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UK Says Goodbye to the Trusty TypewriterLONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, Nov 22, 2012 (Marketwire via COMTEX) -- The last typewriter to be produced in the UK has come off the production line at a factory in North Wales. Brother's CM1000 electronic typewriter will now take its place in history on display at the Science Museum in London. It is the 5,855,533rd typewriter to be produced in the factory since it opened in 1985. The factory - owned by Brother International, a worldwide technology and electronics company which has its European and UK headquarters in Manchester, England producing a range of Brother printers as well as typewriters - will continue to be in operation. Edward Bryan is one of Brother's longest serving members of staff at the North Wales factory. He said: "I'll be sad to see the end of the typewriter. I started working here in 1989 and have helped to make around 5.8million typewriters. But we have to move with the times, and so now we're enjoying working on other office technologies and Brother's recycling scheme for its used printer cartridges." Phil Jones, UK country head of Brother said: "We made the decision to end production of the typewriter simply because office culture has changed so dramatically since we began back in 1985. Employees are now much more collaborative, for example, sharing work using cloud computing and interacting more face-to-face, which has become easier and quicker due to new technologies such as web conferencing. Our business now focuses on bringing these new technologies to our customers. "However, despite all these changes, the typewriter does hold a special place in the hearts of some of our most loyal customers and staff. Because of this, and the typewriter's importance in the history of business communication, we felt that giving it a home at the Science Museum would be a fitting tribute." Rachel Boon, Assistant Curator of Technologies and Engineering at the Science Museum, London, said: "We're excited to add the Brother CM1000 to our rich collection of typewriters. This object represents the end of typewriter manufacture in the UK, a technology which has developed over the last 130 years and has been important to so many lives. This model will enable us to tell the story of how technology has evolved in accordance with our communication needs. We'd like to thank Brother for the company's kind donation, which will be an invaluable addition to over 200 typewriters in our collection." 10 Facts about Brother Typewriters 1. The Brother factory opened in Wrexham, North Wales in July 1985. In 1987, a further site was opened in nearby Ruabon. It is this site in Ruabon that is still in operation today. 2. Brother has produced a massive 5,855,533 typewriters since the factory opened. 3. Electronic typewriters continue to have a place in the markets of other countries, notably in the U.S, which Brother International supplies from its factory in Malaysia. 4. 3,000 members of staff have worked on the production line of the electronic typewriters since July 1985. 5. At its peak in the early 90's, the factory was producing up to 2,500 typewriters per day with 300 staff. 6. As we moved into the Millennium, production was reduced to around 800 units per day with 30 line staff as Brother turned its attention to more modern technologies. 7. Brother has produced 13 different typewriter models since 1985. 8. In 1992 Brother sponsored the Winter Olympic Games by providing typewriters for journalists to use. Brother sent a small team to Albertville, France to provide technical support to the media. 9. In 1989 Prince Charles attended the official opening of the Wrexham Technology Park. Brother was one of the very first facilities on the Technology Park with the factory open in 1986 (production had started in temporary facilities on the site in 1985). 10. Brother continues to provide innovative solutions for business communication - as well as mobile printing solutions and software to enable employees to print from smartphones, it has recently launched 'OmniJoin', a sophisticated web conferencing solution. Note to editors - Brother UK Ltd. is a member of the Brother Group of Nagoya, Japan. Based in Manchester, Brother UK provide a wide product portfolio which includes including, colour & mono laser Printers, Fax Machines, all in one printers, Multi-Function Centres, Word Processors, Typewriters, Labelling Machines, Sewing Machines. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Jonathan Swindlehurst +44 161 242 7295 SOURCE: Brother |