{"id":2827,"date":"2022-10-26T12:56:14","date_gmt":"2022-10-26T18:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edmonton1.one\/?p=2827"},"modified":"2024-12-20T02:00:32","modified_gmt":"2024-12-20T08:00:32","slug":"the-forgotten-thorn-lighting-factory-in-edmonton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edmonton1.one\/en\/eternal\/the-forgotten-thorn-lighting-factory-in-edmonton-2827","title":{"rendered":"The Forgotten Thorn Lighting Factory in Edmonton"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Thorn Lighting Ltd, a subsidiary of Zumtobel Group, was once the largest global producer of lamps and lighting fixtures. In its heyday, the Edmonton-based factory flourished, overtaking competitors and building an extensive production network. However, the story of its rise and eventual closure is one of ambition, innovation, and shifting priorities. More on <a href=\"https:\/\/edmonton1.one\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/edmonton1.one\/\">edmonton1.one<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a68dcefab710\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a68dcefab710\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/edmonton1.one\/en\/eternal\/the-forgotten-thorn-lighting-factory-in-edmonton-2827\/#Origins_of_the_Factory\" >Origins of the Factory<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/edmonton1.one\/en\/eternal\/the-forgotten-thorn-lighting-factory-in-edmonton-2827\/#The_Factorys_Golden_Era\" >The Factory&#8217;s Golden Era<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/edmonton1.one\/en\/eternal\/the-forgotten-thorn-lighting-factory-in-edmonton-2827\/#Closure_of_the_Edmonton_Factory\" >Closure of the Edmonton Factory<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/edmonton1.one\/en\/eternal\/the-forgotten-thorn-lighting-factory-in-edmonton-2827\/#Legacy_of_Thorn_Lighting\" >Legacy of Thorn Lighting<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Origins_of_the_Factory\"><\/span>Origins of the Factory<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1272\" height=\"657\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.edmonton1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2024\/12\/1-8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2828\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.edmonton1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2024\/12\/1-8.jpg 1272w, https:\/\/cdn.edmonton1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2024\/12\/1-8-300x155.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.edmonton1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2024\/12\/1-8-768x397.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.edmonton1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2024\/12\/1-8-696x359.jpg 696w, https:\/\/cdn.edmonton1.one\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2024\/12\/1-8-1068x552.jpg 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1272px) 100vw, 1272px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1923, Joe Thorn moved to Edmonton as a sales representative for Olso, an Austrian manufacturer of gas mantles. By 1928, Olso had declared bankruptcy, prompting Thorn to start his own business. With Alfred Deutsch, Thorn established Electric Lamp Service Company Ltd, which initially produced incandescent light bulbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thorn\u2019s vision to create a factory capable of producing 30 million lamps annually was met with skepticism and ridicule. Undeterred, he went on to build over 70 factories worldwide, manufacturing not just lamps but also lighting fixtures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alongside the factory, Thorn opened a radio rental store in Edmonton. By 1932, the factory expanded its product line to include various types of light bulbs. By 1936, the company had gone public as Thorn Electrical Industries and became the world\u2019s largest producer of lamps and lighting fixtures, earning a listing on the London Stock Exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Initially producing light fixtures and household appliances, the factory later diversified into televisions and radios. By the time the Edmonton factory opened, it employed over 1,000 workers, including engineers, electricians, and support staff. Women played a significant role, particularly in sorting and quality control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Factorys_Golden_Era\"><\/span>The Factory&#8217;s Golden Era<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After going public, Thorn\u2019s lamp business thrived. During World War II, production shifted to meet military needs. Post-war, Thorn invested in new factories and partnerships, producing a wide range of specialty lamps, radio valves, and military electronic components.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1947, the Edmonton factory launched <em>PopPack<\/em>, a track lighting product that became a best-seller with over 90 million units sold. Thorn\u2019s emphasis on quality solidified the company\u2019s reputation in Edmonton and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During a 1947 trip to America, Thorn forged a significant partnership with a company specializing in fluorescent lamps. This 15-year agreement allowed for mutual exchange of products and production equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thorn also diversified incandescent lamp production outside Edmonton to reduce costs, benefiting from government subsidies. This expansion led to the construction of a state-of-the-art factory in Merthyr Tydfil, which operated in tandem with the Edmonton facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Closure_of_the_Edmonton_Factory\"><\/span>Closure of the Edmonton Factory<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>By the 1960s, Thorn\u2019s brand had expanded significantly, with new branches in other cities outperforming Edmonton in profitability. In light of these developments, Thorn made the decision to shut down the Edmonton factory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The factory ceased operations in 1967, as noted in a report by the Government Commission on Competition in Electrical Lamp Supplies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Legacy_of_Thorn_Lighting\"><\/span>Legacy of Thorn Lighting<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Edmonton factory\u2019s history is a testament to Thorn\u2019s vision and determination. Despite its closure, the factory laid the groundwork for a global lighting empire that set industry standards for quality and innovation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thorn Lighting Ltd, a subsidiary of Zumtobel Group, was once the largest global producer of lamps and lighting fixtures. In its heyday, the Edmonton-based factory flourished, overtaking competitors and building an extensive production network. However, the story of its rise and eventual closure is one of ambition, innovation, and shifting priorities. More on edmonton1.one. Origins [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":465,"featured_media":2831,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1164],"tags":[2390,2383,2377,2389,2382,2395,2386,2385,2396,2378,2379,2384,2381,2394],"moimportance":[78,81],"motype":[1158],"moformat":[83],"class_list":{"0":"post-2827","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-edmonton-factories","9":"tag-edmonton-industrial-history","10":"tag-edmonton-lamp-factory","11":"tag-historic-factories-alberta","12":"tag-joe-thorn","13":"tag-lamp-production-canada","14":"tag-lighting-industry-history","15":"tag-lighting-innovation","16":"tag-lighting-production-alberta-2","17":"tag-poppack-lighting","18":"tag-thorn-electrical-industries","19":"tag-thorn-lighting-edmonton","20":"tag-thorn-lighting-legacy","21":"tag-zumtobel-group-subsidiary","22":"moimportance-golovna-novina","23":"moimportance-retranslyacziya-v-agregatori","24":"motype-eternal","25":"moformat-vlasna"},"modified_by":"Viktorij Voitova","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edmonton1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edmonton1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edmonton1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmonton1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/465"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmonton1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2827"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/edmonton1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2827\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2834,"href":"https:\/\/edmonton1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2827\/revisions\/2834"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmonton1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2831"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edmonton1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmonton1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmonton1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2827"},{"taxonomy":"moimportance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmonton1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moimportance?post=2827"},{"taxonomy":"motype","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmonton1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/motype?post=2827"},{"taxonomy":"moformat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmonton1.one\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moformat?post=2827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}