Pac-Kit First Aid Kits
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Pac-Kit Safety Equipment Company has roots dating back to 1880 when Silas Burroughs, a former representative of the US pharmaceutical company John Wyeth & Co, and his business associate
Henry Wellcome Sir Henry Solomon Wellcome (August 21, 1853 – July 25, 1936) was an American pharmaceutical entrepreneur. He founded the pharmaceutical company Burroughs Wellcome & Company with his colleague Silas Burroughs in 1880, which is one of the fo ...
formed Burroughs Wellcome & Co in the UK. The two started manufacturing compressed pharmaceuticals, a novelty in those days and much safer than medicines prepared by
pestle and mortar Mortar and pestle is a set of two simple tools used from the Stone Age to the present day to prepare ingredients or substances by crushing and grinding them into a fine paste or powder in the kitchen, laboratory, and pharmacy. The ''mortar'' () ...
. The business thrived, and thanks to the cooperation with many explorers from the late 19th and early 20th century, Burroughs Wellcome gained fame around the world. In 1946, the Pac-Kit entity was spun off, and became a standalone company. This company was acquired by Acme United Corporation in 2011.


History


1872 - 1880

Henry Bower, an employee with John Wyeth & Co., which later became the giant pharmaceutical company Wyeth, developed one of the first rotary compressed tablet machines in the United States in 1872. This machine enabled the production of medicines in high quantities with unprecedented precision. The compressed pills offered a standardized dose, making them much safer than medicines prepared by pestle and mortar. As Wyeth's pills became popular, more American manufacturers followed their lead and brought uniform pills to the market. To capture a large part of the market, Wyeth quickly expanded its distribution network in the US and abroad. In 1878, John Wyeth & Co. sent Silas Burroughs to the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
to import and market Wyeth's products. Since the less precise pestle and mortar method to prepare medicines was still widely used in the UK, the compressed drugs were an immediate success. Burroughs asked Henry Wellcome to join him to help grow the business. In 1880 Burroughs Wellcome & Company was founded in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
soon after the two gentlemen received the exclusive right from Wyeth to sell its products in Europe, Asia, Africa, the East Indies and Australia.


1880 - 1889

Although the drugs were a success, the high
stamp duty Stamp duty is a tax that is levied on single property purchases or documents (including, historically, the majority of legal documents such as cheques, receipts, military commissions, marriage licences and land transactions). A physical revenu ...
on imports from the United States to England made the pills costly. As a result, the two partners decided to manufacture the pharmaceuticals themselves. They purchased the necessary machinery for making compressed medicine tablets from Wyeth and opened their first factory in 1883 at Bell Lane Wharf in
Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan The London Plan is the statutory spatial development strategy for the Gre ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. The business thrived and soon other manufacturers began to make compressed drugs in England. In order to stay one step ahead of the competition, Burroughs Wellcome, in 1884, trademarked the word “Tabloid”, a blend of the words “tablet” and “alkaloid”, to denote the firm's pills. During the next several years, Burroughs Wellcome & Co. fought and won a number of legal battles to prevent other firms from using the Tabloid name. Over the years, the Tabloid brand name became a synonym for quality and precision. Burroughs Wellcome decided to apply the name on other items like Tabloid first aid kits and medicine chests, Tabloid photographic developers and even Tabloid tea. In 1888, the company put together a group of engineers to design and manufacture more reliable and faster machines to make drugs. The result was machinery that produced up to 600 compressed pills per minute with an unprecedented standard of precision. A year later, the company needed a bigger factory and moved to the old Phoenix Paper Mills site at
Dartford Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames estuary, is Thurrock in ...
, England. During the next 25 years, until the outbreak of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Burroughs Wellcome experienced massive worldwide expansion.


The Explorers

During the majority of the 19th century, the Earth still had many unknown regions including the Himalayan mountains, the
North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...
and
South Pole The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...
s and the
African continent Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
. In the 1850s, news agencies and research institutes began funding explorers. Burroughs Wellcome started researching the medical requirements of explorers and travelers,
tropical disease Tropical diseases are Infectious disease, diseases that are prevalent in or unique to tropics, tropical and subtropics, subtropical regions. The diseases are less prevalent in temperate climates, due in part to the occurrence of a cold season, whic ...
s and their treatment, and the best methods of presenting and carrying the medicines. As a result, Burroughs Wellcome developed substantial knowledge and experience which was placed at the disposal of other travelers. It supplied compact medicine cases fitted with important medicaments, bandages, and dressings which were impervious to climatic influences. The company also gave travelers and explorers advice as to the character and quantities of the medicines they would need in accordance with the part of the world in which they proposed to travel and the diseases they could possibly get. One of the first to avail himself of the results of this specialized research was the well known explorer Sir
Henry Morton Stanley Sir Henry Morton Stanley (born John Rowlands; 28 January 1841 – 10 May 1904) was a Welsh-American explorer, journalist, soldier, colonial administrator, author and politician who was famous for his exploration of Central Africa Cen ...
, who mapped large parts of the
Congo River The Congo River ( kg, Nzâdi Kôngo, french: Fleuve Congo, pt, Rio Congo), formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the second largest river in the world by discharge ...
and
Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin language, Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered ...
and the Lakes Victoria and
Tanganyika Tanganyika may refer to: Places * Tanganyika Territory (1916–1961), a former British territory which preceded the sovereign state * Tanganyika (1961–1964), a sovereign state, comprising the mainland part of present-day Tanzania * Tanzania Main ...
in central Africa. As Stanley himself once said, ”I made the acquaintance of Messrs. Burroughs Wellcome & Co. As soon as I came in sight of their preparations and their work, I found the consummation of my secret wish. On my later expeditions I had all the medicines beautifully prepared, and in most elegant fashion arranged in the smallest medicine chest it was ever my lot to carry into Africa.” Since that time Burroughs Wellcome & Co. supplied medical equipment and first aid kits to nearly every major expedition. In 1909, former U.S. president
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
took a break from statesmanship and followed one of his first loves: travelling. He hunted for big game in Africa, but also brought back scientific information as well as zoological and
botanical Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
specimens. Five years later, he organized an expedition to
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. On that occasion he explored a river which was later named after him, the Rio Teodoro. On both occasions, Roosevelt carried the Tabloid products from Burroughs Wellcome with him. Also in 1909, Admiral
Robert E. Peary Robert Edwin Peary Sr. (; May 6, 1856 – February 20, 1920) was an American explorer and officer in the United States Navy who made several expeditions to the Arctic in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best known for, in Apri ...
was the first to reach the North Pole. When he returned, Admiral Peary presented to Burroughs Wellcome specimens of Tabloid products that he had carried with him to the North Pole. Several years later, the Norwegian Captain
Roald Amundsen Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (, ; ; 16 July 1872 – ) was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He was a key figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Born in Borge, Østfold, Norway, Amundsen bega ...
and the Englishman Captain Robert Scott raced to become the first to reach the South Pole. Both expeditions started almost simultaneously but it was Amundsen who reached the pole first on December 14, 1911. Both men carried Tabloid outfits with them. On foot, by ship and also in the air, Burroughs Wellcome's first aid kits were indispensable. In 1926, the American
Richard E. Byrd Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was an American naval officer and explorer. He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest honor for valor given by the United States, and was a pioneering American aviator, p ...
was the first to fly over the North Pole and in 1929 he repeated his act of bravery when he flew as first over the South Pole. On both occasions Rear Admiral Byrd carried Tabloid medical equipment. The experiences of these brilliant adventurers showed that ‘Tabloid’ first aid kits and equipment met every need, not only because they took up so little room, but for the far more important reason that they were immune to the effects of climate and weather conditions.


Pac-Kit

In 1922, Burroughs Wellcome was invited by the insurance carrier of American Telephone and Telegraph Company to devise a solution for the high number of minor injuries that became infected. In response, they designed a system that standardized all the antiseptics, medications and dressings into small unit-dose treatment packages sized specifically for first aid kits. Burroughs Wellcome trademarked this new packaging design Pac-Kit. After
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Burroughs Wellcome divested some divisions to focus on its core business of manufacturing drugs. The first aid operation was one of these divisions and was sold to two employees: William Fallon and Cecil R. Brown. The company operated as an unincorporated partnership until 1958 when Mr. Fallon was killed in an auto accident. The Brown family purchased Mr. Fallon's half of the company and incorporated the business as Pac-Kit Safety Equipment Company, Inc in 1960.


OSHA and Pac-Kit’s further Expansion

In 1970, the safety equipment industry in the US dramatically changed with the enactment of the
Occupational Safety and Health Act The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 is a US labor law governing the federal law of occupational health and safety in the private sector and federal government in the United States. It was enacted by Congress in 1970 and was signed by P ...
(OSHA) in the U.S. This law required that first-aid kits be present in every business with employees. Pac-Kit's growth was substantial due to the new OSHA requirements, and the company purchased a larger, 32,000 sq. ft. facility in
Norwalk, Connecticut , image_map = Fairfield County Connecticut incorporated and unincorporated areas Norwalk highlighted.svg , mapsize = 230px , map_caption = Location in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Fairfield County and ...
in 1973. Four years later, the company expanded again when it purchased a 40,000 sq. ft. facility in Norwalk, Connecticut for use as an off-site warehouse. Pac-Kit also invested in high speed packaging equipment during the 1970s and 1980s which made it possible to enter the hospital disposable market with general surgical prep products. Since the hospital and first aid markets had totally different operational requirements and management needs, Pac-Kit split into two companies in 1995: The Pac-Kit Safety Equipment Co. operated by Roy M. Brown and The K.W. Griffen Corporation operated by James B. Brown. In subsequent years, Pac-Kit continued to expand its number of first aid kits for the American workplace.


Pac-Kit as Acme United Brand

In February 2011, Acme United purchased the accounts receivable, inventory, equipment, brands, historical records and photographs of Pac-Kit Safety Equipment for $3.4 million. When Acme United acquired Pac-Kit, it already owned a first aid business called PhysicianCare, which sold first aid and over-the-counter (OTC) medical products to industrial markets. So Acme United already had experienced people on board in that product category and it also knew the first aid market. As a result, Pac-Kit increased its revenues from $4.5 million to $5.2 million in the first 10 months after it was acquired. In that same period, Pac-Kit's margins increased from around 27% to over 30% thanks to increased buying power. And Pac-Kit has continued to expand since. In 2013 it started manufacturing twelve different first aid kits for a large industrial tool distributor. These kits are all targeted at different industries such as welding, construction, mining, etc. Pac-Kit's business is also growing with traditional office supply customers as they look to offer products outside their core office supplies. In 2015, Acme United consolidated its US first aid production facilities. As such, the Pac-Kit production was moved from Norwalk, CT to the First Aid Only plant in
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
. Retrieved on December 18, 2015. Today, Pac-kit sells a wide variety of first aid kits, industrial stations and refills, and emergency medical travel and recreational kits for the industrial, safety, transportation and marine markets. It is known for tailoring these items to meet user requirements and for rapid turnaround.


References


External links


Wyeth Company WebsiteAcme United Corp. Company WebsitePac-Kit Company WebsitePhysiciansCare Company Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pac-Kit First Aid Kits Companies based in Norwalk, Connecticut Manufacturing companies based in Connecticut Medical technology companies of the United States First aid