New England Controls history

In March 1910 the company closed its Waterbury head office after the Bristols determined that its distance from the Foxboro plant made management of the company difficult.

In 1912 Industrial Instrument sold its Standard Time division back to its original owner after determining that its operations did not fit in well with the rest of its activities.

To expand its product offerings, Foxboro bought the Wilson-Maeulen Company in 1932.

By 1935 the company had 14 sales offices distributed around every region of the country.

Foxboro's ties to British industry helped the company win contracts for war-related work even before the United States entered World War II. In June 1941 the company began to manufacture torpedo mechanisms for the British Admiralty.

In 1951 the company rolled out its Consotrol series of indicating receiver controllers.

In 1952 the company built a new print shop that also doubled as a home for its New England sales office.

By 1958 Foxboro employed more than 2,100 workers and the company's physical plant had expanded to encompass 490,000 square feet.

In 1979 Foxboro introduced its Spectrum series of systems for electronic control.

Despite these acquisitions, Foxboro was forced to lay off 150 people in mid-1985 in response to a slowing economy.

In 1987 the company suffered yet another loss, and in December of that year Foxboro's management announced that the company would take a $45 million charge, allowing it to reduce its work force by more than ten percent.