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Family Barcode Business Celebrate 50th Birthday On 10th April 1972, business partners Bill Smith and John Parr founded Kelgray Products Ltd. The company name being a fusion of the two founders’ eldest sons, Kelvin and Graham. Starting in Bill’s loft in South Godstone, they both worked tirelessly to get the business off the ground, originally providing weigh scale solutions to various customers. Two years after the company’s inception, on 26th June 1974, the “barcode” was used for the first time in a US supermarket. In the years that followed, the technology started to gain traction and by 1980 it was being widely implemented across the globe. Kelgray saw an opportunity to diversify their business and took the plunge into this rapidly expanding and emerging market. In 1999, original co-founder John Parr sold his shareholding, and the company came under full ownership of the Smith family. Bill’s sons, Kelvin and Trevor currently own the business, with three grandsons; Daniel, David and Alex also working for the firm. Based in Spindle Way, Crawley for over 35 years, the company sees continued success, with twenty-two employees and revenues in excess of £5 million per annum. Clients span a multitude of different industries and vary from sole traders, right through to some of the world’s most recognisable brands, including Weetabix and Yeo Valley. Widely recognised as the UK’s leading barcode solutions company, Kelgray provide barcode scanners, barcode label printers, mobile computers and associated software. They also specialise in high-tech, fully automated labelling machinery, which print and apply labels in high volume environments. Underpinning and complimenting all of this is the conversion of self-adhesive labels, manufactured on site at their Crawley facility. The company remained open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, as a key supplier to the food, beverage, hygiene and healthcare sectors. They played a vital role in conjunction with ventilator manufacturer Penlon Ltd as part of the Governments Ventilator Challenge and received recognition for their contributions from the Cabinet Office. General Manager, Alex Smith comments: “50 years is an incredible milestone for any business to reach, however, being family owned for the entirety of that period, it means so much more to us. We actively encourage a family ethos within the company on a day-to-day basis and it is our employees that
A massive thanks must also go to our longstanding and loyal customers really make our business so special. When my grandfather, Bill Smith and John Parr founded this company in 1972 in my grandfather’s loft, they could never have imagined the company reaching 50 years old and growing into the third generation of the Smith family. Unfortunately, neither of the original founders are alive to see this anniversary, but I know how proud they both would be. A massive thanks must also go to our longstanding and loyal customers. We continue to be enormously proud of the company’s history and to be able to continue this legacy. Here’s to the next 50 years!” For more information on products and solutions that Kelgray offer: Call: 01293 518733 Email: sales@kelgray.co.uk Visit: www.kelgray.co.uk
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