THE HISTORY OF SC JOHNSON IN GREAT BRITAIN “Make something better than your competitors, tell everyone about it, and people will insist on buying it”. So said Samuel Curtis Johnson in 1886 when he founded his parquet flooring business in Racine, Wisconsin, USA. From these small beginnings has evolved an international corporation operating in nearly 70 countries with annual turnover in excess of $4.5 billion ake something better than sold and SC Johnson & Sons had a venture. Apart from having to your competitors, tell been launched as a manufacturer face considerable local competition, Meveryone about it, and and marketer of polishing and war in Europe had now broken people will insist on buying it”. So cleaning products. It has never out. Indeed, the first consignment said Samuel Curtis Johnson in 1886 looked back. Product ranges have of wax from Racine never reached when he founded his parquet been consistently extended and the shores of Britain - a German flooring business in Racine, acquisitions of complementary torpedo sent the vessel to the Wisconsin, USA. companies made. bottom of the Atlantic. Persistence and optimism fortunately prevailed. It is in the fulfilment of this belief In June 1914, as the great powers that the worldwide growth and of Europe headed towards war, The business prospered throughout success of the CS Johnson business Herbert Fisk Johnson, the son of the war years. By 1919 it had have since been built. outgrown the High From a very small Holborn premises parquet flooring and a search began business in a mid- NTERNATIONAL, to find a new home Western state has I for the Company. So evolved an began the long international YET A FAMILY association with corporation operating West Drayton. in nearly 70 countries BUSINESS with annual turnover Great virtues in excess of $4.5 “International it may be, Dilapidated as it billion. was, Collham Mill at but it remains a family International it may West Drayton in be, but it remains a business, one of the Middlesex had two family-owned private largest in the world. The great virtues: it provided badly business, one of the Johnson family is still at largest of its kind in needed storage the world. The its helm and Dr H. Fisk space and it stood Johnson family is still Johnson, the current beside the Grand Union Canal. This at its helm and Samuel Chairman, is the 5th Dr. H. Fisk Johnson, position permitted the present Chairman, generation of his family to the waxes, wood is the 5th generation lead the enterprise”. stains and varnishes, of his family to lead which were still the enterprise. being imported from the U.S.A. to be Having set up his delivered flooring business, it was not long before conveniently and Samuel Curtis Johnson economically by was being asked by barge. his customers to The mill was develop a prepared repaired and an wax paste to care for their newly- Samuel Curtis Johnson, arrived in office built. In those days most installed parquet floors. Great Britain and opened a small orders were small and the Market potentials office at 244 High Holborn in warehouse crew - a foreman and an helper - went into West Drayton He soon realised, however, that London. His purpose was to find a to buy a suitably sized box for there existed a potential market not new market for his company’s each customer’s delivery!! only for a product to care for his paste waxes. The first overseas floors but also for products to subsidiary of SC Johnson was The business continued to grow. In protect and enhance furniture and established. 1922 it became a limited company. that new wonder, the automobile. A less persistent and optimistic man In 1923 a factory was added to the By the turn of the century, the than Herbert Fisk Johnson might site and native manufacturing parquet flooring business had been well have been deterred from such began. The import of goods from the US was phased out. over sixpence” (2.5p) policy. was shipped to Russia to help Production methods at that time Production at West Drayton soared speed the Red Army over the snow and by 1935 a new building had to during the siege of Leningrad. could hardly be described as be added to the factory. The future sophisticated. The waxes were With peace in 1945, employees looked very bright, but then in melted down in open kettles and began to return from active service 1939 the Second World War broke poured into a bucket from which and raw materials again became the tins of polishes were filled by out. available. Full production was hand. An old ceiling fan was used Employees were called up into the resumed. By 1949 output was for cooling purposes. Everyone services and the factory went over doubling each year and it was helped on a production run, from to producing bomb sights for the apparent that factory space was the Managing Director to the office R.A.F. Whenever materials became inadequate. A new four storey clerks. By 1929 the building was added staff totalled 16 plus a to the site and dog who kept the old production from it mill free from rats. SIGNIFICANT began in 1950. New Early adverts products came on ESTAMENTS TO apace. From its earliest days T Pledge boost in Great Britain, the Company had PRODUCT QUALITY It was the advertised its introduction of products. By 1960 “the Company had Pledge, the world’s Advertisements in now become a significant force first aerosol furniture press and magazines in the household and industrial polish, in 1958, had begun to appear which resulted in a as early as 1916. polishing, cleaning and hygiene massive increase in During the 1920’s the markets in the country. It was the company’s new medium of proud that it held - and business. Within wireless was used. weeks of its launch, continues to hold - four Royal Radio Luxembourg Pledge had become was attracting huge Warrants for its products”. Britain’s leading audiences. Slowly but furniture polish, an surely the company’s envied position it still name and reputation retains. became better known and new ideas in sales The Glade range of promotion and aerosol air fresheners merchandising were were launched in adopted. 1959 and, like Glo-Coat, the first self Pledge, soon attained shining floor polish a leading market ever produced, was share. launched in 1932 With the successful during the height of launches of Pledge and Glade, it the great depression and was available, a batch of polish would soon became clear that the West be made, but you had to be very considered a marvel at the time. Its Drayton site could no longer introduction marked the beginning “well in” with your grocer to get a continue to cope with the of a rapid expansion in the can. Some wax products were still company’s production needs. Since Company’s fortune. Another major manufactured - shoe polish, boot all scope for factory expansion had breakthrough which helped to dubbin and rifle-bore cleaner but been exhausted, the search began establish the Johnson name in all these items went to the armed for a new home for the business. Britain was the production of small services. It is perhaps ironic to containers of polish for sale by reflect that it was the war which A 66 acre site was speedily found Woolworth stores, which in the led to the first export of a Johnson in Frimley Green, Surrey. By 1960 1930’s had a strict “nothing sold product from Great Britain. Ski wax some 125,000 square feet of factory and offices were built and Throughout the 1990’s, SC Johnson featured in the main national news occupied. received over 40 recognitions for bulletins on both BBC and ITV, its environmental efforts around the The company had now become a such was the uniqueness of the world. The company’s emphasis significant force in the house hold event. on cleaner technology resulted in and industrial polishing, cleaning 1986 saw British Johnson’s second the elimination of more than 460 and hygiene markets in the acquisition, the Brillo million pounds of waste from its country. It was proud that it held - Manufacturing Company of Great products and processes world and continues to hold four Royal Britain, famous for its Brillo Soap wide. Warrants for its products. Pads and Lifeguard Disinfectant. In 1963, the company installed its 70th Birthday This acquisition led to the first computer. In 1984 British Johnson celebrated construction of another 23,000 square feet of factory 1968 saw the British building. The factory Johnson’s first entry and office site now into the field of covered some 24 acquisition. In that AFUTURE BASED acres, an impressive year, the company growth in 17 years. acquired the respected ON PAST OPTIMISM J.Goddard & Sons Ltd., The third acquisition famous since 1839 for AND TRENGTH occurred in 1993. the manufacture of S Through its silver and metal American parent’s polishes. “SC Johnson’s story in purchase of the Drackett Company New Warehouse Great Britain since 1914 in the United States, In 1970 a new has been one of consistent British Johnson warehouse of 143,000 success and growth. It acquired the Mr Muscle range of square feet was views its future with the constructed. So within products. And ten years the factory continued optimism and continuous had almost doubled in confidence which has so innovation has led to the growth of size. In 1982 a further strongly pervaded its past”. 85,000 square feet of these already warehousing was popular brands.