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Clipsal is an
Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...
brand of electrical accessories. Their primary factory, once located at
Bowden Bowden may refer to: Places Australia * Bowden Island, one of the Family Islands in Queensland * Bowden, South Australia, northwestern suburb of Adelaide * Bowden railway station Canada * Bowden, Alberta, town in central Alberta England * Bowde ...
, moved to
Gepps Cross, South Australia Gepps Cross (pronounced 'Jepps Cross') is a suburb and major road intersection in the north of Adelaide, South Australia. Gepps Cross is traditionally seen as the end of the inner suburbs and the start of the outer northern suburbs, as it was hom ...
. Smaller factories in
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
at Nuriootpa, Strathalbyn, Wingfield,
Bayswater Bayswater is an area within the City of Westminster in West London. It is a built-up district with a population density of 17,500 per square kilometre, and is located between Kensington Gardens to the south, Paddington to the north-east, and ...
and in
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
have closed and production has moved to Gepps Cross and to offshore locations. From 2000 to 2017, Clipsal was the naming rights sponsor for the
Adelaide 500 The Adelaide 500 (also known as the VALO Adelaide 500 for sponsorship reasons) is an annual motor racing event for Supercars held on the streets of the east end of Adelaide, South Australia between 1999 to 2020 and again from 2022. It is somet ...
Supercars A supercar – also called exotic car – is a loosely defined description of street-legal, high-performance sports cars. Since the 2010s, the term hypercar has come into use for the highest performing supercars. Supercars commonly serve as t ...
race. Since 2004 Clipsal Australia has been a subsidiary of
Schneider Electric Schneider Electric SE is a French multinational company that specializes in digital automation and energy management. It addresses homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries, by combining energy technologies, real-time automation ...
.


History

Clipsal was established by A. E. Gerard in
Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, Australia in 1920. Clipsal began by selling a range of adjustable sheet metal fittings which joined the various imported
conduit Conduit may refer to: Engineering systems * Conduit (fluid conveyance), a pipe suitable for carrying either open-channel or pressurized liquids * Electrical conduit, a protective cover, tube or piping system for electric cables * Conduit curre ...
s of differing diameters found in Australia at the time. These products helped give the company its name, the phrase "clips all" being abridged to ''Clipsal''. Alfred's son Geoff took over the company and spearheaded several manufacturing breakthroughs, including the invention of the first all-Australian switch in 1930. The company also performed early R&D on thermoplastics in the 1950s. ''Clipsal Integrated Systems'', a division of Clipsal, was responsible for the creation of the C-Bus product range and accompanying
protocol Protocol may refer to: Sociology and politics * Protocol (politics), a formal agreement between nation states * Protocol (diplomacy), the etiquette of diplomacy and affairs of state * Etiquette, a code of personal behavior Science and technology ...
used in
home automation Home automation or domotics is building automation for a home, called a smart home or smart house. A home automation system will monitor and/or control home attributes such as lighting, climate, entertainment systems, and appliances. It m ...
. Clipsal entered into a collaboration agreement with "''The Smart Company''" in 1995, and later entered into a Heads of Agreement in 1996. These agreements led to the development of the Clipsal Home Minder, which was sold until 2004. In 2004, Clipsal Australia became majority-owned by
Schneider Electric Schneider Electric SE is a French multinational company that specializes in digital automation and energy management. It addresses homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries, by combining energy technologies, real-time automation ...
.


Litigation

From 2004 to 2011, ''Clipsal Integrated Systems'', ''Clipsal Technologies Australia'' and Clipsal Australia were in litigation with ''The Smart Company Pty Ltd'' regarding the ''Clipsal Home Minder'' and other Smart products. The litigation was for apparent unpaid royalties to The Smart Company pursuant to the Heads of Agreement. The Smart Company went into liquidation on 28 May 2010. Liquidators of The Smart Company went to the Supreme Court to gain control of the Clipsal case.. Prior to liquidation, director Dorothea Tomazos transferred the benefit of the case to herself for $1. In August 2010, liquidators gained control of the Clipsal case to continue the action against Clipsal (and effectively
Schneider Electric Schneider Electric SE is a French multinational company that specializes in digital automation and energy management. It addresses homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries, by combining energy technologies, real-time automation ...
) for up to 4 billion Australian dollars. Enterprise Global Resources, (controlled by Dorothea Tomazos) intervened as the shareholder of The Smart Company to take control of the Federal Court action, allegedly thereby delaying the case. In February 2011, Enterprise Global Resources was refused permission to maintain the proceedings. The case was dismissed on 29 April 2011, due to ''The Smart Company'' failing to comply with the orders from November 2009 to prepare for the 12-week trial. Although the trial was scheduled to start on 31 May 2010, liquidators were unable to progress during late 2010 and early 2011 due to lacking access to documents possessed by ''The Smart Company'' relating to the action. The liquidators filed a Notice of Appeal against the dismissal on 20 May 2011.. In June 2011, the Yamaha Pitman founders attempted to resurrect the case against Clipsal Australia, filing the $3 million Deed Of Company Arrangement. The liquidators were in talks with a litigation funder, a third party, about the purchase of the Clipsal case. The liquidators discontinued the Appeal on 8 July 2011 and were ordered to pay the costs.


See also

*
List of South Australian manufacturing businesses A list of manufacturing companies founded in South Australia, many now forgotten but "household names" in their day. It does not include local affiliates of multinational companies, such as General Motors Holden, Kelvinator and Philips Electrical ...
*
Clipsal site development The Bowden development is an urban development in the Australian state of South Australia on a site formerly owned by the Clipsal corporation in the suburb of Bowden, within the City of Charles Sturt, in the Adelaide metropolitan area 2 kilom ...


References

{{Reflist


External links


Clipsal Official Website
Schneider Electric Manufacturing companies established in 1920 1920 establishments in Australia Manufacturing companies of Australia Electrical wiring and construction supplies manufacturers Australian brands