So how does Fridor a Dutch company come to have sewing machines in Australia, sold under the Pinnock name?
On the webpage Geschichte – Naehmaschinenverzeichnis the histroy of Fridor is listed (see image below). So at some time from 1955 the Dutch Fridor machine came to Australia and was sold by Pinnock. On this page is also a detailed description of the Fridor machine. Fridor – Naehmaschinenverzeichnis
Pinnock Fridor Merino
Pinnock seem to have use the Fridor name randomly on its machines. Some of the Trendsetters are badged Fridor instead of Pinnock, yet are identical to those badged as Pinnock. I have seen some overseas Toyota Pinnocks badged as Fridor. For the sake of this page of my website I am referring to the Dutch machine made in the Netherlands, which was also marketed overseas as Fridor.
As for the Dutch machine, there are a number of Yellow Pinnock Fridors in private collections around the country. I have also seen a few grey machines advertised from time to time.
In my collection I have a grey machine that is a 115V, it was rescued after being left out in the rain, its case is ruined and I have not used it as it would require a step down transformer. It is a knee operated machine and the lever is broken.
I also have a yellow Pinnock Fridor Merino, kindly sold to me by another Aussie collector, this one is 240V, which is what we use here in Australia, this one I assume is one of the Pinnock marketed machines. It is a foot pedal/lever operated machine. Images of my two machines below.
Update 01 Feb 2023, I have rescued another poor yellow Fridor. Photos below. A bit worse for wear and seized, so it will go in my spares pile, you just never know when it will come in handy. It has no extension table, but has a cool footpedal. This one has a plate that says “Made in the Holland with Swiss design”
Free PDF manuals from my google drive. Fridor stitchmaster manual for download for free is here.
01 Feb 2023, a rescued Fridor.
… as you can see from the timeline below, in 1955 the Fridor came to Australia.
| Historical overview 1947 Development of the electric sewing machine Fridor in the Waldorp Radio works. 1948 Large advertising stand at the Amsterdam Housewares Fair. 1949 Start of production of Fridor sewing machines. The annual production is 20,000 machines: – a so-called “free arm”, which made it possible to embroider stockings and socks and sew them by machine. – the machine could be operated hands-free with a knee handle – the soft green color (until then most machines were black) – portable in the supplied case (11 kg !) 1951 Fridor wins the legal dispute brought by Pfaff over the automatic zigzag function of the Fridor sewing machine. 1953 Managing Director Friedheim and his wife go on an advertising trip through America. They return home with orders worth $3 million. 1954 Production capacity is increased and the workforce increases to 270 employees. 1955 Order from Australia for 7.5 million guilders March 1957 Fridor Fabrieken NV requests suspension of payment May 1957 Bankruptcy is announced 1957 The Fridor factory on Leeghwaterplein is sold to the Red Cross. 1959 After reconstruction, the Red Cross moves its disaster camp into the former Fridor factory of new company buildings in Bielefeld-Oldentrup. Stichting Haags Industrieel Erfgoed (SHIE), Stichwort "Fridor", Version vom 20. Januar 2021, 10:00 Uhr, abrufbar unter https://shie.nl/bedrijven/fridor-naaimachinefabriek-1947-1957/ |
Australian news articles
Dutch Australian Weekly Friday 18 March 1955, page 1
Dutch sewing machineswill soon be a commonthing on the Australianmarket as the Fridor sewingmachine factories at TheHague have received anorder worth nearly £ 1 million from Australia forelectrical sewing machines.Delivery will take placeover thfe next 4 years.
Source http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article226200271
Fridor Australia. This machine has cams as in the above advert from 1956.
This machine owned by Susie Cordia. Kindly shared on Facebook group, Vintage Sewing Machines Australia and New Zealand
Dutch Australian Weekly Friday 8 June 1956, page 2
Fridor sewing machine in australia made SYDNEY, NSW '— Eric Swart, director of the export department of the N.V. Fridor Sewing Machine Factories in The Hague, has in Sydney one, agreement signed, which means that for the first in Australian history sewing machines will be manufactured wholly in Australia. The new factory of the subsidiary company Fridor (Australia) Pty. Ltd. will in the Sydney suburb of West Chatswood are located, where the manufacture of the so-called Fridor. Free Arm sewing machine ter hand will be taken. Source http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article224535764
Dutch Australian Weekly, Friday 27 September 1957, page 1
Fridor factory closes in the Netherlands THE HAGUE — The in bankrupt Fridor Sewing Machine Factory in The Hague will be completely out Netherlands disappear. In the summer of 1956 was concluded between Fridor Nederland and the Australian Pinnock Manufacturing Co. Pty. entered into an agreement whereby Pinnock de Fridor products for Australia would make. Sales. would remain in the hands of the Fridor Australia Pty. Ltd. In addition, manufactured the Belgian factories already the Fridor products under license. It is now heard, that an Australian-Belgian combination has been 'formed. This one has bought the entire inventory of the currently stationary Fridor factory in The Hague The machines will . in the Belgian Pax company, that the production has continued to be drawn up. The Australian size The company would now have financial interests in the Belgian company. Source: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article224526271
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