Sparkler Filters, Inc.
| Corporation | |
| ISIN | 🆔 |
| Industry | Filtration equipment |
| Genre | Manufacturing |
| Founded 📆 | Chicago, Illinois, 1927 |
| Founder 👔 | Aloysius C. Kracklauer |
| Headquarters 🏙️ | , , United States |
Area served 🗺️ | Worldwide |
Key people | Aloysius C. Kracklauer, Founder Link Reneau, CEO |
| Services | Industrial Liquid Filtration |
| Members | |
Number of employees | 50 |
| 🌐 Website | sparkler.com |
| 📇 Address | |
| 📞 telephone | |
Sparkler Filters Inc., founded in 1927 by Aloysius C. Kracklauer, is a filtration engineering and manufacturing company in Conroe, Texas. Sparkler Filters, Inc. provides liquid filtration equipment, engineering and process consulting services around the globe.
History[edit]
Sparkler Filters, Inc. was founded in 1927 as "The Home Filter Company" in Chicago, Illinois. In 1928 the name was officially changed to Sparkler Manufacturing Company. Initially consisting of only a small vacuum filter, primarily used as a beverage filter for home use during the years of prohibition, Sparkler began to incorporate dozens of innovations used in industrial process solutions into their product line. In 1930 Kracklauer began selling the SPA Filter, the first mass manufactured water filter, that attaches directly to the kitchen faucet. These early models were primarily sold door to door by Kracklauer himself. In 1934 Aloysius patented and began selling the Horizontal Plate Filter, a multi-plate filtration device now known as a "Sparkler". In 1939 A.C. Kracklauer formed a partnership with his brother William J. Kracklauer, with whom he worked until Williams death in 1952.
During World War II Sparkler made filters for the U.S. Air Force reconnaissance units that were often in a location where they had to develop photos immediately[1], using the only available dirty ditch water for the developing process. Sparkler’s specially designed portable unit made it possible to develop photos using local water by separating out the impurities from the liquid. At the same time, Sparkler Filters were being used in hundreds of war plants producing chemical and food products for the war effort. Sparkler International, Ltd., was founded in 1951, responsible for all foreign Sparkler manufacturing operations at the time. The European division in Amsterdam was the first branch of this new company, and it was one of the first ten American companies to establish an office in Holland after the war.
By the mid 1940s, Sparkler was one of the major pioneers in introducing diatomaceous earth filtration to U.S. breweries. The basic unit used in this application was still the Horizontal Plate Filter; however, some design changes were made in order to make it more suitable to this industry. The combination of diatomaceous earth and horizontal plate filtration proved to be more efficient, more sanitary, and more cost-effective than other filtration methods of the time. By 1953, only one major beer producer in America was not using Sparkler Filters as standard equipment. By the late 1940s, Sparkler had also pioneered the use of diatomaceous earth for Swimming Pool Filters and by 1950 for Municipal Drinking Water Filters.
Sparkler’s international expansion continued for more than a decade. In 1952, a manufacturing licensing agreement was made in Italy, followed by the opening of a manufacturing plant in Canada during 1953 and a further manufacturing licensing agreement in Australia in 1954. A joint manufacturing company was founded in Mexico in 1958 to manufacture Sparkler equipment for that market. By 1959 Sparkler Filters were manufactured in Brazil, and in 1960 also in South Africa. A licensing agreement was concluded in Japan in 1961, followed by a similar agreement in England in 1962. Later manufacturing licensing agreements were also made for Spain and India.
In 1960 Sparkler moved to their current headquarters in Conroe, Texas with an expanded manufacturing facility in excess of 63,000 sq. ft. Located on railroad tracks, 50 miles from the Port of Houston and less than 5 miles from the nearest airport. In the early 1960's Kracklauer created the MCRO, a large self-cleaning vertical plate filter system widely used in large scale industrial processes.
Through the years, Sparkler and Mr. Kracklauer received several distinguished awards from the chemical and filtration industries as well as from the U.S. Commerce Department. In 1961, at the Achema in Frankfurt, Germany, Sparkler International, Ltd. was awarded a bronze medal in recognition of industrial developments. In 1962, Sparkler was the second recipient of President Kennedy's "E-for-export" program for its development of export markets [2], and in 1973 The Filtration Society, Texas Chapter, presented Mr. A.C. Kracklauer a plaque that read, “In grateful appreciation to A.C. Kracklauer for his pioneering spirit and distinguished service to the filtration industry.”
In 1976, the Board of Directors of Sparkler Manufacturing Company (Sparkler Mfg.) voted unanimously to change its corporate name to Sparkler Filters, Inc.
Innovations[edit]
- Vacuum style beverage filter, 1927
- SPA water filter, 1930[3]
- Horizontal Plate Filter, 1934[4]
- Portable unit for developing photos for U.S. Air Force, 1942 [1]
- Diatomaceous Earth brewery filter, 1946
- Diatomaceous Earth swimming pool filter, 1948
- Diatomaceous Earth filters for municipal drinking water, 1950[5]
- Edible oil restaurant filter, 1951[6]
- Wash-off plate filter, 1952[7]
- MCRO Vertical Plate self cleaning industrial filter, 1964[8]
- Horizontal rotating pressure leaf filter (HRC), 1961[9]
- Belt Filter, 1976
- Agitated Nutsche Filter, 1992[10]
Awards[edit]
- 1942, Industrial progress award[11]
- 1961, Bronze medal, Archema for developments with the Velmac Filter
- 1962, U.S. Secretary of Commerce 2nd recipient of "E-for-Export"[2]
Philanthropy[edit]
Founder Aloysius C. Kracklauer donated land on the corner of Seymour Avenue and Division Street to the fire department in 1955 to build the first fire station in Mundelein, Illinois. In 1967 they built the Mundelein Park and Recreation District administration building on land also donated by Kracklauer. Kracklauer park located on Seymour Avenue, Mundelein, Illinois.[12] In January, 2020 Mundelein County created the Kracklauer Funds for the Arts to honor the Kracklauer family for their contributions.
External links[edit]
Additional Reading[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.google.com/books/edition/Air_Force_Regulation/WTArAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22Sparkler%22%20
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 International Commerce, Volume 68, Issues 16-29
- ↑ "Filter".
- ↑ "Plate filter".
- ↑ Water Works Engineering, Volume 110, Pg. 523
- ↑ "Filtering apparatus".
- ↑ "Wash-off plate filter apparatus".
- ↑ "Apparatus for use in filtering fluids".
- ↑ "Unitary rotatable pressure leaf filter".
- ↑ "Nutsche process filter drive unit".
- ↑ https://www.google.com/books/edition/1942_Industrial_Progress_Award_Program/ku5OAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22sparkler+filters%22+award&dq=%22sparkler+filters%22+award&printsec=frontcover
- ↑ "Kracklauer Park". Mundelein Park District.
Sparkler Filters[edit]
This article "Sparkler Filters" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Sparkler Filters. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
