| Located At | Staffordshire Record Office |
| Level | Collection |
| Alt Ref No | D5189, D5757, D5936, D6478, 6848, 6942 |
| Title | Records of Evode Group plc, solvent manufacturers, and its subsidiaries and associate companies, Stafford |
| Administrative History | Administrative History
The Evode Group of Companies began as Spic and Span Shoe Polishes Ltd of Glover Street, Stafford, which was incorporated on 3 June 1932 and partly owned by Lotus Ltd, the shoe manufacturers. The Glover Street premises was subject to flooding, and had only five staff and £30 worth of equipment when Dr Hermann Simon joined the Company as a director and chemist in 1937 from Germany, where he was a successful manufacturer of protective paints and waterproofing compounds. In the early years he made use of a gas burner and a collection of saucepans to develop his products. He was to head the Company until his death in 1978. On joining the Company he expanded the product range by adding building chemicals and, soon after his arrival, its name was changed to Spic and Span Chemical Products Ltd, which was incorporated on 19 May 1938. Later the same year the name was changed yet again to Dove Chemical Products Ltd because the Dove brand of polish was the company's most successful and well-known product. The company was incorporated on 12 October 1938. However the new name was found to infringe the trade mark rights of an existing company and the name was reversed to become Evode Chemical Works Ltd on 13 February 1940.
In the same year Dr Simon was interned, as were all German Nationals during the Second World War. During his absence the firm was forced to move from its original premises in Glover Street to a derelict shoe factory in Stone Road. Representations made on Dr Simon's behalf to the government resulted in him being released after only nine months and he returned to the Company to develop, manufacture and supply the government with important sealants, protective paints and waterproofing compounds, which aided the war effort, particularly with the construction of airfield runways being laid in winter. During this period the Company expanded rapidly and became an established business. Its name was shortened to Evode Ltd on 20 June 1949. The following year, land was purchased on Common Road, Stafford, on the site of a former brick works. A building programme was started then which lasted more than a decade, as the Company expanded and its accommodation was extended and improved.
The Company was floated on the stock exchange in 1963 and became Evode Holdings Ltd. This was a holding company for Evode Ltd and the expanding number of subsidiary and associate companies in the Group. In 1981 the Company was re-registered as a public company and became Evode Holdings plc. A final name change in 1982 saw the company become Evode Group plc. During the 1980s it expanded its range of products to include plastics. It was acquired by Laporte plc in 1993, then by Ato Findley in 1996, and became part of Elf Aquitaine, then the fourth largest adhesive and sealant manufacturer in the world.
The company was owned by Bostik Findley, following the merger of the two parent companies in 2000, but has since been sold again (information in 2015).
A website on the history of the company, compiled by employees and former employees, provides further detail : http://evodehistoryproject.org.uk/ |
| Arrangement | Arrangement
Prior to being deposited at the record office, the records were arranged by the company archivist, Mr C V Lawton, who had worked as a chemist at Evode from 1938-1986. The majority of files had been retained in their original working form but the annual reports and accounts had been placed into artificially created files for each separate year. These files contained press cuttings, internal memoranda, notices and other records relating to the year's events. These files have been left in this format.
The records of the main company are listed first in D5189/1 and followed by records of the divisions within the Group in D5189/2. A list of all the subsidiary and associate companies can be found in D5189/3 and this is followed by the records of some these subsidiary and associate companies. Finally the records relating to licensees overseas are listed in D5189/4. |
| Date | 1829-1998 |
| Description | Introduction to the original catalogue D5189.
The collection is arranged in three sections: D5189/1 - Records of Evo Group plc, 1929-1998 (637 item level descriptions); D5189/2 -- Subsidiary and associate companies, 1829-1989 (250 item level descriptions) and D5189/3 - Records collated by Evode History Group, 2004-2008 (3 item level descriptions). The first section contains twelve series' and 637 item level descriptions. Various minutes (22 items) cover the period 1932-1979 and the financial records (59 items) the years 1932-1993. There are seven items concerned with acquisitions (D5757/3/1-3) and take over bids (D5757/4/1-4). The series Share and Shareholders mainly contains share certificates, share certificate counterfoils and share transfer certificates for Evode Ltd and English Waxes Ltd. but does include two shares account book with Stafford Permanent Building Society for the years 1932-1948 (D5189/1/3/3) and 1954-1956 (D5189/1/3/2).
The company management series contains five sub-series, the first organisation of Company and Communication Charts, 1963-1987 (D5189/1/6/1) provides an overview of the organisation for each department in Evode Ltd and includes changes of personnel and various reorganisations.
The series on premises and equipment contains three sub series: title deeds; plans and the development of Common Road Site. The title deeds sub series contains five items from the 1950s-19702 concerning various premises in Stafford. The second sub series contains a single item, a copy of a rough plan of the Glover Street factory from 1938. The final subseries contains records for the development of the Common Road site and includes correspondence, plans, inventories and a file of architectural and trade journals and also reprinted articles regarding the new factory. The company correspondence contains correspondence regarding trade marks, patents and licence agreements for the period 1932-1978 and general correspondence for the years 1934-1978
The series on Trade Marks, Patents and Licence Agreements contains records on companies which manufactured or distributed Evode products under licence overseas. They were dealt with by the licensees' co-ordination department in Stafford and also by Evode (Export) Ltd and is divided in to four sub series. The first contains sixteen item level descriptions for International Conferences for Licensees that occurred between November 1964 and January 1971. The second series contains a large volume of correspondence (26 item level descriptions) for nearly half a century, 1932-1981, regarding trade marks, patents and licence agreements. The sub series on individual licensees contains 75 item level descriptions regarding oversees licensees for Chemotechnica-Sintyal SA. (Argentina); Laminex Pty Ltd (Australia); Industrial Adhesives Ltd (Canada); Valke Osakeyktio (Finland); Dia-Prosim (La Gutta Percha) and La Gutta Percha (France); Werner & Mertz GmbH (Germany); NV Industriele Maatschappij Simson (Holland); Lloyd Bitumen Products, Lloyd Bitumen Products Private Ltd, MS Rubber Company and Swastik Rubber Products Ltd (India); Verolit Ltd (Israel); Ditta Fratelli Zucchini (Italy); Sale Tilney Far East Ltd and Japan, Sale Tilney (Japan) Ltd (Japan); Evomex SA (Mexico); Guild Industries Ltd (New Zealand); E Osborne Ltd (Nigeria); A/S Evonor and Ulfcar (Norway); Somaco (Portugal); Elvolac (Proprietary) Ltd, Elvolac Paints (Proprietary) Ltd, Industrial Chemical Products (Proprietary) Ltd and Kerbels Flooring and Waterproofing Co (Proprietary) Ltd (South Africa); Spain, Bachmaier & Winter SA; Paniker SA; Productos Carlen and Selocsa (Spain); Union Paste Company (USA) and L J Williams Ltd (West Indies). The final sub series contains information regarding licensees in 1690s and 1970s and includes publicity materials, photographs and an index to the formulae for products of licensees from the 1960s (D5189/4/1/4).
The divisions within Evode Group plc series contains records relating to the Adhesives and Sealants Division; the Industrial Coatings Division; the Building and Consumer Products Division; the Plastics Division; the Supra Division and the Chamberlain Phipps Division. There are a good number of holdings for the Adhesives and Sealants Division and the Industrial Coatings Division. The Adhesives and Sealants Division is arranged in four sub sub series': Reports, Internal Memoranda and Notices, 1955-1991 (8 item level descriptions); Sales, 1955-1987 (8 item level descriptions); Technical, 1950-1993 (43 item level descriptions) and Public Relations, 1950-1988 (10 item level descriptions). The technical sub-series mainly contains product data sheets, technical data sheets and brochures for products manufactured Evode. The material for Public Relations contains three portfolios of proofs for advertisements for Evo-Stik and Evomastic products for the nineteen fifties and early sixties (D5189/2/1/4/1-3).
The records of the Industrial Coatings Division are also arranged in four sub series': Minutes, 1964 -1968 (1 item level description); Wages and Sales, 1950-1968 (7 item level descriptions); Acquisitions, 1981-1991 (2 item level descriptions) and Technical, 1950-1981 (16 item level descriptions). The sub series for wages and sales contains an analysis of wages and costs for 1958-19690 (D5189/2/2/2) and various records regarding sales for 1958-1967 (D5189/2/2/2-7). The records in the technical sub series include batch logs and technical information handbooks. The holdings for the remaining four sub series' are small. The final series consists of a single item, D5757/10/1, a 1983 leaflet for original paintings offered for sale by Christies Contemporary Art.
The subsidiary and associate companies section contains information on Allweather Evode Paints Ltd; Evode AG; Evode (Export) Ltd; Evode Inc.; Evode Industries Ltd; Evode Joint Sealing Ltd; Evo-France; Evode (Northern Ireland) Ltd; Evode Roofing Ltd; Evomastics Ltd; Charles A Quinn & Co Ltd; Cox & Wright Ltd; Drecona Industries Ltd; English Waxes Ltd; Furniglas Ltd; Kelseal Ltd; Louis Holt (Chemicals) Ltd; Postans Ltd; Simvic Ltd; Societe Chimique - EMFI and Vik Supplies Ltd. Notable amongst these are the records of Allweather Evode Paints Ltd; Potsans Ltd and Vik Supplies Ltd. The record of Allweather Evode Paints Ltd, 1943-1983 (34 item level descriptions) contain records of Allweather Paints Ltd and Agraphite Ltd. Many of the records for Allweather Evode Paints Ltd are technical bulletins or product brochures.
There are 41 item level descriptions for Potsans Ltd (1829-1989) and amongst the technical records are formulae and recipes used for paints, varnishes, putty and dry colour. A third of the records pertain to public relations promoting both the company and specific products and also containing a number of photographs. There are two note-book both containing a calendar, wages table, postage rates and advertisements for the company for the period 1910-1941 (D5189/3/21/5/6-7). Item D5189/3/21/5/8 dating from 1947 contains photographs of each room and building belonging to Potsans Ltd accompanied by plans showing exactly where each room was sited. The holdings for Vik Supplies Ltd are good and the 52 item level descriptions cover the period 1912-1980. There are three minute books of directors and general meetings for the years 1912-1960 (D5189/3/3/1/1-3). Also included are financial records (1922-1964); technical records; sales and personnel records; photographs and records concerning Vik Supplies (Eire) Ltd and Vik Supplies (South Africa) Ltd.
The records collated by Evode History Group contains only a single series, entitled company history, consisting of three records. The three records detail the licensees and overseas companies who worked with Evode. D6478/9/1 provides a history of Evode's relationships with its European licensees in the1950s-1980s. D6478/9/2 examines Evode's relationships with its licensees and potential licensees (excluding Europe) and includes Argentina; Australia; Hong Kong; India; Iran; Japan; Kenya; New Zealand; South Africa; Sri Lanka and Trinidad and Tobago. The final record in the series lists overseas companies with which Evode Holdings, Evode Ltd and Evode (Export) Ltd were associated during the second half of the 20th century.
Note: accession 6848 and 6942 are not catalogued. They consist of additional material collected by the Evode History Group (12 boxes and 5 boxes respectively). Please ask for further information. |
| Extent | over 1000 catalogue entries |
| Access Conditions | Records less than 30 years old are not normally open for public inspection. Please contact Staffordshire Record Office for further information. |
| Copyright | Any questions concerning the publication of images of documents in this collection should be directed to the County Archivist, Staffordshire Record Office, Eastgate Street, Stafford ST16 2 LZ. |
| Related Material | The records of the Evode 25 Club for long service are catalogued separately under the reference D7237. These include background information about the business, and service information about staff. |