UK - Penn Elcom, the manufacturer of flightcase hardware, racking, speaker component, cabling, LED lighting and other related elements, is celebrating 50 years in business. Founded in 1974 by Roger Willems, initially focusing on metals and anodising, the company has expanded and diversified over the five decades and is now producing and supplying an array of vital entertainment industry related infrastructural elements, which are fabricated from bases in the UK, US, Germany and China in a tightly co-ordinated operation involving over 600 full-time employees.
“So many fantastic people have contributed to making Penn Elcom what it is today,” says Roger. “Their collective personalities, foresight and diligence have helped shape the strong brand identity that sees us achieve this landmark anniversary. I want to say a huge and sincere thankyou to each and every one!”
The Penn Elcom story started inconspicuously enough in Penn, Buckinghamshire, when Roger purchased his first metal engineering plant in 1974. The embryonic Penn Fabrications - as it was then known - focussed on steel fabrication, anodising, and associated sub-contracting services.
A few years later, in 1974, Roger and business partners David Wanstall and Ron Luzar purchased Penn Anodising. Located on the ‘Penn Estate’, an industrial area on the edge of the village of Penn in Buckinghamshire. They immediately re-imagined this business as Penn Fabrications, and started sourcing, anodising and polishing metal products.
In 2001, Penn Fabrications became Penn Elcom via a merger with Elcom Hardware in California which also consolidated the ever-expanding West Coast operation. Penn then bought out the minority shareholders.
In 2004, Roger and the team met Chinese entrepreneur Stanley Wong and launched a pathway to the next steps in international manufacturing, forging a strong and invigorating partnership in China via Stanley, based on “mutual respect for his wonderful engineering skills, knowledge and intelligence,” noted Roger.
Having a locally managed and run operation in China has hugely boosted Penn’s ability to stay abreast of technology and demand. Maintaining quality products and quick service was their mantra and what customers expected.
Today, two UK factories – in Washington, country Durham and Hastings, East Sussex – plus a new 180,000sq.m facility in Huizhou City, Guangdong Province, China. All make identical Penn Elcom products with rigorously enforced quality standards.
In 2019, Penn Elcom GmbH was taken over from Dennis Meertens - who still runs the daily operations - and Thomas Mostert who is now retired, giving a prime distribution hub on the German / Dutch border and ideally placed for access and expedition of goods across Europe.
Roger is still very involved in many day-to-day aspects driving Penn Elcom’s business, basing himself in Hastings and Washington, he frequently visits other Penn Elcom facilities and is involved with specific product development, exploring new business opportunities.
