History of The Barden Corporation

The Barden Corporation (UK) started life in 1947 as EMO Instrumentation. The founders, Bill Spencer and Stan Hensby, has several years of experience working in the Sperry Brentford gyro factory, cultivating their expertise in precision instrument bearings.

At a similar time in the United States, Theodore Barth and Carl Norden founded The Barden Corporation to make precision ball bearings for the Norden bombsight, a device used by bomber aircraft to assist in accurately dropping bombs on a ground target. Each bombsight utilised over sixty superior quality ball bearings which were manufactured to tolerances beyond the scope of technology available at the time.

After years of expansion, The Barden Corporation (US) purchased EMO Instrumentation and established The Barden Corporation (UK) Ltd in 1961. The company relocated to Plymouth on the South West coast of England in 1966 before being purchased by FAG in 1990. Alongside associated manufacturing plants in Germany, the USA and Canada, The Barden Corporation became part of the Aerospace and Super Precision Division of FAG in 1994 before being acquired by INA-Schaeffler KG in 2001 and becoming a member of the Schaeffler Group. 

Timeline

• 1947: Founded as EMO Instrumentation by Bill Spencer and Stan Hensby
• 1948: Incorporated as a limited company on the 8th March
• 1961: Purchased by The Barden Corporation (US)
• 1966: Company relocated from Bracknell to Plymouth on the South West coast of England
• 1990: Purchased by FAG Germany
• 1994: FAG Aerospace and Super Precision Division formed
• 2001: FAG acquired by INA/Schaeffler KG

 
 
The Norden Bombsight

EMO headquarters in Surbiton 1949
 
EMO headquarters in Bracknell 1954