Britax

Contents

History [ edit ]

It began making automotive safety equipment and accessories in 1938, and to import car and motorcycle accessories. During the 1970s, Britax began making childcare safety products, primarily child safety seats and strollers .

Excelsior Motor Company [ edit ]

Excelsior Motor Company. a former motorcycle company, bought Britax Group for ?880,000 in March 1963. It diversified into aircraft interiors and seating. car mirrors and car seating. Its main competitor in the 1960s was Irvin Air Chute. who previously were Britain's main manufacturer and designer of parachutes.

In 1960, the BSI introduced a kite-mark BS 3254 for car seats, and Britax was one of the first to comply to the standard. In 1960, one of their seatbelts saved Donald Campbell when he crashed at 400 mph. Its belts were made from Terylene (now known as PET) made by ICI. Also in 1960 it bought the Cyclemaster motorcycle company in Byfleet.

In June 1963, it introduced a new type of seat belt that allowed the belt to move but locked in rapid deceleration, as all belts are now today, known as inertia reel, and which it called an 'automatic belt'. In the mid-1960s, Britax was based on Chertsey Road in Byfleet. In June 1966, the parent company, Excelsior Motor, bought Notek. a car light manufacturer.

Britax-Excelsior [ edit ]

In January 1968, due to the prominence of the Britax brand, the parent company became known as Britax-Excelsior . At this time, their main competitor was Kangol Magnet. although Britax had over 80% of the UK market. From July 1968, all new cars were required to have front passenger seat belts fitted. However, their usage was not legally required until 1983.

In January 1970, it bought Hans Kolb of Munich, Germany. The chairman was Oscar Proctor. In December 1971, it was bought by Griffiths Bentley of Staffordshire for ?4.27m. Stephen Proctor became managing director of Griffiths Bentley.

BSG International [ edit ]

Griffiths Bentley was bought by the Bristol Street Group to become BSG International. In February 1978, this company bought Weathershields. a Birmingham sunroof manufacturer. On 3 December 1982, the Duke of Edinburgh visited Britax's factory in Chichester. The Britax brand also applied to sun-roofs. In March 1995, LA Rumbold the Surrey-based aircraft interiors company owned by BSG International, won a contract to manufacture all toilet modules for Boeing 737s .

Britax International [ edit ]

It was known as BSG International until May 1997, becoming Britax International. The chief executive was Richard Marton from the 1990s until November 2000, replaced by Bernard Brogan. In May 1996, it set up a joint venture with Koito Industries to make car lights for the European car market. In the late 1990s it was world leader in car safety seats and aircraft interiors.

It bought Buderus Sell, a German aircraft seat manufacturer in June 1997 for ?73m. In June 1998 it bought Public Safety Equipment of America, which made fire engine sirens, for ?75m. Later in August 1998, it sold its Autolease vehicle leasing company to Standard Chartered for ?83m. In April 2000, it bought Bellingham, an American aircraft interiors company, from Hexcel for ?73m. It sold its car mirrors division to Reitter & Schefenacker of Germany for ?200m.

Britax Patents [ edit ]

Britax is the patent holder for over 180 United States granted patents. [ 1 ]

The ISOFIX (known as LATCH in the US) system was developed jointly by child safety seat maker Britax-Romer and automobile maker VW. with the first compatible products released in 1997. [ 2 ] However at the US DOT 's request, Britax filed a series of "Terminal Disclaimers" to waive all its ISOFIX patent rights and dedicate the patents to the public good, so the US LATCH regulations could be established in 1998. [ 3 ]

Management buyout [ edit ]

In July 2001, it underwent a ?441m management buyout. In September 2005, Britax International sold its Britax Childcare division for ?230m to Carlyle Group. a private equity company. In November 2010, Carlyle sold Britax Childcare, to Nordic Capital. for a reported ?450m (€526.3m).

BOB Gear [ edit ]

In 2011, Britax acquired BOB Gear, a brand of jogging strollers and accessories geared towards active lifestyle parents. [ 4 ]

Hello from Britax

At Britax we’re convinced we have the best job in the world – helping parents embrace every twist and turn of the amazing journey of parenthood.

We believe family life should be lived without limits. A world where parents are free to be themselves and children are free to explore with confidence.

We’re here to provide everything families need to move smoothly, safely and with total reassurance. So that you can enjoy wherever the journey takes you.

Britax. Be free.

Britax

Britax is the best selling child car seat manufacturer in Europe. After coming to the US in 1996, American parents and parents-to-be started understanding what makes Britax so appealing. All of their products exceed safety expectations and some of the most popular models are the Britax Marathon G4 and Britax Roundabout car seat.

Contents

History [ edit ]

It began making automotive safety equipment and accessories in 1938, and to import car and motorcycle accessories. During the 1970s, Britax began making childcare safety products, primarily child safety seats and strollers .

Excelsior Motor Company [ edit ]

Excelsior Motor Company. a former motorcycle company, bought Britax Group for ?880,000 in March 1963. It diversified into aircraft interiors and seating. car mirrors and car seating. Its main competitor in the 1960s was Irvin Air Chute. who previously were Britain's main manufacturer and designer of parachutes.

In 1960, the BSI introduced a kite-mark BS 3254 for car seats, and Britax was one of the first to comply to the standard. In 1960, one of their seatbelts saved Donald Campbell when he crashed at 400 mph. Its belts were made from Terylene (now known as PET) made by ICI. Also in 1960 it bought the Cyclemaster motorcycle company in Byfleet.

In June 1963, it introduced a new type of seat belt that allowed the belt to move but locked in rapid deceleration, as all belts are now today, known as inertia reel, and which it called an 'automatic belt'. In the mid-1960s, Britax was based on Chertsey Road in Byfleet. In June 1966, the parent company, Excelsior Motor, bought Notek. a car light manufacturer.

Britax-Excelsior [ edit ]

In January 1968, due to the prominence of the Britax brand, the parent company became known as Britax-Excelsior . At this time, their main competitor was Kangol Magnet. although Britax had over 80% of the UK market. From July 1968, all new cars were required to have front passenger seat belts fitted. However, their usage was not legally required until 1983.

In January 1970, it bought Hans Kolb of Munich, Germany. The chairman was Oscar Proctor. In December 1971, it was bought by Griffiths Bentley of Staffordshire for ?4.27m. Stephen Proctor became managing director of Griffiths Bentley.

BSG International [ edit ]

Griffiths Bentley was bought by the Bristol Street Group to become BSG International. In February 1978, this company bought Weathershields. a Birmingham sunroof manufacturer. On 3 December 1982, the Duke of Edinburgh visited Britax's factory in Chichester. The Britax brand also applied to sun-roofs. In March 1995, LA Rumbold the Surrey-based aircraft interiors company owned by BSG International, won a contract to manufacture all toilet modules for Boeing 737s .

Britax International [ edit ]

It was known as BSG International until May 1997, becoming Britax International. The chief executive was Richard Marton from the 1990s until November 2000, replaced by Bernard Brogan. In May 1996, it set up a joint venture with Koito Industries to make car lights for the European car market. In the late 1990s it was world leader in car safety seats and aircraft interiors.

It bought Buderus Sell, a German aircraft seat manufacturer in June 1997 for ?73m. In June 1998 it bought Public Safety Equipment of America, which made fire engine sirens, for ?75m. Later in August 1998, it sold its Autolease vehicle leasing company to Standard Chartered for ?83m. In April 2000, it bought Bellingham, an American aircraft interiors company, from Hexcel for ?73m. It sold its car mirrors division to Reitter & Schefenacker of Germany for ?200m.

Britax Patents [ edit ]

Britax is the patent holder for over 180 United States granted patents. [ 1 ]

The ISOFIX (known as LATCH in the US) system was developed jointly by child safety seat maker Britax-Romer and automobile maker VW. with the first compatible products released in 1997. [ 2 ] However at the US DOT 's request, Britax filed a series of "Terminal Disclaimers" to waive all its ISOFIX patent rights and dedicate the patents to the public good, so the US LATCH regulations could be established in 1998. [ 3 ]

Management buyout [ edit ]

In July 2001, it underwent a ?441m management buyout. In September 2005, Britax International sold its Britax Childcare division for ?230m to Carlyle Group. a private equity company. In November 2010, Carlyle sold Britax Childcare, to Nordic Capital. for a reported ?450m (€526.3m).

BOB Gear [ edit ]

In 2011, Britax acquired BOB Gear, a brand of jogging strollers and accessories geared towards active lifestyle parents. [ 4 ]

Recall Information

In cooperation with the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, BRITAX Child Safety, Inc. announced today that it is conducting a voluntary safety recall on select B-AGILE, B-AGILE Double and BOB MOTION strollers manufactured between March 1, 2011 and June 10, 2013 with the following US & Canadian model numbers: U341782, U341783, U341764, U341763, U361818, U361819, U391820, U391821, and U391822.

The affected B-AGILE, B-AGILE Double and BOB MOTION strollers have a folding hinge located on the right side of the stroller frames that may pose a Partial Fingertip Amputation Hazard if, after depressing the fold release button, the consumer continues to press the button while simultaneously pulling on the fold release strap with the other hand. In that circumstance, the consumer’s finger may become exposed to a gap on the stroller frame above or below the folding hinge cover that opens as the stroller folds.

Out of more than 220,000 B-AGILE, B-AGILE Double and BOB MOTION strollers sold during this time period, BRITAX has received eight (8) injury reports. These reports involved the fifth digit, or smallest finger, becoming lodged in the gap as the stroller folds, resulting in laceration and/or bruising. Users should be aware that the fold release button engages with one quick press and the B-AGILE and MOTION folding process does not require users to continue pressing the fold release button. (View the “One-Hand Quick Fold” video, here: http://www. britaxusa. com/strollers/b-agile/ As this release button is not accessible to child occupants, no child occupants of the strollers should be at risk to incur injury in this manner and no child injuries have been reported.

To address this issue, BRITAX is providing a free remedy kit to all registered owners of the affected strollers. The remedy kit includes four (4) hinge covers designed to cover the stroller frame gap that occurs above and below the folding hinge as the stroller folds, and an instruction sheet for installing the covers. Owners should confirm if their stroller is affected by verifying the model number and Date of Manufacture (DOM) label.

In order to eliminate all pinch risks, BRITAX recommends against using the affected strollers until hinge covers are applied. If consumers have not yet received their remedy kit, the affected strollers can continue to be safely used if owners remove their hand from the frame release button and stroller frame as they pull up on the stroller release strap.

Consumers who have not registered their stroller or need to verify existing registration should visit www. britaxusa. com/registration (USA) or www. britax. ca/registration (Canada). For general questions, consumers should contact BRITAX toll-free at 1-866-204-1665, from 8:30 a. m. to 5:45 p. m. Eastern Time Monday through Thursday and 8:30 a. m. to 4:45 p. m. Eastern Time on Fridays or email strollerrecall@britax. com .

Locating Your Car Seat Serial Label