winding mechanism. Toyne had established manufacturing sites in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney and his Toyne hoist was available for purchase nationwide by the 1930s. However it was Hills entry into the market place at the end of World War II
which saw them gain dominance of the rotary clothes hoist market.
The company Hills Hoists became Hills Industries
in 1958. They purchased an Adelaide tube-making mill to ensure supplies of steel tubing, which was difficult to obtain during World War II. In the following years, Hills Industries also purchased a galvanising firm, as well as a plate and polishing shop.
In 1955, Hills Industries became a public company. However, Lance Hill retired in 1956 due to ill-health, and Harold Ling took over as chairman of the company. In 1959, the company began manufacturing television antennae
. It quickly diversified into other products, usually involving some form of metal fabrication, such as playground swings and folding chairs.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
company that makes home, hardware
Builders hardware
Builders' hardware, or just builders hardware, is a group of metal hardware specifically used for protection, decoration, and convenience in buildings. Building products do not make any part of a building, rather they support them and make them work. It usually supports fixtures like windows,...
and electronics. The company has been described as an Australian legend, and was founded on the production of a single product, the Hills Rotary Hoist
Hills Hoist
A Hills Hoist is a height-adjustable rotary clothes line, manufactured in Adelaide, South Australia by Lance Hill since 1945. The Hills Hoist and similar rotary clothes hoists remain a common fixture in many backyards in Australia and New Zealand...
.
History
Lance Hill began to manufacture a lever-style Hills rotary clothes hoist in his backyard in 1945.Lance Hill's brother-in-law Harold Ling returned from the war and joined him to form a partnership in 1946. Ling became the key figure in expanding the production and marketing of the Hills hoist. In 1947 Hills Hoists
Hills Hoist
A Hills Hoist is a height-adjustable rotary clothes line, manufactured in Adelaide, South Australia by Lance Hill since 1945. The Hills Hoist and similar rotary clothes hoists remain a common fixture in many backyards in Australia and New Zealand...
began manufacturing a wind-up clothes hoist. This design, often incorrectly credited to Lance Hill, had been patented by Gilbert Toyne
Gilbert Toyne
Gilbert Toyne Australian inventor.Gilbert Toyne was born at Darriwill, Victoria, Australia and trained as a blacksmith, wheelwright and farrier. He went on to invent, patent and market four rotary clothes hoist designs in Australia...
in 1925. It was an all-metal model (Australian Patent No. 24553/25) with its enclosed crown wheel-and-pinion winding mechanism. Toyne had established manufacturing sites in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney and his Toyne hoist was available for purchase nationwide by the 1930s. However it was Hills entry into the market place at the end of 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...
which saw them gain dominance of the rotary clothes hoist market.
The company Hills Hoists became Hills Industries
Hills Industries
Hills Industries is a diversified Australian company that makes home, hardware and electronics. The company has been described as an Australian legend, and was founded on the production of a single product, the Hills Rotary Hoist.-History:...
in 1958. They purchased an Adelaide tube-making mill to ensure supplies of steel tubing, which was difficult to obtain during World War II. In the following years, Hills Industries also purchased a galvanising firm, as well as a plate and polishing shop.
In 1955, Hills Industries became a public company. However, Lance Hill retired in 1956 due to ill-health, and Harold Ling took over as chairman of the company. In 1959, the company began manufacturing television antennae
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
. It quickly diversified into other products, usually involving some form of metal fabrication, such as playground swings and folding chairs.