Megger Group Limited is a company that manufactures electric test equipment and measuring instruments for electrical power applications. The company is known for their original insulation testers, and supply products related to the following areas: cable fault locating, earth/ground testing, low resistance measuring, power quality, electrical wiring, insulation testers, multimeters, portable appliance testers, clamp-on meters, current transformers, etc.
The company logo depicts the word Megger with red capital "M" and the remaining letters in black, all on white background.
History
Over the years there were several companies whose names were associated or assimilated into Megger.
Evershed & Vignoles
Sydney Evershed (1858–1939) and Ernest Vignoles bought the instrument section of Goolden and Trotter (where they both worked) and founded Evershed & Vignoles Limited on 5 February 1895 . However, it is likely that the origins of Megger can be traced back to 1889. The company was based at Acton Lane Works, Chiswick, London, England where it moved from Westbourne Park in 1903.
Sydney Evershed applied for several patents for various electric devices.
One of them was a "hand dynamo", which allowed generation of voltages high enough to measure resistance in the megaohm range and thus construction of a first portable insulation tester. The MEG aohm met ER was then named as Megger and the word became a trademark name registered on 25 May 1903 . The invention became a popular method of insulation testing and by 1920s it was "well-known" by other engineers.
Due to electromagnetic interference the first Megger insulation testers were built as two separate boxes – one for voltage generation and one for measurement. They were later integrated into a single device in a Bakelite case and special foldable handle for driving the dynamo. The most popular was the so-called "Wee Megger" (voltage up to 500 V and resistance up to 20 megohms), but there were larger devices like the "Major Megger", "Meg" or "Megger insulation tester", which could generate up to 2500 V and measure resistance up to 20 000 megohms. (Modern version of Megger - model MJ15 - can generate up to 5 kV.)
In the 1920s the company employed approximately 500 people. The number rose to 1000 during the Second World War to reach its peak of 1870 in 1967.
In 1965 Evershed & Vignoles Ltd. Became a part of the George Kent Group .
AVO
The invention of the first multimeter is attributed to a Post Office engineer Donald Macadie , who became dissatisfied with having to carry many separate instruments required for the maintenance of the telecommunication circuits. Macadie invented a first instrument, which could measure A mps, V olts and O hms, so the multifunctional meter was then named as AVO .
Macadie took his idea to the Automatic Coil Winder and Electrical Equipment Company (ACWEECO, founded probably in 1923). The first AVO was put on sale in 1923, and although it was initially a DC-only instrument many of its features remained almost unaltered right through to the last Model 8.
ACWEECO later became known as AVO Limited and manufactured instruments with the AVO trademark.
The original AVO multimeter was manufactured continuously since its first appearance in 1923. The final model was made in October 2008, when its production was terminated only due to increasing problems with obtaining the spare mechanical parts. The final AVO Model 8 introduced in 1951 became an electronic device present in the market for 57 years without major modifications.
AVO Training Institute
In 1963 Multi-Amp and AVO created Multi-Amp Institute . In 2004 the Institute became AVO Training Institute, Inc. with the headquarters in Dallas, Texas. AVO Training Institute was established for providing training in electrical engineering, particularly regarding safety, maintenance and testing of electrical equipment, also by using instruments from competitive manufacturers.
In 1996 the Institute was certified with ISO 9001 and so far over 230,000 electrical maintenance and testing technicians and engineers from around the world have attended training courses.
The Institute has a Technical Resource Center - an online store offering books, standards, training materials, Personal Protective Equipment, and tools. The actual training can be organised in different sites around the world, for example at the Megger facility in Paris.
The AVO Electrical Engineering Division was created in 2002 and it specialises in power system studies, specifically arc flash hazard analysis.
Thorn Electronics/EMI
In 1970, along with other members of the George Kent Group the company was acquired by Thorn Electrical Industries founded in 1936. The company was taken over by Thorn EMI in 1967 (linked with company EMI), which at the same time also bought AVO Limited.
In 1987 the name of the company was for the first time changed to Megger Instruments Limited .
Present times
Megger
Megger Instruments Limited was based at AVO’s Dover site, in Archcliffe Road, Dover, CT17 9EN, Kent, England, which is also the present location of the UK branch of the company.
In 1991, due to the popularity of the AVO products the company changed the name to AVO Megger Instruments Limited . In 2000 the company became known as AVO International Holdings Limited and in 2002 as AVO International Limited .
Finally the whole Megger group changed its name to Megger Group Limited in 2002, as it is known today.
The Dover site employs around 230 people. In total (including the sales channels) Megger Group Limited employs around 1500 people worldwide.
In recognition of the ground breaking inventions, which made it possible to build the Megger group the main meeting rooms at the Dover site are named after Evershed and Macadie.
Biddle
For many years, the James G. Biddle Company in Pennsylvania, was the USA importer of Megger products, as well as a manufacturer of equipment under their own name. In 1989, using concepts introduced by Commonwealth Edison Company of Chicago, Biddle started development of a range of equipment to test the integrity of large battery systems, which led to the BITE (Battery Impedance Test Equipment) line of products.
In 1991 Biddle, Megger and MultiAmp joined together to form AVO International . The use of the Biddle trademark was retained for many of products still available today. Biddle was one of the first companies to provide commercial cable fault locators.
States
Megger Group Ltd. owns the US site in Dallas, Texas. They manufacture terminal blocks and test switches under the trademark States (existing since 1940s).
PowerDB
PowerDB was acquired in autumn 2005. They provide "acceptance and maintenance test data management software" which is compatible with many Megger products.
Programma
Programma Electric AB is a Swedish electrical test and measurement equipment manufacturer and was founded in 1976. It provided products including: circuit breaker analysers, battery load testers, primary injection testers, vacuum interrupter testers, microhmmeters and protective relay test instruments. The production plant facility is located in Täby, Sweden.
In March 2001 Programma was sold to GE Energy and joined Megger Group Ltd. in June 2007.
Pax Diagnostics
In October 2008 Megger Group Ltd. acquired Pax Diagnostics in Sweden. Pax manufactures transformer testing and insulation diagnostics equipment. Pax Diagnostics was founded in 2004 by former employees of Programma Electric, and it is also based in Täby.
Intellectual property
Trademarks
The first trademark of the company, the name Megger was registered in 1903 and it remains the intellectual property of the Megger Ltd.
It is incorrect to use the word "Megger" as a verb, noun or in the plural form. It is illegal if used in reference to a product not made by the Megger Group or its subsidiaries.
Most of the names and trademarks of the acquired companies are now owned by Megger Group Ltd. Apart from "Megger" itself, the best known ones are: AVO , Biddle , Biddle AVO , Biddle M
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