Kimberly Clark Larkfield Mill

Kimberly-Clark Retirement Association has provided a useful history of the establishment of Kimberly Clark from first sales of imported sanitary products to the integrated unit in 1968.
The document has been split into four parts for the forum.

K-C History Part 1
In 1968 Syd Emerson was asked to write a history of the establishment of Kimberly-Clark in the UK from 1927 before he retired.
As stated in the foreword by Derrick Croxon, he had been with the UK company from almost the first day, and had seen the rise of tissue use in the UK and many changes to the company and the market.

Part one covers the establishment of the first UK company, Kotex Ltd selling female sanitary products through Chemist and Drapery outlets in association with Palmolive. Product innovation was important to the market, as was pricing, difficult when product was imported from US. and Canada. Kleenex Tissues were introduced in 1932.
The “Buy British” campaign during the depression discouraged imports, m especially from US so a Canadian company, Cellucotton Products Ltd. became the main producer.
In the late 1930s Sales Women were employed to overcome the embarrassment of men discussing the products with females in the Drapery outlets.

WW2 brought many challenges. As well as London bombing, space on conveys was at a premium and Import licenses were required requiring negotiation with The Board of Trade.

Shipping restrictions continued post-war due to space shortages.

Personalities:
Ernst Mahler, Ted Smith, Syd Emerson, Al Hamlin, Morton Hague, Stan Foster, Herbert Newman, Ernest V. Outlaw, Lewis Edward Phenner, Bertram George Jones, Hank Jost.

K-C History Part 3

By 1957 expansion was steady, with many new lines added including, in 1961, Kleenex Dressing Towel consolidating presence in hte medical field.
The second machine from Bertrams was started in Oct 1959, same deckle as No.1 at 3.25 m but output up to 50 tn/day with speed up to 920 m/min (3000 ft/min).
No. 3 Machine was started 1964 ; 4.1 m 60 tn/day speed 1200 m/min (170″ @ 3000 ft/min) but the Board of Trade would not allow a fourth so it was chosen to put it in Workington.
In Larkfield a secondary Fibre plant was added in July 1965.
Production of some grades dropped during the 1960s – Toilet Tissue, market saturation and Sanitary Towels due to new production in previous export areas.
Personalities:
Derrick Croxon, Colonel Rodney Sheldon, Syd Emerson, Bob Carpenter, Rudy Moravek, Ernie Porter, Ben Boorman, Oxie Burr, R.C.M. Marston, William W. Cross, Denis Vidler, Sydney Thomas (Don) Ryder, Hector G. Paul, D.T. (Squire) Wilkins, Guy Minard, Roy Sutcliffe, John Allen