Ferranti-Packard : pioneers in Canadian electrical manufacturing / Norman R. Ball and John N. Vardalas.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ball, Norman R.

Contributor:

Vardalas, John N.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Ferranti-Packard Transformers--History.

Ferranti-Packard Transformers.

Electric machinery industry--Canada--History.

Electric machinery industry.

Electronic industries--Canada--History.

Electronic industries.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (353 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Montreal : McGill-Queen's University Press, c1994.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Through their case-study of the evolution of a relatively small manufacturer such as Ferranti-Packard, Ball and Vardalas address a number of broader themes in the history of Canadian business and technology. Ferranti-Packard was British-owned and thus provides a revealing subject for the authors' investigation of the impact of foreign direct investment on Canadian industrial and technological capabilities. An important theme in this analysis is the interplay of British and North American corporate cultures. Ball and Vardalas explain the complex nature of technical and managerial relationships between subsidiaries and parent firms, demonstrating that Ferranti-Packard did not passively receive parent-firm expertise but was highly innovative in product design and marketing philosophy. The association between government and business in the development and direction of technology in Canadian industries since the Second World War is also explored.

Contents:

Front Matter

Contents

Foreword

Preface

The Technology that Gave Birth to Ferranti-Packard

Birth of Packard Electric

Ferranti Arrives in Canada

Ferranti Builds a Manufacturing Ease in Canada

Packard Electric, 1912–1945

Ferranti and Packard

From Canadian to North American

Birth of the Electronics Division

The Rise and Fall of Canada’s First Commercial Computer

End of an Era

Epilogue: Ferranti-Packard’s Journey to Rolls-Royce

Chronology

Notes

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0-7735-6381-4

OCLC:

181843934