- Cameron Balloons
Infobox Company
name = Cameron Balloons
type =
foundation = 1971
location_city =Bristol
location_country =England
location =
locations =
key_people = Don Cameron
area_served =
industry = Balloon manufacture
products =
services =
revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
num_employees =
parent =
divisions =
subsid =
slogan =
homepage = [http://www.cameronballoons.co.uk/ Cameron Balloons Ltd. (UK company)]
dissolved =
footnotes =
intl =Cameron Balloons is a company established in 1971 in
Bristol ,England by Don Cameron to manufacturehot air balloon s. Cameron had previously, with others, constructed ten hot air balloons under the name Omega. Production was in the basement of his house, moving in 1972 to an old church in the city. In 1983 Cameron Balloons moved into its current premises in the former Robinsons paper bag/printing factory (built in 1887 in theBedminster area of the city). In 1989 the company received theQueen's Award for Export .Output has grown to around 500 balloons per year. The company claims to be the largest manufacturer of hot air balloons in the world. As of September 2007, Cameron Balloons accounted for 1,069 of the 1,551 hot air balloons registered with the
United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority . [cite web | url= http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=60&pagetype=65&appid=1&mode=summary&aircrafttype=cameron | work=United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority | title= G-INFO database search | accessdate= 2007-09-21] Cameron Balloons is also famous for its special shapes, the first being Robertson's Golly, constructed in 1975. Most special shapes are made for commercial advertising, but some have been bought privately. Notable amongst these private buyers is the late Malcolm Forbes of "Forbes " magazine, who commissioned a number of special shapes, includingHarley-Davidson motorbike,Sphinx , bust of Beethoven, FrenchChateau ,Pagoda andMinaret .The Bedminster factory occupies three floors. Most factory space (first and second floors) is devoted to laying out the hundreds of yards of fabric which is sewn together by machinists. If the detail on the balloon is intricate, to save cost and weight, the designs may be sprayed or painted on instead.
The company also makes
airship s, helium balloons and static inflatables. The company has been involved in record breaking balloon flight attempts including trans-Atlantic, altitude and distance records.Expansion via acquisitions
During the 1990s, Cameron strengthened its position, via a string of acquisitions. First, Cameron acquired its main British competitor Thunder & Colt Balloons. Then, it bought the smaller Sky Balloons, which had been formed by former Thunder & Colt employees after the company's sale. Finally, Cameron acquired two-thirds ownership of
Lindstrand Balloons , which had been formed byPer Lindstrand after he left Thunder & Colt in the early 1990s. Cameron bought the majority stake in Lindstrand Balloons from Rory McCarthy, a British industrialist associated withRichard Branson , who had invested in the company to support Branson's series of record-setting balloon flights.Cameron has integrated the Thunder & Colt product range, notably the AS-series
hot air airship s, into its own catalogue, while Sky's products have been discontinued.Lindstrand Balloons continues to operate as an independent company with separate management and its own designs and products.References
External links
* [http://www.cameronballoons.co.uk/ Cameron Balloons Ltd. (UK company)]
* [http://www.cameronballoons.com/ Cameron Balloons US (independently owned US affilliate/licensee)]ee also
*
hot air balloon
*Rozière balloon
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.