Parvalux Electric Motors Ltd is a manufacturer of fractional horsepower geared electric motors. Based in Wallisdown, Bournemouth in southern England.
The company name derives from the latin "parvulus" and "lux" meaning 'little light'.
Contents |
From humble beginnings in Romford, Parvalux was founded in 1947 by the late Mr Leslie J. Clark (affectionately known in the company as "LJ"), where the business grew from re-winding motors to manufacturing a huge range of DC and AC electric motors along with worm and spur gearboxes, relocating in 1957 to Bournemouth. In 2008 Parvalux acquired rival firm and DC motor application specialists EMD Drives Systems (formerly known as Electric Motor Development) of Halstead, Essex.
The company has continued to develop new products over several decades and has become one of the south-west’s prominent manufacturers and the UK’s leading manufacturer of sub 1kW electric motors and gearboxes.
Today the business is privately owned by the Clark Group of Companies and managed by Chief Executive, and grandson of LJ, Steven Clark, has an estimated annual manufacturing capability of 300,000 units and turnover of approximately GBP18m.
One notable application of a Parvalux product was documented as under test at the university of California in 1966 for inclusion on the cancelled Voyager program (Mars) mission.[1]
The Brayebrook Observatory in Cambridgeshire uses two Parvalux AC induction gear-motor units to operate dome and shutter functions.[2]
In 2006 Team Joker used a Parvalux unit as a servo motor on their combat robot 'Joker'.[3]
Classic Flight cite Parvalux's PM60LWS as a component in a build-your-own motion base for flight simulation.[4]
Parvalux also now offers a fully bespoke OEM product design service for quantities over 5,000 units.
Sacks, Tony (2006), "Parvalux sets up Chinese factory - and expands in the UK", Drives & Controls 2006 (November): 1, http://www.drives.co.uk/fullstory.asp?id=61.
Sacks, Tony (2007), "Parvalux aims to double in size within five years", Drives & Controls 2007 (November): 1, http://www.drives.co.uk/fullstory.asp?id=2131.
Severn, Jonathan (2008), "Electric motors and gearboxes may never look the same again", European Design Engineer Magazine 2008 (March): 1, http://www.engineerlive.com/in-our-opinion/20019/electric-motors-and-gearboxes-may-never-look-the-same-again.thtml.
Sacks, Tony (2008), "Parvalux buys EMD to create UK's largest gear-motor maker", Drives & Controls 2008 (September): 1, http://www.drives.co.uk/fullstory.asp?id=2364.