Courtaulds

Common card · No. 373881

Courtaulds was a United Kingdom-based manufacturer of fabric, clothing, artificial fibres, and chemicals. At one point, it was the world's leading man-made fibre production company before being broken up in 1990 into Courtaulds plc and Courtaulds Textiles Ltd. The company was established in 1794 as George Courtauld & Co by George Courtauld. By 1850, it employed over 2,000 people across three silk mill, and it continued to expand over time. In 1904, Courtaulds acquired the Cross and Bevan's patents to the viscose process for manufacturing artificial silk to reduce the company's dependence on natural silk; within the decade, it was producing man-made fibres in quantity. Courtaulds also entered the market of cellulosics (viscose and acetate) in North America with the setting up of the American Viscose Corporation (AVC) in 1909. During the interwar period, the firm expanded its cellulosics business through various means, which included the founding of British Cellophane in 1935. By the end...

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