History

Senior Flexonics "Firsts"

By the mid-1950's, Flexonics had achieved many industry "firsts":

  • First to make stainless steel hose
  • First to make stainless steel bellows
  • First to make multi-ply stainless steel bellows for high pressure
  • First to make high-strength, butt-welded thin wall stainless steel ducting
  • First to make deposition-formed, one piece, thin wall duct components such as elbows, tees, manifolds, and transition pieces that replaced casting and half shells welded together
  • First to furnish insulated ducting sheathed and sealed
  • First to completely design, manufacture and qualification test an entire high temperature aircraft duct system for heating, ventilating, refrigeration, anti-icing and boundary layer control systems
  • First supplier to install complete pneumatic duct flow facilities for environmental testing of components and complete aircraft ducting systems

 

The Early Years

The company's origin dates back to October 27, 1902 when Chicago Tubing and Braiding Company first opened its doors in Chicago, Illinois. The company's chief product was a gas-tight flexible hose for use in all types of gas heating and gas illuminating devices.

In 1937 the company changed its name to Chicago Metal Hose Corporation. In 1941 Chicago Metal Hose began to expand. A new plant was built in Elgin, Illinois to house the Engineering and Stainless Steel Products divisions.

During the next ten years the company added divisions in the following locations:

  • Rock Falls, Illinois
  • Savanna, Illinois
  • Memphis, Tennessee
  • Santa Ana, California
  • Elizabeth, New Jersey
  • Brampton, Ontario

 

Flexonics Canada is Born

The operation in Brampton was first known as Canadian Metal Hose. In 1952, the name was changed to Flexonics Corporation of Canada.

The Brampton plant was about one-quarter of its current size and employed 15 people. According to reports, there were no ceilings in the office and bare pipes were visible. Most of the equipment came from Chicago Metal Hose Corporation.


Growth and Changes

The Canadian operation, now known as Flexonics Limited, continued to grow and began to manufacture automotive brake hose and power steering hose. The plant operated with three shifts.

The plant was last expanded in 1978, when a new high bay was added. A roll former was installed so that large diameter expansion joints, up to 150 inches, could be produced. Some spectacular joints were manufactured for Ontario Hydro and Atomic Energy. The largest weighed 10 tons and required special cranes to load it onto a rail car adjacent to the plant.

In 1970, Flexonics became a division of Universal Oil Products (UOP), which employed 11,600 people in over 40 locations in 10 countries. UOP was a subsidiary of Signal Corporation which employed 60,000 people in 37 countries.

On October 26, 1983 Flexonics became part of Zimmerman Holdings Inc., a privately owned company.

On February 1, 1992 Flexonics was purchased by Senior Engineering Group plc., based in England. At that time, Senior had 5,500 employees in companies located throughout Europe, North America, Australia and the Far East.

In 1999, Senior Flexonics (Canada) Limited acquired the assets of Hydro-Flex Inc., based in Ancaster Ontario. Hydro-Flex was a producer of metal and Teflon© hose assemblies and cryogenic products.

Today, Flexonics continues to produce expansion joints, flexible metal and Teflon© hose assemblies, flexible connectors, and cryogenic assemblies at its two Canadian manufacturing locations.