Trans-Lux
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Trans-Lux Corporation | |
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| Type | Public (AMEX: TLX) |
| Founded | Norwalk, CT (1920s)[1] |
| Headquarters | Norwalk, Connecticut |
| Key people | Michael R. Mulcahy, President/Co-CEO Thomas Brandt, EVP/Co-CEO Matthew Brandt, EVP Al L. Miller, EVP Angela D. Toppi, EVP, Treasurer, CFO |
| Industry | Manufacturing:High Technology |
| Products | See complete products listing. |
| Revenue | ▼$52.579 million USD (2004) |
| Employees | 504 (2008) |
| Website | www.trans-lux.com |
Trans-Lux is a major manufacturer of real-time displays, and became known for their stock market tickers. Their range included mechanical ones that appeared electronic by using yellow dots and a black background to give the illusion of green electronically-generated green lettering as the letters ran across the front of the machine. The machines were leased, not sold. Since the 1970s, Trans-Lux's world headquarters and main production facility has been located in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA.
The company began as "Edison Electric Industries", a subsidiary of the group of companies owned by Thomas Edison. Among several products that were started by Trans-Lux it included the very first stock ticker display technology that was used in the New York Stock Exchange. First displayed in 1923, this was a device that took information from a stock ticker, printed it on clear movie film stock, and then displayed that information on a wall using a movie projector. This was in an era well before computers, and previously any stock summary information had to be hand-written, usually on a chalk board. Trans-Lux still "holds" the patent for this device, as well as the original stock ticker concept used by stock exchanges, even though these patents have long since expired. It is this stock ticker that gave the name to the company, where "Trans-Lux" means "moving light". Even today, Trans-Lux is a major supplier of display devices for stock exchanges in many countries.
Trans-Lux is also a major manufacturer of outdoor electronic sign displays, such as those found on billboards, or outside truck stops, banks, and sports arenas. The outdoor signs are manufactured at a plant[2] in Iowa.
Over the decades, Trans-Lux has occasionally been involved with some lines of work that have seemingly little to do with display technology. Among them includes running a movie theater chain, and also a television program syndication service, best known for the Felix the Cat. The Mighty Hercules and Speed Racer animated series of the 1960s.
According to the 2007 documentary, "This Film Is Not Yet Rated", by Kirby Dick, Matthew Brandt is also a member of the MPAA Appeals Board.
In 1969 the company sold its television syndication arm[3] and moved into a new headquarters at 110 Richards Avenue in Norwalk, Connecticut. It sold the building and leased space from the new owners starting in 2004. Trans-Lux announced in November 2007 that it was moving its headquarters, with about 50 employees, from Richards Avenue in West Norwalk to a new location at 26 Pearl Street in the same city. Manufacturing operations involving about 50 employees making indoor displays at the Richards Avenue site would be moved to Stratford, Connecticut. The move was planned for early 2008 before the company's lease was up in June.[2]
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[edit] Company Divisions
Trans-Lux also has two subsidiaries:
- Fair Play Scoreboards, a scoreboard and sports equipment manufacturer.
- Trans-Lux commercial West, which creates videoboards and equiment.
[edit] Trivia
The Trans-Lux theater chain showed only newsreels and short subject films. A classic New Yorker cartoon by Peter Arno from September 26, 1936 shows one group of well-dressed people who are outside and speaking through an open window to another group indoors: "Come along. We're going to the Trans-Lux to hiss Roosevelt."[4]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Company Info - TRANS-LUX.
- ^ a b Healy, Peter, "Trans-Lux to slash costs with moves: Headquarters remains in Norwalk, but operations go to Stratford", news article, business section, The Advocate, November 22, 2007, this footnote only references the location of the plant as Iowa and the location of corporate headquarters in Norwalk and plant move to Stratford
- ^ Toy Collector Magazine.
- ^ Peter Arno : - Thenewyorkerstore.com
