Propert History
Since arriving in Australia aboard the “Samuel Plimsoll” from England in 1877,
the Propert family has been an industrious and inventive one – from making wine
barrels to manufacturing products as diverse as truck bodies and bathroom
scales, and patenting original designs, ranging from folding caravans to egg
beaters along the way.
Propert Australia Pty Ltd had its beginnings in the 1920s, when Charles Propert
started out on his own, making
equipment for spraying prickly pear & then diversified into
lawn sprinklers and garden hose accessories. In the 1930s & 40s, he
took out a number of
patents on ball drive egg beaters, the forerunner of the current #8 egg
beater still sold by the company.
In the mid 1930s, his son, Bert Propert joined him and then took over
management of the business in 1935 at the age of twenty one. A year later the
business was moved from Arncliffe to
Bridge St, Epping. A number of
toolmakers were employed making the tools & dies needed for
manufacturing.
During the Second World War, production consisted mainly of parts for the army.
However, after 1945, production of
egg beaters resumed in earnest. It peaked at 260,000 units per year in
1950/51. Some of the cartoons (Cartoon
1, Cartoon 2 &
Cartoon 3) of the time
were done by “The Sun” evening newspaper cartoonist, Emile Mercier.
In 1950 the business was incorporated into C.E.Propert Pty Ltd and moved to
premises in West Ryde. Gradually a number of products such as
flour sifters and
food tongs were added to the range of products manufactured, in
addition to
egg beaters. In the days before computer ordering systems, retail store
buyers gave hand-written
orders for products when called upon by sales representatives.
Manufacture of bathroom and kitchen scales commenced in 1965, for and as a
shareholder in, Hanson Housewares. The shares in this company were sold in 1976
& the tooling for manufacturing bathroom scales was purchased to enable
sales of scales under the Propert brand.
The company gradually built up a range of manufactured kitchenware products and
some other housewares products (Cosyglo
Heater &
Ironing Caddy). In 1974 the company started manufacture of
aluminium ladders under licence to a Dutch manufacturer. The following
year saw the purchase of the business of Wm.S.Lambert, to take over their
manufacture of
metal parts for office systems.
In 1972, Bert Propert retired due to illness and handed over management of the
company to the third generation, Bruce Propert, who like his father before him,
took over the reins at the age of twenty one.
In the late 1970s attempts were made to sell
bathroom scales to Hong Kong and other Asian markets. However, in the
early 1980s the pressure of international wage differentials and the lack of
government support of Australian manufacturing led to the closing of the
manufacturing plant and to sourcing products from overseas. This started in
1980 with an agreement to import a range of
bathroom & kitchen scales from Tanita Corporation in Japan.
In April 1982 a trip to Hong Kong, Taiwan & the Phillipines revealed the
painful fact that kitchenware products could be sourced at 50% of our local
factory costs. With no long term manufacturing future, the company started to
wind down manufacturing of these products and commenced importing them from
Hong Kong in July 1982. The
product range was extended with new imported products.
All manufacturing plant & equipment was finally sold in March 1984 and in
September, the now predominantly importing & warehousing business was moved
to adjoining
premises which had been purchased. The larger premises previously
required for manufacturing were rented to a smash repair business. In 1985
Flossticks was added to the product range.
In 1986 the West Ryde premises were sold and the business moved to Castle Hill.
The range of
scales was extended to include electronic & even talking scales.
In 1990 the company diversified for a time into importing & distributing a
range of decorative figures & gift items. These were displayed at a number
of gift trade
fairs Housewares product leaflets (Kitchenware
brochure &
Nutrition scale) showed products added and reflected changing corporate
presentation. In 1999 sales of
Faberware products commenced under licence.
The requirement for additional warehouse space necessitated the move to the
current premises in 2001.
With a heritage in manufacturing of about 80 years and involvement with
bathroom scales of 40 years, experienced company staff retain an active role in
the selection and design of products sold by the company.
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