Category Archives: Industry

1970 Sacha Distel visits Pye Records

From the Mitcham News & Mercury, 24th April, 1970.

Sacha Distel visited the Pye record factory on Monday 20th April, 1970

A treat for the girls at Pye

The girls at the Pye record factory, Mitcham, had a special treat on Monday when the French singer Sacha Distel visited them on a promotion trip for his latest album called simply, “Sacha Distel.”

Visits from celebrities, however, are all in the day’s work at Pye’s. A couple of weeks ago World Cup star Geoff Hurst toured the factory to meet his fans and sign the record he has made with the rest of the World Cup squad – “Back Home.”

If Geoff Hurst was “smashing” according to Mrs. Irene Brown, who had her photo taken with his arm around her, Sacha Distel was even more so. Everyone knows that Frenchmen have a certain charm but as women the world over will tell you, M. Distel has more than most.

Suprisingly enough Sacha started life in a record company and has always been aware that the production of a record is very much a team effort. He said: “It is always nice to meet the people who work with you. After all, where would I be without them?”

At present Sacha is appearing at the Savoy but he hopes to do a stint at the Palladium in October. The Palladium, he says, gives him more of a general audience and the audience is something he loves. For this reason he is not particularly keen on films. “I have already made two,” he said, “and if someone asked me I would make another, but I really prefer the stage.”

And what do you think of English girls? “Very nice,” he said.

1972 Morfax had first Vidimatic NC

From the Mitcham News & Mercury
11th August 1972

THE FIRST DIXI 75 four-axis jig borer to be equipped with the Vidimatic numerical control system that incorporates television camera tubes is being installed in the Willow-lane, Mitcham, works of Morfax Ltd, to increase facilities for precision machining of complex workpieces. This is the first installation of its kind in the world.

Work at Morfax ranges from new stabilisers for the QE2 liner made from 1-inch thick stainless steel plate, structures for the Skynet 2 communications satellite and the UK5 experimental space satellite which are being assembled in a specially constructed clean room.

Among either works are artificial feel chassis for control of the Concorde and compressor casings for the Rolls-Royce RB211 engines.